When an upgrade backfires!

I was away with my family last weekend, visiting the excellent 'Festival of Angels' in York - highly recommended for anyone seeking an enjoyable pre-Christmas experience in the north of England!

Indeed, it was so popular that despite extensive searching I was unable to find a hotel room in York and ended up pre-booking at the Marriott Hotel in Leeds.  Even then I had to book two double rooms as all their family rooms were booked.

It was a bit of a surprise then that after checking in, getting the lift and walking into the first room I found it had two queen size beds in it - it was the family room we'd initially requested.  And the surprise grew when my wife opened the door of the second room and that too was the same, another family room!  My first thought was that we would after all be able to spend the night together in one room - good news!  But that was closely followed by confusion - was it a mistake, had we been given the wrong rooms?

So I went back down to reception to ask them to clarify.  When I asked the manager (I think) at reception he confirmed that the rooms were correct and that we'd received a complimentary upgrade.  My initial reaction was to explain that we'd just use one room, at which point he interrupted and said that we must pay for the two rooms booked.  From that point I think the value of the conversation deteriorated.  It went something like this:

Me: "But when I initially tried to book a family room your website indicated that none were available and the only way you could accommodate me (and my family) was in two separate rooms."
Him: "That was probably the case at the time sir."
Me: "But what's the point in giving us two family rooms when we clearly only need one?"
Him (looking confused): "Because we've upgraded you sir."
Me: "But I don't want one of the rooms.  What I wanted all along was one family room."
Him: "As I've already said sir, you will have to pay for both rooms."
Me: "I will pay for them, but that's not my point.  My point is, why give me a further room that is of no value because it'll be unoccupied?"
Him: "That's your choice sir but it was an upgrade."
Me: "But it's of no value, and to be honest I'm now starting to feel conned into buying a room I don't need."
Him: "We haven't conned you sir.  This is how hotels work, we allocate rooms based on what works best, for the customer and the hotel.  It's about various things, room availability, location of the rooms - you wouldn't want to be woken in the middle of the night, and so on."
Me: "But why did your website indicate there was no family room available?"
Him: "there can't have been at that time."
Me: "That sounds questionnable to me - that two family rooms suddenly became available."
Him: "That must be the case sir."
Me: "In which case I don't understand why nobody rang me to ask whether I'd like to switch from two double rooms to one family room."
Him: "That's not how we work sir.  it's not up to us to do that."
Me: "Well if you'd checked your records you'd see that whenever I have stayed in a Marriott hotel I've always stayed in a family room."
Him: "You don't understand how hotels work sir."
Me: "Obviously not.  You don't get why I'm frustrated do you?"
Him: "No, not really sir, we've upgraded you."
Me: "Let me explain.  Imagine you wanted to hire a car for your family of four.  You ring the car hire company and they tell you that they don't have a four seater but you agree to take two two seaters instead.  Then, when you arrive to collect the cars they give you two four seaters.  How would you feel?"
Him: "It's really not the same sir.  Hotels are car hire are completely different."
Me: "No it's not, the principle is exactly the same!  I'll pay for the two rooms but you need to know that you've turned a loyal customer and advocate into one who is really unhappy with Marriott."
Him: "It's not me sir.  I'm just applying the rules."
Me: "And the fact that you're now abdicating responsibility for this makes it even worse.  Anyway, I want you to know how disappointed I am because I do feel conned and because you just don't seem to follow why."
Pause.....
Him: "I'm sorry about that sir.  On this one occassion, and as a gesture of goodwill I will release the other room.  But I wouldn't be able to do it again next time."

And at that we concluded the discussion.  Him clearly frustrated that he'd lost income on a room and me equally frustrated that he couldn't understand my logic, or at least wouldn't accept it.

The rest of the stay was good.  The room was great, the beds were very comfortable and we had a delicious meal in the restaurant.  But I still felt disappointed and frustrated with the overall experience - and still do. 

I'd assumed that upgrades were always a gesture of goodwill from the supplier, designed to be for the customer, providing added value and benefit for them - at no charge and for their convenience.  Perhaps that's not always the case.

Has anyone else had unwelcome, inconvenient or no added value upgrade experiences?

