Why great customer service is borne out of a great culture of hospitality

By Mwita Chacha

Last week, I wanted to go to a popular outdoor restaurant. I asked a friend who was there the previous day and he told me that the service was “so horrible” that he would never set foot there again. Now such feedback hits hard.

Nevertheless, we thought that perhaps it was one of those days and we decided to go there on Sunday afternoon.

For starters, the place was grossly understaffed and we had to go to the store to bring out our own chairs and a table. Once we were seated, it took what seemed like an eternity for drinks to be served. We ordered seafood.

The waitress had no place to write the order, but nevertheless told us the food will be ready in about an hour. After an hour and half, we waylaid her and asked her about the food and, shockingly, she asked, “What food?” Yes, imagine waiting for more than an hour only to be told that the order was not placed and now you have to wait for another hour.

The incident made me think that it is time we had at least a certificate course where waitresses are trained in customer care.

It can be a month-long course that caters for, among other things, working under pressure, taking orders, bills management, attitude towards difficult but useful customers and some bit of honesty about how long food will take.

Unfortunately, this happened during Customer Service Week where much is expected, especially from the service and hospitality industry.

Customer Service Week is a great opportunity to celebrate the vital role customer service plays in our businesses and communities.

The week shines a spotlight on the hard work, dedication and impact of customer service professionals across the country.

Throughout the week, organisations come together to recognise achievements, share best practices and inspire teams to continue raising the standard of service excellence.

Whether you’re a frontline advisor or a senior leader, Customer Service Week is your chance to champion great service and the people who deliver it.

This year’s Customer Service Week ran from October 6 to 10 October under the theme “Mission: Possible”, which was meant to inspire teams and staff members to embark on a mission to make the impossible possible for customers.

Here at home, it is generally a week-long opportunity to raise awareness of customer service and the vital role it plays in successful business practice and economic growth.

Now, let us get it right from the onset. Great customer service comes from a great culture of hospitality, a culture that takes the form of daily behaviours.

Outstanding service is not a one-off achievement; it is about excelling repeatedly. Good service culture essentially come from leadership – leaders with service ambitions; leaders who convey culture positively to everyone in their team; leaders who role-model the actions and exemplify the service culture all the time.

The customer service culture must be intentional and high standards must be set. We need to take a needs-based approach while being committed to having a customer-first approach and understanding the customer through utilisation of customer data.

We should work on models that prioritise delivery of maximum value to customers while constantly engaging with them and achieving a 360-degree view of the customer by implementing automated customer feedback mechanisms.

Additionally, we should improve customer experience by mapping out customer journeys and identifying potential areas of improvement through strategic customer-driven marketing by measuring effectiveness of marketing campaigns against business performance.

It takes willpower and a great desire to set such high standards in the first place.  The true key performance indicator lies in meeting them. But how do we go about meeting the set standards and delivering “Mission Possible”?

What is needed is a true culture transformation aiming at creating a customer-centric environment that drives long-term success in the customer service agenda.

This can be in form of training programmes geared towards fostering a culture where employees prioritise customer needs and satisfaction; giving employees the autonomy to take actions that benefit customers; boosting employee engagement agenda and job satisfaction, which can lead to better customer interactions as well as driving employee accountability for delivering exceptional customer service.

Once achieved, good customer service experience is a remarkable strength to have in any business since it builds emotional bonds with your customers and lays the foundation for customer loyalty and retention, improves customer satisfaction and experience and enhances reputation and brand image, thus driving business growth and revenues.

Chacha Mwita is the Head of Strategy and Human Capital Services at MnC Consulting Services in Dar es Salaam. [email protected]