Putting it together
I was in Bangkok during the Christmas holiday break with my family and since I had some documents I needed to send to an office there, I decided to bring it to save on international courier charges. Wanting to get that done as early as possible, I went to the hotel’s business center. I was taken aback when I was informed that they will only accept documents or packages for international delivery and that I had to coordinate with the Concierge Desk for my local delivery service need. Alright, this was no major surprise though a bit unusual.
So I headed towards the Concierge Desk to ask for assistance in acquiring local courier services. I was terribly troubled when I was told by the lady at the desk that they offered no such service. In fact, all she offered me at first was to mail it. This was obviously not an option I was open to accepting.
Now my package consisted of 2 uneven envelopes of uncommon sizes which still needed to be packed into one. She didn’t even have one I could use to fit both and only brought out a hotel paper bag for me to try. Luckily, that fit and so I asked her if she could have it delivered by messenger – “Delivered By Hand” instead. She agreed though she appeared somewhat displeased about it.
With that settled, I was now feeling relieved. However, that feeling was short-lived for when I asked that a signed transmittal form be sent up to my room, I was told that they did not have such a form and that if I wanted one, I was to make my own. Oh dear….. Now this is no cheap hotel and belongs to a known international chain.
That’s it! I asked for a map and directions to get to the office I needed to deliver the documents to and walked there myself. Thank goodness it was just a couple of blocks away.
I don’t know if our trouble was a result of the language barrier or the hotel’s inefficiency though I am convinced that either way, it is not an acceptable excuse. Businesses often forget about the minutest of details. And SERVICE spells the difference. This incident brought to light how one who is in business must anticipate the needs and requirement of the customers. It is not enough that one offers a service. What is essential is that all possible services and conceivable options are made available.
As a business owner, one would naturally think about the cost of the service and begin to use this as the gauge of what to offer. As a consumer myself, I’m sure that a client will always be willing to pay for what one requires. The kicker here now is if one will get value for money.
What this boils down to is that a business person must understand his customer and know what they desire. Client satisfaction is crucial to the survival and success of any business and this can only be attained from comprehending what and how they want the product/service delivered to them. As the cliché goes, “the customer is always right”. |
