Trustomer Service

Posted from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina--

Marriott is my hotel of choice.  Marriott runs a fantastic hotel business and I'm a big fan.  Every stay seems to generate a positive experience and many visits treat me to a customer service experience that I convert into a story for clients. 

Last fall, I stayed at a Marriott property in Rhode Island to deliver a keynote speech to a group of  sales professionals in the health care industry.  As I left my room to deliver the talk, the housekeeper greeted me in the hallway outside my room.

She asked if I would be needing my room serviced.   

I pointed to the "Do Not Disturb" sign I had displayed on the doorknob and said, "No, thanks."

Then, something odd happened.  The housekeeper asked me to sign a document stating that I didn't want my room cleaned. 

As I signed the form, I teasingly said, "I guess your manager doesn't trust you, eh?" 

"Oh, my manager trusts me," the woman innocently replied.  "But sometimes guests tell us that they don't  want their room cleaned and then later complain that we didn't clean their room."

So her manager trusts her, but doesn't trust me.  Oops.  I like how the Marriott documents customer requests, but the implied lack of trust left a bad taste in my mouth. 

The secret to remarkable customer service is trustomer service.  Your representatives can be taught how to better establish trust with customers.  More information is available in my FastLearnerAudio2 CD and e-book, Teaching Remarkable Customer Service.