THE CARAVAN Volume 7, Issue 6, June 2008


SERVICE WITH A SMILE DOES EXIST

I usually have pretty good service when I stay in hotels and inns because even when something is wrong…nothing is wrong. I am proactive instead of reactive and I manage myself. That way I tend to receive the good service I need.

Last month I wrote about ‘service with a smile’ and how when some people are having a bad day they can serve you some attitude with your coffee; however, it is up to you not to let “them” ruin your day. What ever happened to good old fashioned customer service?

This brings me to this edition of The Caravan. I regularly stay at the Woodlawn Inn in Cobourg, Ontario. The owners and the staff go out of their way to make me feel welcome. Nothing seems to be a problem, no matter what I might need. And I thank them for that.

Recently I had the opportunity to stay at the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick for two days and I would like to share my experience with you.

I have to tell you that from the time I was picked up at the airport in St. John for the one and a half hour drive to the hotel, to the final drop off back at the airport the next day, everything was wonderful. I was treated like royalty; as every customer should be. Every employee said “hello” and every employee had a smile. There was nothing wrong

. The moments in particular that I want to share with you have to do with breakfast and my afternoon in the lobby waiting for my ride back to the airport.

I am eating only protein in the mornings for breakfast, no carbohydrates at all. When I saw the menu for the conference, it said “hot breakfast”. I assumed there would be bacon and eggs. Well, that morning they were serving crapes with all the trimmings, bacon and sausage. It was laid out beautifully in the conference room. However, there were no eggs; so I went up to the restaurant and the hostess was standing there with a big smile and a “how can I help you” attitude.

I told her I was with the conference and that I only have protein for breakfast and could I order an omelette from the restaurant. She said she would be happy to get me an omelette and within fifteen minutes she came down to the conference room with my breakfast at no extra charge. There were no issues; nothing was wrong, just service with a smile.

Another observation occurred that afternoon. I finished my presentation at 10 am and I had plenty of time to relax at the hotel since I wasn’t being picked up until 6:45pm to go to the airport. I decided to treat myself at the spa and again the service and the experience was excellent. I then spent the rest of the afternoon in the lobby’s lounge area.

Kelly-Anne was my server for the afternoon. I told her that I was going to be hanging around until 6:45pm. She offered me the lunch menu and I let her know that I would like dinner later around 6pm before I left. She said that she would look after me and then told me that the dining room was closing at 6 pm because of a private function but that I could order from the menu and she would bring it to me; again with no issues, just a smile.

I quite enjoyed my lunch. Kelly-Anne also brought me water and coffee and kept them full all day without me asking. At 5:45 she brought me a menu and I had the most amazing seafood ravioli that I have ever tasted. I asked if she had any nice rustic bread. She was able to replace the usual garlic bread with amazing flax seed bread. Again, everything was wonderful. She was very accommodating and always had a smile. There were no issues the entire trip. I thanked her for the wonderful afternoon.

The reason I felt it necessary to mention my trip was because service with a smile IS out there. If you have an issue or a concern when you are receiving customer service, tell them. Explain your concerns or ask for help. Do it respectfully and honestly as you would want to be treated.

If you are serving someone, then do so with a smile. Accommodate, help, and go out of your way to make your patrons feel like they are valuable to you. You are in a relationship with your customers. It may be a short one like the one at a restaurant or it may be a long one like the one at a hair salon or dental office. Let’s get back to good old fashioned customer service.

So, to the staff, management and owners of the Woodlawn Inn and the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel, thank you for demonstrating that service with a smile exists and is alive and well. And thank you for accommodating all of my needs without hesitation, question or fanfare.

Keep smiling…



Ted



MOM’S TWO CENTS
By Jordin Williamson

MY CLASS TRIP

I thought I would stay on a lighter note this month and tell you about my class trip. Well, it wasn’t my trip it was my daughter’s end of the year trip with her school. This trip was particularly exciting to me because it was my first class trip with her. She is in grade one and has never let me join her for her trips in the past.

Emily is very independent, not sure who she gets that from, and has wanted to do this on her own in the past. This time when I asked if I could come she said yes. I was so excited to spend the day with her and her class. Being the mom that drops her kids at daycare and is rarely seen at the school, I wanted to participate in at least one thing before the end of the year.

We went to the Bird Aviary in Niagara Falls and then to the Avondale on Stewart Road. It was neat to see how she interacts with her teacher and her friends. It was nice to see how well behaved she is on trips and not just because I was there; or so I was told by some of the other moms.

We saw the birds and we touched the reptiles. We ate hotdogs and ice cream in the rain. We saw the cows at the dairy and got a tour of the ice cream shop. It was a long and tiring day but well worth the trip. I would recommend that you attend a class trip with your child. It will bring back the memories of your past from the commands from the teacher to the smell of the school bus. It will give you another perspective of your child that will hopefully end the day with a hug and a “Thanks for coming along Mommy, I had fun!”

Quote of the Month
Submitted by Brodi Mouradian

You may be only one person in the world…but you may be the world to one person.
- Unknown Author


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