We all try our best to please our customers. There are various levels of customer satisfaction and different approaches to help achieve this. However, it is always going to take a person or team that chooses to go beyond the call of duty to truly deliver a 100% Satisfactory Customer Experience.
My case in example just happened last week. I was in Virginia on a trip visiting clients and potential new customers. On the night of February 10th I was very tired. I flew into Richmond Airport and drove into Warrenton, VA to stay at the Hampton Inn. When I got into my room, which was extremely nice and clean, I unpacked a few things and turned on the television. It was midnight; I can never go to sleep right away at any hotel so I thought I’d watch a brief show. It started working but then stopped. I called the gentleman at the front desk and he came up immediately and could not fix the issue. He offered another room to which I declined. At that point I decided to read until I fell asleep. He was so professional and apologetic, so I smiled and clearly told him not to worry.
When I checked out the next morning, a very sweet hospitality employee stated, “Ma’am, we apologize for the issue with your T.V. Your room is being 100% compensated, I just need you to sign here.”
I immediately mentioned that I did not expect for the room to be free, nor did I think it was fair to Hampton not to charge me because I was offered another room. She stated, “Ma’am, we should have made sure that television was working and we have a 100% guaranteed satisfaction policy. You should have been 100% satisfied with your stay here.”
Yet again, as a business owner, I felt really bad about not paying for the room. A remedy was offered and they were extremely polite and hospitable people. I said, “I was satisfied with my stay. I slept here, took a shower, used your wake-up call and drank a cup of your coffee. Let me pay for at least half of the bill.” She just smiled and said they would like an opportunity to do better the next time.
I guarantee that if our company earns that local business our consultants will stay there. I found this customer service so pleasantly refreshing that I’d like to tell the world, if you are staying in Warrenton, VA stay at the Hampton Inn, they truly care about their customers!
