Management at America's Cafe made a bad experience better

I am in Las Vegas, staying at a major resort, when I came back from a trade show for some lunch. I was hungry and tired, and I sat at this bar to order. The bartender completely ignored me and was slow in getting my order. Finally, I asked another co-worker for a manager. I told the manager that I should have told her server that I was tired and hungry, but I had waited a long time while watching her tell a couple about some real estate investments.

The manager apologized, got me my food and then discounted my ticket to nada. I wasn't looking for that, but I was glad to get a meal. The manager was very nice, and she said she would talk to her server about her extra curricular activities.

Marriott's professional response made my day after previous experience.

This morning, my email box had this letter from the Marriott chain:

Dear Mr. Scherer,

Mr. Marriott has received your comments regarding your recent stay at the New Orleans Marriott, and has asked that I respond in his behalf.

Needless to say, we were extremely dismayed to learn of your experience. Our Front Office Manager, Mr. Jeff Linden, has been apprised of the unfortunate situation that you encountered and you may be assured that he will personally address this matter with those associates most directly involved. There is absolutely no excuse for what occurred and I hope you will accept my sincere apology on behalf of the hotel.

Mr. Scherer, you are definitely a valued Marriott customer. Although we cannot change the past, we would like to take the first step toward regaining your confidence in us. With that said, I would like to invite you and Mrs. Scherer to enjoy a complimentary two night stay with Marriott. If you will provide me with your mailing address, I will forward two Marriott Flex Anytime Certificates that are accepted at over 1100 participating Marriott Brands throughout the country. Breakfast is included.

Once again, Mr. Scherer, I greatly appreciate the opportunity that you have afforded me to respond to your concerns.

Sincerely,


Gil Zanchi
Area General Manager

While I was not expecting anything short of a nice apology letter, it was nice of them to offer to send the two "flex" passes to me.

How a Starbucks angel made my day.....

When you work in the virtual world like I do, a popular meeting place is Starbucks. Today, I was meeting my graphic designer, Ruben Barron at the franchise location at 281 and 1604. Starbucks was running an anniversary sale and their staffers were in costume. Naturally, the lady with the angel wings sold me on the fact that I should buy my wife, Jackie, coffee because the proceeds were going to a charity.

I was so impressed with the positive attitude that I wish I had the money to buy two. Still, I was most impressed with the "angel" and her coworkers. It made my day, and it left me with a very positive impression of this franchise.

P.S. My wife was very happy to get the coffee as a gift.

Taking the time to praise great service

Last night, my wife and I had a light supper at Indigo Joes. My server was excellent, pouring water in my glass without asking and acting upbeat. After paying the bill and leaving a generous tip, I asked to talk to her manager. When I told him about the great service, he beamed and told me that she had been working for him for one year and that was typical of her action. He assured me that he would "buy her a beer at the end of the shift."

Based on the service and this response, I'll be back again. Here's hoping more people take the time to compliment excellent service.

Marriott quick to respond to my bad experience at their New Orleans hotel

I just got this response from the folks at Marriott corporate after writing a letter to Mr Marriot. What I really liked was this part of the response:

Per Mr. Marriott’s request each incident received is forwarded to the proper hotel for a response. This serves as a training tool for each hotel, in order to improve on any service or product failures.

The biggest reason for this letter, of course, was to help Marriott management look at a way to fix their process. I can't wait to hear from the general manager at this hotel.

Save the commercial for the end of the call

I love to play racquetball, and I have to make a reservation at the Spectrum Health Clubs to get a court at my club. For the past couple of weeks, I have been getting this message when I call my club: "thanksforallingspectrumwhereyoucangetathousandbucksforreferring....." before the basic "Hi, my name is Jo Bob, thanks for calling Spectrum, how can I help you?"

Pure and simple, this form of marketing is on level with spam email and direct mail from politicians. I have a busy enough schedule that I don't want to waste time hearing their message. Yet, until recently, I did nothing about it.

Yesterday, after playing racquetball, I filled out the Spectrum customer service satisfaction form and I told the front desk staff about my complaint. Without giving the name of the Spectrum employee, he smiled and he said he got a lot of complaints from others, but I was the first to actually take the time to write down my complaints. And, the funny thing was that he gave me a complimentery bottle of Gatorade for my efforts.

Today, I spoke to a manager at Spectrum who asked me how to improve this process.

Here's my thoughts on how to improve the telecommunications process and a suggested training ploy:

Spectrum Health Club: Hi, this is Joe Bob at the Spectrum at Rogers Ranch, how can I help you?

Me: This is Matt, I would like to get a reservation for a racquetball court, get in touch with a trainer or some other service.

Spectrum: Thanks. I'll take care of that. By the way, did you know about this new fall promotion......"

Canal Street Marriot is not living up to its chain's reputation

I was in New Orleans, coordinating and producing a video on security cameras for one of my client. He arranged for my shooter and I to stay at the Marriott on Canal Street. After getting up at 4 a.m. to catch a plan and then working all day, the prospect of a shower and the use of a bathroom was something I needed.



