I was amazed at the number of responses and the amount of conversation that the Avis article created last week.
EXCEPT-there was no response from Avis.
I personally would rather write about a GREAT GUEST moment. However, it seems like we all identify with those terrible moments so much more easily than the good ones. If you didn’t get a chance to see some of the thoughtful replies from last weeks article, check out the blog and see the follow up. Plenty of other people were quick to share their awful experiences with Avis. Avis on the other hand has not been quick to respond. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard nothing from them at all. To me, that just crushes their “We try harder” motto. Those are empty words for sure.
Fortunately because I do travel so much I have the opportunity to experience service at a lot of levels. And to be honest, many times I receive adequate service. Even if people aren’t overly friendly, they typically seem to be motivated to get the job done. I try to be friendly first. That’s my rule. I do believe you get what you give (most of the time).
Hmm I just read back over that last paragraph and am thinking that “just getting the job done” or adequate service would not work for me as a business owner. People ask me all the time, “How do I motivate my employees?” I don’t know that there’s a good answer for that question. My gut reaction is to say, “Only hire people who are self-motivated.” I think that’s a great place to start.
Great questions to ask during the interview would be:
1. What do you do when there’s nothing to do?
2. Tell me about a time when you had a project that was due and you didn’t really want to do it…how did you handle that?
3. How would you define self-motivation?
If you get a chance to interview anyone this week I would love to hear some of the answers you get. As a matter of fact these 3 questions might be cool questions to ask your current employees.
So-running here and there does have great value. I recognize that what I believe is great guest service. I’m vocal with those who deliver great service. The way my brain works is that when I tell someone what a great job they are doing that they will do it more!
I guess evaluation of service can be very different for different people. My husband, who is much more laid back than I am, is probably calmer about his standards. I’m a service fanatic and really believe that great service is born of being nice to others. I think that is so easy.
I hope you are considering spending September 25th & 26thwith us in the DFW metroplex as we work together on delivering GREAT GUEST SERVICE. On Tuesday the 21st (next Tuesday-@ 2pm CST) we are having a sneak peak webinar that features some of the topics we’ll be covering at that Summit. I hope to see you there.
Have a good rest of the week and thanks for reading,
Beth
