A smile is not compulsory, but it helps... by Sellena Ford

I have recently returned from an impromptu trip to America; a trip which became urgent due to the illness of a close relative.  I arranged my flight(s), 6 of them altogether, 2 days before departure as speed was of the essence.  A gruelling 19 hour journey entailed, combined with the panic of a slightly agoraphobic woman (me), having to leave her micro managed life behind.  My return flights allowed me plenty of time for reflection on my week long experience from a business perspective…

Having arrived at Birmingham airport at five in the morning, I proceeded to check in, having not been able to do so online.  I was travelling light, with only hand luggage and just needed boarding cards.  An airline attendant began the procedure and then looked slightly puzzled as she started pressing keys on her keyboard, clearly willing them to work.  My anxiety was rising as she called a gentleman colleague over who proceeded to tell me that they couldn’t generate my boarding cards as I had to change airports in New York, arriving at Newark and departing from La Guardia, 24 miles away and with 2½ hours from touchdown to next take off.  What????

In my anxiety due to the nature of the trip, I clearly hadn’t read the itinerary correctly and had failed to notice this rather glaring, time constrained and potentially “smooth trip” affecting situation.  I stood there dazed, muttering that I didn’t know how this had happened; the colour drained from my face.  The gentleman appeared to take pity on me and with not so much as a smile, just cool professionalism, said that he would take care of it and change my ticket so that I could fly from Newark.  Relief flooded me and I patiently waited for him to work his magic.  There was no banter, no joke making, no facial expression.  To be honest, I like to bounce off other people and this guy clearly wasn’t inflated.  He competently got the job done.  The relief and gratitude I felt were immense and I did profusely tell him that he was a wonderful man and that I was so thankful.  He modestly accepted my praise and off I went.

Scene change to a hospital in Palm Springs 20 hrs later…  More customer service scenarios.  In the whole of my 5 day hospital experience, the best customer service that we received was from a lady who was running the Starbucks facility.  Having ordered coffees on 3 occasions, every subsequent visit to the café was prompted by said lady pre-empting our order, even when I was fumbling over my brother’s order of a macchiato, with an extra shot and no foam (who drinks this???!), she would say, “Don’t worry, I know what you need.”  An employee probably on minimum wage, but who clearly has the wherewithal to make her customers feel important, recognised and remembered, having sympathy at their potential reason for being in a hospital and providing a prompt and efficient service, and all with a smile on her face.

This was so much in contrast to the sloppy, uncoordinated, poor service of hospital staff, from auxiliary staff to doctors (and inclusive of nurses!).  I hate to complain, I’m British, but having nurses come into the room to ask what medication the patient had already had was slightly speech rendering.  A doctor examining my frail relative and only realising after 20 minutes that he was with the wrong patient… the black mould and dirt in the isolated room for a patient with pulmonary issues… days of unnecessary nil by mouth orders for a patient already underweight…

After 5 days of hospitalisation, my brother, who has been an American citizen for 20 years, and I called a meeting with 5 key hospital staff, the essence of which was to advise them of our intention to take legal action and involve the media.  Only in America!  My brother walked the walk and talked the talk and advised me that this really was the only way to get things moving.  We questioned their communication, their ownership, their lack of duty of care and their leadership processes.  Funnily enough, everyone could not do enough for us from that point and procedures went ahead and my relative was finally released from hospital 2 days later, diagnosed, a little improved and well on the way to treatment.  There is a whole department dedicated to patient support services to which we made statements and our experience recorded.

On my flights home, I looked at our scenario from a business perspective and in contrast to the service I had received both in the UK and my “less important” happenings like my Starbucks encounter.  It boiled down to taking responsibility and caring about what you do.  Good customer service is imperative to ensure a client’s good experience; how else do we improve on reputation and build business.  Good leadership enhances and substantiates this.  Communication is paramount, regardless of whether you are at an airport, a coffee shop or a hospital.

A smile is not compulsory if you are competent and proactive, but it does help.

There is hope however; this article highlights some amazing customer service stories from last year http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234956