How to Improve Customer Service

“The Beast We All Love To Hate”

Is it just the nature of the beast in customer service? Is everyone out there just winging it, and hoping that as long as they have great people, everything will be all right?”

I have spent most of my professional career in Hospitality service sector. Covering North America, Hawaii, Europe and Asia. All very different locations, people wanted great service no matter where I went. Service is a global language, everyone understands.

When customers are happy, they are polite, satisfied and there is hardly any stress, service is great. However, no business, I feel hits customer service satisfaction index all the time, there’s a lot of variation in how things are done when issues begin or there is a service failure. We don’t have any kind of guidelines set up to carry us through the more challenging scenarios that come up constantly and consistently. Successful companies have SOPs around customer service failures and have a militant approach towards service execution.

I have hired hundreds of smart people over the years. Customer-friendly people who are hired because they have customer-friendly attributes, warm hospitable personality, positive attitude and empathy are a great asset to any organization or business.

I try to live by “service above all”, however, it’s not enough or the whole of it. For sustainable customer service excellence, you also need standards, systems and service recovery system.

Below are some tips and tricks which I have found to be very useful:

“Service Is Always The King In All We Do”

Standards – are a position that an organization takes, standard can be how long it’s okay for a phone to ring before it’s answered. Or a tactic for performing a task consistently, easily and successfully. Standards can be quite specific. When you order a caramel macchiato at Starbucks, your drink is finished with a precise pattern of caramel sauce, true for all Starbucks locations in the world.

Systems – are slightly more elaborate, essentially groups of standards. For instance, a popular system used in many industries, specially hospitality the 10-5-3 rule, a system for how to greet and interact with approaching customers.

Example: At 10 feet, look up from what you’re doing and acknowledge the guest with direct eye contact and a nod. At 5 feet, smile. At 3 feet, verbally greet the guest “Good morning” or “Good afternoon”.

Service Recovery System – backbone of customer service, is a framework for service recovery, i.e., how to work with an upset or disappointed customer. “Arguably, nothing is more important than this; designed to enable a stressed employee to work, in the heat of the moment, with an upset or complaining or angry customer.

Some examples I feel are spot on when discussing service culture. Service driven companies have their own service recovery systems.

The service recovery sequence at Marriott (my alma mater) spells:

LEARN (Listen, Empathize, Apologize, Respond, Notify); at

Starbuck’s spells, LATTE (Listen, Acknowledge, Take action, Thank customer, Explain what you did).

Wow Factor – A customer experience over and beyond expectations, it exceeds and does so in a creative unexpected way. This is where magic happens, brand loyalty is developed, and customers become your best brand ambassadors. To do this consistently train and empower your staff, showcase wow moments of your talented staff, share best practices, and deliver it at the right moment for your customer.

Talent Management – technology, chatbots or automation are here to support the service experience, recruiting, selection, and nurturing of great employees who make the difference to the actual customers who pay the bills. With a deep dive into customer pain points, you will find that there’s nothing more important to your customers, and ultimately, your financial performance, than the human element of customer experience. Don’t hire people to fill empty roles, train staff to deliver world class service every time.

This brings me to Pakistan, a country culturally rich in hospitality, where I feel customer service culture is struggling. And, a paradigm shift is required for us to become better professionals, with a customer focused mindset. It means that every decision is made with the customer in mind, and everyone in the organization knows how they impact the overarching customer service strategy as well as the entire customer experience (CX).

My experience is that, It’s not the people, it’s lack of service training, standards and systems. A trained, happy employee who feels appreciated and respected will be better able and much more enthusiastic about delivering a good customer experience. We all need to treat service staff with respect and professionalism.

My recommendation, starting at the top, leaders must be an example of good service as they interact with employees and follow the steps to building a customer-centric culture. Do it right, and the customer will respond to the positive culture with repeat business, and ultimately, loyalty.

Promptness: delivery of service/products must be on time

Politeness: Saying ‘hello,’ ‘good afternoon,’ ‘sir,’ and ‘thank you’

Professionalism: use of competence or skills expected of the professional

Personalization: using customer name is very good way create loyalty

It might seem hard to teach, however there are ways to be successful. Over the years, I have conducted and been part of numerous customer service trainings. Customer-focused culture is an all-inclusive approach – leadership and employees must be aligned. All working together to achieve the customer service success.

Below, I share few tips and tricks which I have learned, and which have helped me on customer service journey while working with brands like Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt, Renaissance and Radisson hotels.

The Right People - Leadership sets the tone and the culture. Hire the best people with not only the skills to do the job, but with customer service mindset.

The Basics - Provide training and knowledge to work from. Basic customer service training happens first during orientation of the job – no one gets put in the job till this training is complete.

The Empowerment - Trained staff should be empowered to make their own decisions without having to “ask the manager” for any customer-focused decision.

The Vision - Customer service vision statement should be short and to the point. It should inspire staff to deliver great customer service every time.

The Training - Train everyone on soft skills, customer service expectations and core values.

The Behavior - Treat your employees the way you want your guests treated. If you take care of your staff, they will take care of your guests.

The Feedback - Recognize the best performers, it’s the best way to motivate others when they do well.

The Success - Everyone loves success, so don’t forget to celebrate a job well done. Public recognition goes a long way.

Asim Ibrahim is CEO of Lakeshore Hospitality Group and a senior Corporate Executive encompassing over three decades of international experience in US, Canada, Europe, and Asia Pacific in operations, institutional, and administrative management. Dedicated to excellence in customer experience and revenue generation with focus on tourism and hospitality sectors.