Customer Experience

When I think about great customer experiences, the first thing that comes to my mind is India. During my yearly visits, I experience true customer service. I can recall one specific event perfectly. 

About a year and a half ago, my brother, aunt, and I were travelling to India together to meet some family. Our itinerary was as follows: Laredo to Houston, Houston to Germany (9 hour flight), Germany to India (another 9 hour flight). Our flight from Houston to Germany was delayed and we missed our connection from Germany to Chennai, India. When we landed in Germany, we spoke with the first customer agent we could find to help us. It was the worst customer service I have ever experienced, but that is another story all together. Anyways, we were put on a flight to Mumbai, India and told we had to spend the night there and fly the next morning to Chennai. We reached Mumbai around midnight after a 24 hours journey, and found our way to the Taj Mahal Palace. We figured we would splurge a little after the long trip. By the way, we had to pay for transportation, hotel accommodations, and food while staying in Mumbai.  If you recall, there were terrorist attacks in Mumbai about 2 years ago and security was at a high point when we visited. To reach the hotel, we drove past a guarded gate and a few security guards. After a long trip, this helped ease my tension and made me feel extremely safe. Now all I could think about was food, a shower, and sleep.

As the taxi driver parked the car, our bags were removed from the trunk for us. Though this is a standard procedure at many hotels, what happened next definitely was not. We walked into the hotel (it was even more beautiful inside than it was outside), to the front desk. The front desk attendant said, “We’ve been awaiting your arrival. Shall we walk up to your room?” I was wondering how they checked-in guests but didn’t argue. She explained that they are able to check in guests in their hotel room. They like to go the extra mile especially for people who have traveled far to reach their hotel. Ahhh, a sigh of relief. She walked us up the room, asked for a credit card, told us to feel free to order room service, and left us to get settled in. We didn’t wait long to order sandwiches and. Finally good food and a bed! After a few minutes our bags arrived, and I showered first J. A few more minutes later, the front desk attendant knocked on our door, handed us our keys, credit card, and had us sign some papers. She left and a few minutes later... the food!  That really hit the spot. Then, I crawled into a bed and got some well-needed sleep!

SENSE

If you’ve ever flown long distance before, you know the feeling of exhaustion and filth describes it perfectly. I had heard so much about this hotel before visiting it, but I wasn’t at all excited to see it in person. We weren’t even supposed to be in Mumbai! I have to say, though, the experience was well worth the detour.  Just to be out of an airport was wonderful. The hotel was beautiful, and the service was unbelievable. The food tasted delicious, the shower amazing, and the bed the most comfortable.

FEEL

Considering the circumstances, things couldn’t have been better. All I wanted before reaching the hotel was someone to be nice! What we received was perfect customer service. I felt safe and extremely comforted. Bags, check-in, and food brought to our room door. What a relief!

THINK

I was surprised at the ease of this hotel stay. All I was thinking was: why doesn’t every hotel do this? Seems like such an easy concept so why hasn’t anyone thought of it before? I understand the way it was done at this hotel was time consuming, but there are ways to make it a little easier. What if hotels brought up the paperwork and a credit card machine to the hotel room? The front desk attendant wouldn’t have to go back downstairs to do these things. What a great idea!

ACT

My parents own a La Quinta Inn & Suites in Laredo, TX and my experience and the Taj inspired me to help them more. La Quinta isn’t an upscale hotel, and we can’t afford to make changes like these, but some minor changes would make a big difference. If we make a positive impact on a guest’s stay, they will be our customers forever. We began cracking down on our front desk, making sure they were welcoming and receptive to the guests’ needs. Asking how their day was and if there was anything we could do to make their stay more enjoyable made al the difference.

RELATE

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I find job in making other people happy. This hotel made me extremely happy! It inspired me to keep helping people to feel the way I did. The staff was sincerely concerned with making our stay comfortable and enjoyable. I realize it is their job to be nice, but I still appreciate their attitude and was inspired to keep helping others.