I recently watched a skillful manager at a Four Seasons hotel field a complaint from a guest who was hesitant about even bringing up her concerns.
Guest (after describing a troubling interaction): “Of course, your employee may have a different perspective from mine on how this went down.”
The manager’s immediate response: “Ma’am, as far as we’re concerned, there’s only one perspective that matters.”
Which is essentially correct. As a thoughtful customer, it’s nice to take into account the perspective of the employee. But as a business, the only perspective that matters to you, if you want to stay in business, is the customer’s. Even if it’s arguably a mis-perception on the part of the customer, you need to hear that misperception. Feel that misperception. Own that misperception. Figure out if it can be avoided in the future, for future customers as well as this one, by aligning the perspective of your insiders (employees) to that of the outsiders (customers) you want to welcome in.
By Micah Solomon – keynote speaker, customer service speaker, customer service consultant, and #1 bestselling author of “Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization.” Visit with Micah at https://customerserviceguru.com. Or, click here for your own free chapter of Micah Solomon’s #1 customer service bestseller, Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization (American Management Association/ AMACOM)
