The Conference Rate in Los Angeles
I
was making arrangements to attend a conference
in Los Angeles, California.
As a frequent flyer, I receive award coupons offering
a 50% discount from normal hotel rates. I contacted
the call center of a major hotel chain to make my reservation.
The reservations clerk was friendly and very helpful.
She took my name and contact numbers. She confirmed
the dates, my room preference and credit card number.
She asked if I was a ‘Premium Club’ member,
which I was not. So she registered me for Club status
over the phone.
Then she remarked, ‘Mr. Kaufman, now that you
are a Premium Club member, I can offer you an even lower
rate for an upgraded room on a higher floor. And a fruit
basket will be waiting for you upon arrival.’
I was surprised and delighted. My special room rate
was just $100 per night.
Signing off from this great telephone experience, I
said: ‘Thank you for your help. I am looking forward
to staying at the hotel during the conference.’
‘The conference?’, she quickly replied,
‘What conference are you attending?’
When I told her about the event, she said, ‘Oh.
If you are attending that conference, you have to use
our conference rate of $124.’
I laughed and assured her I was happy with the special
rate and Club status she had already confirmed.
‘Oh no,’ she repeated. ‘If you are
coming for the conference, you must use the special
rate. We have a block of rooms already reserved for
you on a lower floor. And I’m afraid you don’t
get the fruit basket.’
A lower floor, higher rate and no fruit basket? I protested.
But my protest was in vain. She checked with her supervisor,
who concurred. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s
our policy,’ she said without much concern.
I surrendered to her insistence, listened sadly as she
cancelled my Premium Club reservation, but declined
to have her book me back into the hotel at the higher
conference rate. I hung up the phone in disbelief.
Then I called right back and reached a different reservations
clerk and made another reservation, again using my frequent
flyer award coupon and my new Premium Club membership
number. This time I kept my mouth shut about attending
any conference.
I paid $100 per night when I went to Los Angeles. I
enjoyed the Towers room and a complimentary fruit basket
upon arrival. No thanks, though, to this hotel’s
absurd policy and customer-unfriendly procedures.
Somewhere deep within the marketing department of this
hotel chain, yield-management professionals carefully
calculate the maximum rate they can squeeze from participants
at each international conference.
Meanwhile conference participants are also thinkers…real,
live customers! Yield managers, are you listening?
Key Learning Point
When
your policies cross, collide or contradict, your customers
will find out. Clean up the confusion!
Action Steps
Review
the many ways your customers can confirm, order, book,
engage, hire, rent or purchase your products and service.
Look for mismatches and inconsistencies in the policies
and procedures. Get them back in line so your company
and your customers stay aligned.
Next Article in Customer Service Toolset >>
Hertz Rent-A-Car in San Francisco
First Article in Customer Service Value Dimensions >>
In Customers We Trust
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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
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