Give Them the 1 Percent
I
was staying in a small hotel in Tokyo. My seminar would
begin early the next morning, and the venue was an hour
away.
I called the front desk before going to sleep to order
coffee and sliced papaya for 6:30 am. The clerk said
Room Service only opened at 7:30 am. Too late for comfort.
I thought coffee and papaya could be easily prepared
by the first person into the kitchen and asked hopefully,
‘How about delivery at 7:00 am?’
‘Ah, 7:00 am’, the receptionist sighed in
careful English. ‘I can tell you now it is 99
percent difficult.’
‘Thank you,’ I replied. ‘Please give
me the 1 percent.’
He laughed over the phone and said, ‘I understand.’
And then he wished me goodnight.
At 7:00 am the doorbell rang. Room Service appeared
with hot coffee and sliced papaya. The 1 percent had
delivered.
Key Learning
Point
Everyone has rules
to follow, schedules, systems and procedures. Close to
those plans is a border where flexibility can be applied
– even if it’s only 1 percent. One percent
can make all the difference.
The next time your customer asks for something extra or
something different, needs a little more care, compassion
or effort, you can tell them it is ‘99 percent difficult’
– or you can deliver the 1 percent.
Action Steps
Look carefully at
the rules and procedures you follow every day. Now look
again to see what can be changed or adapted when required.
Of course some rules should never be broken: safety, security,
integrity, legal compliance and health. But when you can
be flexible, perhaps you should. Some rules are
meant to be bent.
Next Article in Customer Service Perception Points >>
You Are Vulnerable at Your Lowest Perception Point
First Article in Customer Service Recovery >>
What to do When Your Customer is About to Explode
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