My client had made a reservation for me, but the front desk couldn't find my name. When I asked if I could use my gmail account to check the reservation number, Alajendro, the front desk rep suggested that I could go the business center and pay for access time to check the reservation number. Perhaps, it was the salt stains or the fact that I smelled like I had been outside all day or the muddy shoes I was wearing, but that had to be the most moronic thing I have ever heard.



I have stayed at other hotels where you could go to a business center at no cost to check a reservation number. However, Alejandro thought it was best for me to pay for this cost.



When I asked to speak to his boss, Alysia said I was being rude for suggesting that her staff member was "brainless" in his customer service. Again, it was perhaps my dirty clothes worn on three construction sites or the cut of my clothes.



I did speak to her manager and we finally found that the reservation was in my client's name. The process took 20 minutes when a simple call to someone with Internet access could have helped me find my reservation number and information.



However, the check out from the hotel was just as bad. My client had paid for my reservation with his credit card and make a reservation. I was asked to give a credit card to secure the reservation. After another 15 minutes, I think we got the payment issue resolved.



After sharing this experience with my wife, I like her take on the treatment. To her, it seem that the staff at the Marriott were more concerned with following process, but more importantly, they didn't have a stake in my welfare.

I know from reading about Marriott that they typically are tuned into customer service, but perhaps Bill Marriott should reconsider ways to improve the way they treat guests who need temporary access to the Internet to check on a reservation number.

Taking the time to praise excellent service: an open letter to the folks at Sprint PCS

When I get exception service at a bar or restaurant, I tend to tip 25 percent or more to a hard working hospitality professional. However, when dealing with someone who doesn't work for tips such as a Sprint PCS rep, I can't really send him a tip. Yet, in a customer service environment where good service is recognized with bonuses or other forms of recognition, doesn't it make sense to commend people?

After dealing with two very inept CSR reps in the Phillipines who wanted to stay on script, I got exceptional help from Tony, a rep based in Kentucky, I took the time to speak to his boss who asked that I send his supervisor an email. Here's the text of that email message with the hopes that others who read this blog will take the time to respond as well when they get great service:

Mr. Prather,
I have been dealing with your overseas customer service reps for the past week, and I have to admit that they stick to the script and they NEVER use critical listening or thinking skills. I had a problem with my data plan, and after five minutes of dealing with the Filipinos who stick to script as if their job depends on it, I got to speak to Tony in your Kentucky Blackberry support section. Tony was excellent, and he took the time to call me back to verify that a service that was truncated by the overseas staff was restored.
Could you do the following for me:
A) Tell the cost cutters at Sprint that a little common sense and listening skills is a valued skill with all their customer service reps. Instead of spending $$$$ on their ads to gain customers; they could do a better form of marketing with superior customer service skills such as folks like Tony;B) Pass on my compliment to Tony for his willingness to call me back.C) Ask Sprint to find more contractors like Tony to help customers with service.
--

Is this the best you can do -- a $20 gift certificate?

Just got this email message from the folks at Holiday Inn Express and their guest relatons staff after my recent night's stay in Sealy, Texas:

Dear Mr. Scherer, > > Thank you for contacting Guest Relations regarding your experience with the> Holiday Inn Express Sealy, TX. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to> bring this matter to our attention and apologize for the difficulties you> had experienced with the hotel staff. > > It is IHG's goal to consistently provide superior service and accommodations> and your comments are very important to us. The feedback we receive from> our valued guests, like you, enables us to target problem areas and take the> necessary actions to ensure similar situations can be avoided in the future.> We appreciate the candid feedback we receive and welcome any opportunity to> improve. > > I have forwarded your comments to the General Manager and ownership of this> hotel, and I am confident they will take the necessary steps to continue to> improve their services. In addition, in an effort to retain your patronage,> I have sent you $20.00 in Guest Coupons, on their behalf. These may be> redeemed towards room or restaurant charges at any of the following IHG> Brands: Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Express by> Holiday Inn®, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts®, Staybridge Suites®,> Candlewood Suites®, and Hotel Indigo®. They are valid for redemption until> the expiration date printed. You will receive them under separate cover> within the next 7-10 business days.> > Once again, we appreciate you taking the time to share your comments with> us. We know you have many choices when it comes to lodging and we hope you> will continue to choose IHG for your future travel needs. > > Sincerely, > > > Everett Parra > Guest Relations > IHG

And here was my response to them:

Dear Eve,
Let me share my perspective on this. When I had a similar experience at another hotel chain, the Drury Hotel apologized to me and gave me a free night with a similar deal to the one promised for 100-percent satisfaction at your chain. And, that's why if there is a choice in the matter on hotels, I always opt for them. The folks at Drury were big enough to admit their mistake and rectify the problem. Since that one bad incident, I have spent about 10 nights there with them, especially when on business in Houston and Colorado.
Your $20 gift certificate is not adequate to repair the damage done by your Sealy Hotel. As I said before, I would expect this from Knights Inn Hotel or a trucker's motel, not from Holiday Inn. Everytime I see your ads in San Antonio, I think of the Sealy Hotel treatment, and while I don't go out of my way to share my experiences with this hotel, I will tell others of my treatment and your $20 gift certificate offer, especially in light of your promise to make things right.
If this is the best that you can do, I'll take my business to your competitors. What I truly expect is this:
A) A full refund for the one night stay in Sealy (that's what you promised in the cover thing for my room key if something wasn't right.)

