Customer Service - a 'hobby' ?

As I've mentioned before, I've been in Abu Dhabi for a number of weeks and have just spent 2 weeks in Dubai.

During my time in Dubai, I've been a regular at a coffee shop/ restaurant called The Grind. I'm such a regular that I call this place my office. Well, the coffee's good and they have free wifi internet access and for a traveller like me, that sure sounds like an office to me.

During the time I've been coming, one of the waiters has been really looking after me. So much so, that he often doesn't charge me for all the coffees I have. Like all the hospitality staff in Dubai, he's an expat, in this case, here from his native Sri Lanka.

Now, even though tipping isn't regarded as necessary or expected in this part of the world, I usually leave a small tip, maybe 10% of the bill.

Yesterday, when I was leaving for the last time - and may not be back for 3 or 4 months - I decided I should give my ever attentive waiter (and he certainly is that !) a slightly more generous tip. I know the salary these guys are on -and, believe me, it's not great - and given that I'd been so pleased with his service delivery, I wanted to say a special thanks.

"No - thank you," was his very polite response. I protested, insisting but I could see his response was genuine and to persist would have offended him.

"No sir, giving good service is my hobby. I want to do it really well. This is my hobby."

The dictionary defines a hobby as 'an activity engaged in for pleasure and enjoyment'.

If everyone involved in Customer Service regarded the way they helped customer with the same attitude as their hobby, what different results we would get ?

But then doesn't that apply to all that we do ?

How's your 'hobby' attitude to the things you do in your life ?

Not Eyeeore !!

I've mentioned Tigger in the last two blogs on this site. Remember Tigger ? He was one of the characters from the Winnie the Pooh stories we enjoyed as a child and also enjoyed, maybe even more, when those of us who are fortunate enough to have read the story to our own children.

But what of the other character, Eyeeore? Eyeeore was steady and reliable. But he was a donkey, he was slow and inclined to take rather a contrary view to the others when it came to looking on the bright side.

Eyeeore is still alive today. He can be found in many offices and workplaces. I came across one such Eyeeore today. The main problem with this Eyeeore was that, like so many others, he had made up his mind and continued to reinforce his negative thinking about the situation by not listening to what I was saying.

The situation could have been handled much more effectively and his issue resolved quickly if he hadn’t been stuck with his own preconception and his inability to listen to what I was saying.

”But I’ve lost my tail.” I could hear Eyeeore saying.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe the Eyeeors of the world don’t listen.

Ahh…. I’d rather be a Tigger every time.

But then as the Tigger song from the Winnie-the Pooh book goes, “There’s only one Tigger.”

At least we can try.

Elevator Connection

Some of you may know I'm currently working with a client in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Yesterday I got into the the elevator of the 5 star hotel I'm presenting in at the 15th floor. There were four others in the elevator when I got in and we all going down to the Ground floor. At the 3rd floor we stopped and three businessmen got in. As they did one of them asked "Going down?"

I guess it was because he noticed there were four others already in the elevator, that one of the three businessmen said "Well, as long as we don't get stuck !"

I immediately smiled and said - in what I hoped was a re-assuring tone - "The glass is half full."

One of his colleagues said "Well, we won't be bored!"

I smiled - and we made it safely (of course) to the Ground floor and all exited the elevator.

The man who said "We won't be bored" recognized that I -maybe - had a sense of humor.

But I was also making a 'connection' and a positive one.

What's the connection you are making with others ?

It's a bit like Tigger, really.

We are all on this planet together - so let's keep connecting, positively.

Graham

A New Start

Thanks for joining me here. I've decided to transfer everything to this new blog site and I hope the new blog has value for you, even more than the previous one.

Given the current economic turmoil on the global front, many people are hurting and many more will in the weeks and even months ahead. I hope you're not one of those suffering from this down turn in the financial - but I suspect there will be few people who will escape any negative effects.

Today I met two people who had very different approaches to what is happening.

One of them went to some length to tell me of the tough times he sees ahead. He sat with his shoulders slumped and seemed to have difficulty looking at me. He painted a very stark picture of what would happen to him and those close to him. Initially I empathized with him. And he went on ... and I soon realised that he was doing "poor me, it's all bad. It's going to get worse." He was so good at it, it almost seemed rehearsed.

Then I met another man. This man had a very different view. He told me his business may be as successful in the year ahead. "Sure, I might lose some money, my investments will be down. But you know what ?" he said to me, "Every down-turn brings great opportunity."

It's how you see it that counts. And that affects what you will do with it.

Remember 'Winnie the Pooh' ? I'm going with Tigger every time.


Here's Tiggers to you.

Graham