I just returned from my son’s wedding in the Dominican Republic. They moved the whole shootin’ match from Mexico after the flu scare threatened to turn the ceremony into a much more private affair than they hoped for. The resort company was gracious enough to simply switch all the reservations and move everyone’s flights. Service excellence at its best!
We found upon arrival, that the resort we were now staying at was doing a “soft” opening. That means that every experience was a test drive for the staff and unfortunately for the guests as well. It did not go well and we were frustrated on a daily basis by poor service and lack of response to our frustration. At the same time we were the guinea pigs, they were hard selling us to buy into their vacation club!
What a wonderful – and sadly missed – opportunity to create fans for life! Had they simply told us up front what was happening, offered some consideration for helping them excel and omitted the sales pitch until the bugs were worked out, we would have loved them forever! But they didn’t – they missed the chance to capitalize on their situation through good service and communication. (Good thing they got the wedding day right.)
I also learned this lesson in my practice. I was always trying new procedures and techniques. When I was up front with people they loved being part of our learning. People want to help us get better at what we do, they want to be included and they enjoy being asked for their help. Reward them for their loyalty and trust, use your imagination…notes, dinner at a great restaurant, fee considerations and most of all, copious thanks.