B) An offer to send via expedited freight sweet rolls like the ones promised in your ad for a future breakfast at my home.

If you can't do better than a $20 gift certificate, please expect me to mail it back to you and your answer to the chief executive officer of the Holiday Inn Express. In light of your promise to make things right, a measly $20 gift certificate is not doing things right.

Waitress at Mimi's restaurant exceptional

After watching Becoming Jane with my wife, I went to dinner at Mimi's Restaurant in the Rim. Our server was fantastic in that she and her team worked together to keep our glasses filled with water. When I told her that the fries were cold, she smiled and said she would get me a fresh basket.

I should have taken the time to contact her manager because of her professional and positive attitude, but he or she wasn't available. There wasn't a customer comment form either. So, I left my server a 25-percent tip.

Still awaiting an email from Holiday Inn Express

It's been three business days since I emailed the folks at Holiday Inn Express, and so far, there hasn't been a response from them. The delay tells me they don't really care about my lodging experience. While I am not a road warrior who travels 10 days a month or more, my personal and business schedule calls for some significant use of hotels.

I am amazed at how much companies spend on advertising, but when it comes to providing a quality assurance service, they are slow or underfunded. I know when I had a poor experience at another chain, they at least contacted me via email.

Why it will be a long time before I eat at the Trilogy again

My son, Peter and I had pizza at Trilogy Pizza, the best deep dish pizza in San Antonio.  The service was poor, the pizza cold, and I took the time to email my comments to the owner.  Did the owner call me to discuss my pizza or offer to buy the next one?  Nope.  I saw him at a business luncheon where he told me he saw my comment.

It's been a week since I sent him the email, so it wouldn't have taken him more than two minutes to call so he could have told me that he was sorry that my last experience was so poor and told me that he would take care of my next visit to his restaurant.   He smiled and said he was sorry.

His reaction made me think of a sign I saw at Bigz Restaurant.  It said simply that the cost of making a hamburger to a customer's satisfaction was cheaper than losing a customer.  Well, as much as I love the deep dish pizza at Trilogy, I have a lot of other choices for my business.   Here's hoping that John, the owner, realizes that he has lost my business.

An open letter to Barry Johnson, VP of student affairs at Lamar

Dear Dr. Johnson,

I just wanted to take the time to share my feelings about my son's move into Lamar University.   If you want to make things better for future students, here's my thoughts on ways to improve the process:

1)  When a student gets his student ID, it shouldn't take 10 business days to get through the mail.  When I went to college at UTSA to get my business degree three years ago, I got my ID card in only five minutes.  Your folks in the ID section said my son, Peter, had to wait two weeks because the card had a magnetic card with financial data in it, but my UTSA card also had money placed into it for meals and for print jobs at the school.   Maybe, it's time to find another ID card vendor that can provide a card that can be given to a student in just a few minutes.  As a public relatons manager to MDI Security Inc, I know that there are security card vendors that can provide a card and allow the students to put a pin number to protect the info.  Perhaps, it's time to get a new or updated system into place.


2)  Your mail process.  How is it that my student can get his key to his room on Saturday, but he has to wait until Monday to get his mail box?   One of your senior staff said that it was because the mail folks don't work on Saturday, but I know that there are a lot of authorized contractors who work on Saturday, especially when they have 1000 new customers.

3)  The dining hall.   My son reports that he couldn't get a meal until Monday.  It's a good thing that I left him with a lot of groceries until the dining hall folks open for business.

Here's hoping that you look at these comments as a way to make things better for students at Lamar.  I admit that you're the first university administrator to give me your private cell phone number during my son's orientation, so I know you care about the process at Lamar.

Want a cinammon roll at the Sealy Holiday Inn Express? Forgetaboutitttttttttttt!

After dropping my son off at college, I stopped at the Holiday Inn Express in Sealy, Texas. While the person who took my reservation told me that breakfast was served at 6:30 a.m., I got up to check out at 6 a.m. to see one of their famed cinnamon rolls in their kitchen.

Alas, the door was locked, and the night clerk would not allow me in to sample one of their famous rolls. I've stayed at this chain several times and I have had breakfast before opening time at this and other hotels.

And, when this chain makes it a point of advertising these rolls, it's a crime for them not to serve me at least one.

So, as a true six-percenter, I took the time to look up the customer service feedback to write to the holding company for Holiday Inn to let them know that this was the first time that one of their hotels wouldn't at least give me a roll for the road.

I am hoping that I will get more than the usual apology form letter. When I had a bad experience at the Drury Inn, I contacted their service folks. I got a nice letter, a call from their manager and a free stay at the hotel when I was back in Houston.

I know some people would accept poor service and never say anything, but I think it's only reasonable to have a hotel that allows me to provide services that they advertise and not take my key through a slot and return my credit card receipt.

Here's hoping that the folks at Holiday Inn are serious about their customer service, just as much as they are about promoting their great cinammon rolls.