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Last week I spent a few days at a terrific hotel in Dallas. The Rosewood Crescent Hotel is a luxury hotel located in downtown Dallas. The property was fantastic and the rooms were very well appointed, but it was the staff that stood out the most.
Every employee was pleasant, attentive, and never missed the opportunity to call a guest by his/her name. Even the housekeepers called me by name while cleaning my room or delivering ice in the evenings. I wish every hotel delivered this level of experience.
Some might say that of course you should assume this level of experience from a five-star hotel. True, but just because you expect a high level of experience doesn't mean you'll always receive it. The experience isn't excellent because it's a five-star hotel; this is a five-star hotel because of the experience guests have of the environment and the outstanding staff.
As a matter of fact the Rosewood Corporation says on their website they believe that world-class status is only achieved when a hotel combines the traditions of its host community with exceptional service, a luxury product and incredible attention to detail.
Here are some things you and your team can do today to deliver your own five-star experience.
1. The customer and his/her experience is always your first and only priority. It doesn't mean that other activities aren't important to the store operation, but nothing is more important than customers and their experience.
Here's a great example. One afternoon while working in my room three housekeepers came in to clean. Their primary responsibility was to clean the room, but the priority was to not disturb me. They talked quietly so as not to disturb me, and they asked if they could run the vacuum cleaner.
2. Never miss a chance to personalize the experience. When those housekeepers knocked on the door of my room they were prepared to call me by name, even though most rooms aren't occupied when they knock on the door. Even if you don't know your customer's name there is always an opportunity to personalize their experience. When you engage with purpose you'll always learn something about your customer you can then use to personalize the experience. Then again, if you ask your customer's name you'll be able to use it.
3. Actively anticipate your customer's needs. When I checked out the front desk clerk asked if I needed a valet to get my car or hail a cab. I did indeed need a cab. The desk clerk called the bellhop to hail a cab so it was ready when he completed checking me out. It's a small and pretty simple detail, but something very few hotels do proactively. When I walked outside the bellhop said, "Your cab is ready, Mr. Fleener." (See #2.)
4.The experience - and the difference - are in the details. No detail is too small to manage in a five-store hotel. The same holds true in delivering a five-star retail experience. It doesn't matter what products you sell or at what price point, a luxury five-star retail experience is the result of extraordinary people striving to be amazing.
Only stores that strive for perfection gets anywhere near it. Most stores fall far short and as a result can best be described as "average" or even "mediocre," which is of course good news for you. Managing the fine details in a store and the customer's experience isn't really that difficult, but making sure that everyone in your store has the desire and focus to do so is. Do you?
So let me ask, how many stars will your store deliver today? |