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/timhadfield

Twitter: @accordengage
Telephone: 0044 07906650019

What should your business focus on - customer service, customer experience or customer engagement?

Work I've been doing with a client over the last two or three months has meant I've had lots of conversations with senior managers.  During these conversations I've noticed they use the phrases "customer service", "customer experience" and "customer engagement" interchangeably, seemingly without any clarity about what they mean or indeed whether they are different. 

If they are going to improve any of these things I think it's important they develop their understanding.  So here's how I suggested they think about the similarities and differences:

Customer Service ...
is what an organisation does when delivering its products and services to customers, and how it does it.  Clearly it's hugely important. It needs to be planned so that delivery is efficient and effective. Efficient so that the costs of delivery aren't higher than the business can afford, and effective so that it evokes the right feelings in customers.  Customers may talk about the service they receive but in reality what drives them to comment at all is how they feel as a result of the service.

Customer Experience ...
is therefore about how customers feel as a result of the service they receive.  So what are feelings?  They are bodily states that are caused largely by chemistry (hormones).  They usually have related thoughts and ideas which can be used to label them, define them and express them, but are themselves bodily states. 

It's also worth remembering that feelings start with the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.  So what the customer sees, hears, feels, smells and tastes impact their experience.   That's why businesses recognised for superior customer experience think about how they deliver multi-sensory experiences, positively stimulating as many of the senses as possible in every intereaction.  Because  customers have an experience every time they interact with the business.  Indeed, they can't not have an experience.

Customer Engagement ...
is the outcome an organisation wants as a result of the service they deliver and the experience the customer has.  It results in the customer feeling a sense of trust, commitment and loyalty which
means they are more likely to buy its products and services. 


That's how I suggested they think about it and it's already brought a greater clarity to the conversations I hear and to their planning.  They realise that when they previously talked about customer experience or engagement, what they really meant was customer service.  They understand now that their objective is customer engagement.  And they know that in order to develop it they need to think more broadly about the what and the how of their customer service.

But this isn't the end of the story.  Because we've also talked about how customer experience and engagement can't be delivered by service alone.  More about that next time....

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/timhadfield
Twitter: @accordengage
Telephone: 0044 07906650019 

My good news from Santander

My business bank account is with Santander.  I'm not sure why to be honest other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Service has been average - not bad but certainly not good.  I once visited a local branch to request a transaction and whilst they did so, they told me four times that business customers can't transact at a branch counter and so they were only doing it on this one occassion as a gesture of goodwill.  Once would have been enough!

A couple of days ago I received a letter from Santander informing me that they "are delighted to announce that in addition to your existing banking services, we are starting to introduce counter access for our Business Banking customers."  It went on to confirm that I will be able to complete transactions at "your local Santander Branch.  At this time, the branch detailed ...is the only one that will be able to process your business banking transactions.  However, we are looking to extend this in the future and we will obviously let you know when this happens."

I don't know what Santander believe 'local' means but the branch they've suggested I use doesn't feel very local to me.  In fact a search on the Santander website confirms that 12 branches and a further 6 Agency branches are closer to where I live than the branch concerned!

Is this really worth promoting as good news?  Do they expect me to be delighted that I can now drive 17 miles to transact over the counter?  Have they considered how this might be received by customers, or is their focus so internally driven that they can't see it?  I wonder....

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/timhadfield
Twitter: @accordengage
Telephone: 0044 07906650019

What has no place in your organisation?

I listened to a radio programme earlier this week about the proposed ban on bullfighting in Mexico City.  It's apparently a big and very contentious issue as it has been popular throughout the country since the conquistadors introduced it more than 500 years ago and for many people is part of Mexican culture.  Although Spain is still recognised as the home of bullfighting, Mexico City has the largest bullring in the world and the sport (I know some argue it isn't a sport) is a popular pastime in the country as well as being a source of employment for thousands.

But in recent times its popularity has been waning and a growing number of Mexicans now actively oppose it, regarding it as both barbaric and an unwelcome reminder of Spanish colonialism.  And legislators in will soon vote on whether to ban it in the city.

In the programme one objector said that "it should have no place in modern day Mexico."

