Genuine excellence or just lip service?<\/p>\n
Andi Muh. Sadat
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
At certain hotels you may have experienced their royal
\ntreatment right from the moment you arrive. A friendly, smiling
\nbellboy opens the door of your car and greets you.<\/p>\n
Your baggage is attended to with care, then you are escorted
\nto your room and there a welcome drink and a basket of fresh
\nfruit awaits you. During your stay at the hotel, you also find
\nthe entire management and staff helpful and courteous.<\/p>\n
Soon you realize that all this is not some sort of glossy
\nappearance on the surface, but is rooted in their sincere spirit
\nin serving all their guests. The result is obvious: The
\nsatisfying experience turns into indelible memories of the hotel
\nin its entirety.<\/p>\n
A world apart from modern hotels, Sampireun village also
\noffers a similar treatment based on the concept of excellence in
\nservice. Three hectares in area, located on the outskirts of
\nGarut in West Java, about one-and-a-half hours by car from the
\nprovincial capital, Bandung, this scenic and serene village
\nboasts a lake, which is home to various fish, especially
\ngoldfish. A number of traditional cottages surround the lake,
\nwhere a couple of wooden boats are ready to take passengers for a
\ncruise on the calm water.<\/p>\n
"Here, at Sampireun village, we combine both excellent service
\nand an experiential marketing concept. We offer not only the
\nscenic beauty of our village with its cool weather, but also its
\nserenity, and, most important, our centuries-old friendliness
\nthat differentiates our village from modern resorts, or even
\nother traditional holiday destinations," said village chief Adji
\nSaptadji enthusiastically. The high occupancy rate of the
\ncottages is proof of the successful blending of the concepts.<\/p>\n
One of Jakarta's star-rated hotels, Hotel Santika, also offers
\nits guests a unique experiential atmosphere: nuances of
\ntraditional Betawi culture, which is associated with native
\nJakartans. The Borobudur, another star-rated hotel in the city,
\noffers an array of customized services that include nannies or
\nbaby-sitters if required. These are just two examples of how far
\nhotels may go to provide their customers with quality service.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, you may have had a harrowing experience,
\nsimilar to what one of my colleagues went through. It is a story
\nof inconsistency in quality of service that leaves customers
\ndissatisfied. My colleague purchased a brand-new motorcycle from
\na dealer in South Jakarta. Unfortunately, in fewer than three
\nmonths, its engine broke down. Feeling confident with the three-
\nyear warranty, he immediately lodged a complaint. But a month has
\nnow passed and the complaint has remained unsettled. Using a
\nvariety of excuses, the dealer has not given the customer what
\nwas promised. The motorcycle is nothing more than an unusable,
\nuseless machine. My disappointed friend has a grudge against the
\ndealer and, worse, the brand.<\/p>\n
The above contrasting examples of companies that keep their
\npromise of quality service and those that do not act on their
\n"excellent service" slogans serve to illustrate the different
\nimpacts on related brands and company image. Satisfying service
\nnot only make customers loyal, but transforms them into
\n"evangelists" or those who spread the good news spontaneously and
\nfor free. This type of word-of-mouth recommendation is one of the
\nbasic and most vital assets for any company, to ensure not only
\nits survival, but also its growth. Meanwhile, some companies,
\nwhich treat "excellence in service" as mottos or advertising
\nclaims without real implementation, are sure to suffer the speedy
\nnegative impact of their dissatisfied customers' complaints. For
\nsuch companies, it is indeed a painful lesson.<\/p>\n
In today's highly competitive, close to cutthroat,
\nenvironment, there is no other choice for the second type of
\ncompany but to resort to quality service, the kind that more than
\nmeets its customers' needs.<\/p>\n
Tom Reilly, a noted marketing consultant and expert, in his
\nbook "Value-added selling" wrote that providing excellent service
\nmeans real added values, which are far different from pricing
\nwarfare that normally comprises discounts, bonuses and other
\nspecial price-related offers. He further asserted that a
\ncompany's marketing strategy and efforts should embody "a service
\nphilosophy" that is not only disseminated at all levels of the
\ncompany but should be an integral part of its spirit and
\nreflected in its daily activities.<\/p>\n
He added that such philosophy is also reflected not only
\nindividually but in the solidity of the entire marketing and
\ncustomer service teams. Endeavors should be made, he said, that
\neveryone in the company feels he or she holds a key position in
\nthe process of delivering a valuable and satisfying total
\nexperience to the customer.<\/p>\n
Another writer of best-selling business books, Jim Collins,
\nwho is also a management thinker and educator, said: "it is not
\nsufficient for a company to be just a good company, but its
\nultimate goal should be to become a great company.<\/p>\n
Price is no longer the only effective tool, but, more
\nimportant, is the consistent creation of lasting values for
\ncustomers." When a member of marketing or customer service staff
\nsells the company's products or services, he or she should
\nrealize that, at the same time, they are also "selling"
\nthemselves. Hence, the service given is not robotic, but provided
\nsincerely.<\/p>\n
In the case of the motorcycle dealer, clearly, providing
\nquality service was nothing more than an advertising claim or a
\nmotto, framed and hung on their wall. It was not a philosophy put
\ninto action. They probably relied too much on price, which does
\nnot ensure a lasting success. Maybe "excellence in service"
\nexists only in the minds of one or two top managers, but not in
\nthe spirit of the next level of staff, who are the actual points
\nof contact with customers.<\/p>\n
So, the path to increasing your revenue and reaping more
\nprofits is simple: "excellence in service" to maintain current
\ncustomers and attract new ones. Numerous major companies --
\nowners of leading brands -- have proven the success of this
\nformula. Hence, there is nothing wrong in being a copycat of
\nthese great companies rather than only imitating their slogans,
\nwhich produces a pile of complaints and, in the end, ruins your
\nbusiness.<\/p>",
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