Have you ever felt low, because you were working in an organisation
that you believed did not deliver a good enough product to your
customers? Do you want to know how to “fix” things? If the answer is yes
then read on. This philosophy comes from years of work in hotels and
restaurants (practically all my education fees have been paid by my
waiter skills - a fact I am very proud of!).1. Your state of mind: There aren’t many things you can control in life. You certainly have no
control over other peoples thoughts but if you control your thoughts you may be able to influence the thoughts of others! We have all worked in organisations we did not feel very proud to be part of. BUT once you realise that the one asset of the organisation you have control over is YOU and your attitude, then you can really make miracles happen and turn someone’s experience from mediocre to truly memorable.
2. Your eyes: The saying that the “eyes are the mirror to the soul” holds more truth than you can imagine. Allow others to reflect in your “mirrors” make eye contact and deliver warmth rather than remain a faceless-soulless drone.
3. Your smile: I am not talking about the fake smile that some service providers keep constant on their face. I am talking about the genuine one when your customers have said something that triggers that curve in your mouth that makes both you and your customers feel better. The one you reserve for genuine human interaction. Do not forget to smile at the appropriate times, And do not allow your tiredness to make you overlook moments of truthful smiling potential!
4. Your touch: A handshake, a touch of ones shoulder, if delivered with accurate timing it can be a game changer. We are wired to interpret the touch of another human being. Do not underestimate the power of communicating via a simple touch.
5. Your ears: Stop and just listen! You will be amazed by how many unhappy customers change to happier ones just by having someone listen, I mean TRULLY listen to their woes. In many cases in my life in hotels I did not even have to actually act! Simply listening cured the grumpiness of both customers and colleagues.
6. Your sense of smell: I am still amazed how many hospitality professionals cannot realise that the residue of smell from a smoking break (or even bad personal hygiene) really puts off your customers, similarly too much perfume creates the same effect.
7. Your body language: Your body language not only communicates to others but also gets you into a mind state that can either help you use your other tools or hinder you. Cross your hands in front of you and you have just created a barrier between you and your customer that no matter how much you smile or make eye contact, or listen, she still thinks you are been defensive! Use positive body language to reinforce your message and were appropriate, mirror the body language of your customer.
I have tried using these tools all my life and they have served me well both at a wellbeing level and frankly the tips I was getting when working in restaurants weren’t that bad either (my colleagues always wondered how I did it).
I must add that these thoughts were triggered by a simple Linkedin update that received overwhelming attention (see: https://www.linkedin.com/nhome/updates?topic=5888876487968329728 )
So thank you to colleagues and friends who took the time to read, like and comment on that update. It was you that made me reflect deeper and remind myself to focus on the valuable tools that I have been using for so many years.
*a variation of this article was first posted on Linkedin
That's a really helpful article Jannis!Thank you
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