His statement made me think.  I wonder how many organisations have leaders who have thought about and communicated for their people what has no place at work - what behaviours and actions are totally unnaceptable?

Many do of course have a set of values which are intended to provide guidance for how people should behave at work.  I often hear leaders in organisations talking about how important theirs are and, providing they're not simply posters on a wall, they provide employees with guidance about what things they should do.  But far fewer provide the same level of guidance about things they should not do. 

And yet in organisations who do, employees often tell me that the clarity about unacceptable behaviours is as useful, if not more so.  The negatives can provide a clarity that's sometimes missing in the positive statements which by their nature are usually examples of the type of desired behaviours.  In contrast the negatives are often more specific and draw out explicit examples of what does indeed have no place in the organisation.

Is it clear what has no place in your organisation?  And if so, would it be clear to everyone?  Thinking about and clearly communicating this is a useful way of steering behaviour providing there are supporting measures and consequences for anyone who ignores the 'rules'.

I wonder if some of the highly publicised scandals in recent years would have happened if the companies involved had communicated what had no place in their business?

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/timhadfield
Twitter: @accordengage
Telephone: 0044 07906650019

15 words I don't want you to use to describe me when I'm your customer

Words are important.

The words we use reflect our thoughts.  And influence what others think and feel.

And it follows that the words used in organisations reflect their cultural mind-set.  And that culture then influences the behaviour of people who are part of it.

That’s why, when I’m a customer, I’m interested in the words the company uses to describe me.

So here are 15 examples of words I’d rather not be used to describe me:

1.       Caller – a term often used in call centres to describe people telephoning.  When this is the case, the management information will also usually refer to ‘calls received’.

2.       Applicant – term used to describe a person who has applied for a product or service.

3.       Account-holder – a common phrase used in banking and financial services to describe someone who has a product with the organisation.

4.       Insured – term used to describe someone who has an insurance product.

5.       Cover – a term sometimes used in restaurants, reflecting the number of available seats.

6.       Complainant – word used to describe a person who is complaining.

I know these first few aren’t particularly derogatory.  You might even say they’re benign.  The problem is that they de-personalise me, and every other customer.  I’m not a caller, I’m a real person, a customer – and the success of your business ultimately depends on your relationship with me, and other customers.  Don’t forget who I am by using alternative words.  It’s easier to accept losing a call or caller than it is losing a customer. 

But there are others that are more derogatory, and interestingly generally apply to potential customers before they buy;

7.      A Punter – this phrase was originally used to describe customers at the racecourses tracks but has extended in use to mean anyone who could be persuaded to part with their money.

8.      Prospect – someone who is interested in the product or service and needs to be influenced to buy it.

9.      Be-backs - customers in many sectors that after an initial conversation promise to come back and buy but never do.

10.   Cones – refers to passengers on cruise ships.  It apparently references the ‘Saturday Night Live’ TV programme, in which ‘Coneheads’ were people who eat large quantities?

I definitely don’t want to be described like this.  The use of the words is negative and / or assumes that I should be influenced, taken advantage of.

But possibly the worst words are in car sales.  Here’s a few examples:

11.   Stroke – a time-waster who really have no intention of buying.

12.   Bumblebee – a person who can’t decide between several cars.

13.   Roach – someone with bad credit.

14.   Laydown – someone who is willing to pay the advertised price for the care without trying for a discount.  This type of person is also sometimes called a ‘grape’, as in “I stepped on a grape”.

And my final example was illustrated by Greg Smith, Executive Director and Head of Goldman Sachs United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  He revealed in an open resignation letter his discomfort with how customers are referred to as ‘muppets’ i.e. stupid. 

 

In his letter he said that culture was “always a vital part of Goldman Sach’s success.  It once revolved around teamwork, integrity, a spirit of humility, and always doing right by our clients.”  He went on to describe how it had instead become purely about making money and that culturally this translated to pushing customers to buy products that made most money for the business rather than what was best for them.  Muppets, and other words and phrases, illustrated perfectly how people thought about customers.

What words do people in your business use to describe your customers?  And are they likely to positively influence behaviour so that they deliver an experience to customers that will mean they come back again and again?

LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/timhadfield       
Twitter: @accordengage
Telephone: 0044 07906650019