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- Ken Uchikura Newsletter Vol. 196 Hospitality and Service
Hospitality and Service
Hospitality and service are not the same. Understanding the difference will greatly change the way we interact with customers. Now, I’d like to share my thoughts on what many refer to as service.
What a company provides is available on its website, and they have manuals to carry it out without problems. However, what is important, is the ability to flexibly deal with unexpected situations. Here, I would like to write about my own experience. I once had the opportunity to board a plane while traveling on a business trip to Japan. However, the credit card used to purchase the ticket had fraudulent charges on it. So, I reported it to the credit card company and brought the new card with me to Japan. However, at the counter, the ground crew told me I couldn’t board the plane without the card I used to purchase the ticket.
They said it was because they couldn’t authenticate my identity. So, I showed them my driver's license and passport, but they wanted me to show them the card I used when I purchased the ticket, i.e., the now unusable card. During this conversation, the ground crew inevitably looked at their notes. I think they were looking for the manual. I ended up calling the credit card company to confirm, but the crew member had a hard time explaining as he wasn’t fluent in English. I think this is because the service manual wasn’t set up for such a case. If it’s not in the manual, it’s therefore not possible. It’ll be difficult for the person writing the manual, and the manual will only become thicker over time.
Next, let’s talk about hospitality. Hospitality refers to putting yourself in the other person's shoes and providing what they want you to do. For example, greeting customers with a smile. I heard that McDonald's used to write "Smile" on their menus, and I think this is important. When I underwent surgery, the anesthesiologist looked at my face and explained the surgery in detail as she gave me anesthetics. Even if you’re doing the same job, I’d be happier if you made me feel more comfortable. I believe hospitality consists of managing customers in a way that goes beyond the manual. In many cases, there’s no additional charge for hospitality. I believe this is a reflection of our staff's awareness of our customers.
We take care of our customers. This does not mean that we’ll always give them everything they want. Even if the customer says they are not wrong, it does not mean they are always right. It is how we interact with customers on a daily basis that can lead to a solution for both parties. I believe if you can treat people with kindness and love, as if we were family, we can respond with hospitality.
Kenichi Uchikura
President / CEO
Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.
ken.uchikura＠pspinc.com
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