Service with a smile, not a snarl

Whether it is a chief executive at a major corporation or an engineer on the plant floor, everyone at some point has to provide service.
Once a person grasps that knowledge, then he or she should work toward providing service that will exceed all expectations. That message came through loud and clear today at ABB Power & Automation World in Orlando, Fla.
“Service is about the emotions of the recipients of the service,” said Diana Oreck, vice president of the global learning and leadership center at Ritz Carlton and keynote speaker. “They always remember how you made them feel.”
Oreck should know about service as her company has won the Malcolm Baldridge Service Award two times in the past 17 years.
In a room full of technologists and engineers, Oreck came out with a true formula for services: Attention to detail + kindness and connection + lack of flawed processes equals a quality service experience. And the other aspect about quality of service is, the end result does not have to cost too much, if anything at all. It is all about treating people fairly and being attentive to their needs or their requests.
One story Oreck told was when a family was checking into the New York City Ritz and the parents had two boys aged 6 and 7. The boys told the front clerk they were hoping they would run into Spiderman somewhere in the city.
Later on that night, there was a knock on the door of the family’s room and it was Spiderman delivering some cookies to the children.
“Those kids will be customers for life,” Oreck said
As a part of company’s culture, employees must all be on the same page.
“Values, mission and vision of the organization must be known and owned and energized by all the people every day,” she said.
“Just giving the customers what they expect does not work today,” Oreck said. “You want to exceed expectations. You need to be proactive.”