Convey a Welcome with Telephone and Email

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Life [is] short, but…there is always time for courtesy.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

In our current technology-driven existence, many common courtesies have been all but abandoned. Emails fly in and out of virtual mailboxes, and phone calls are often treated more as an inconvenience than a vital business tool and point of interaction. Could it actually be that we are losing our collective skills as courteous communicators?

In order to ensure the most pleasant experience for our guests, and nurture the possibility of future business transactions, telephone and email etiquette must be held to the highest standards. Communicating with those customers is just as important as communicating in person.

Imagine the pleasant feeling associated with having your emails or calls returned with urgency, priority and the utmost respect.

Tips for Phone Conversation:
• When the phone rings, answer promptly.
• Speak clearly and smile to portray a friendly, helpful attitude that customers can hear.
• Avoid eating, drinking and chewing gum.
• Be polite on the phone – from greeting to ending.
• Learn how to handle several callers simultaneously with ease and grace.
• Know when to take a message and return the call rather than keeping the customer holding.
• When taking messages, write down all essential information and repeat names/numbers to ensure accuracy.

Tips for Email Conversation:
• Respond to emails quickly.
• Be concise and to the point, and try to answer all questions to pre-empt additional follow-up for customers.
• Never hesitate to refine every outgoing message to a warm and inviting tone – and to check for mistakes.

This has been a Hospitality Hot Tip. If you’re interested in a more in-depth guest service training session for your community, contact Kristine Puckett at kristine.puckett@arkansas.gov.

2012 Guest Service Person of the Year

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Arkansas Tourism Director Joe David Rice presents a plaque to Anna Leonow from Razorback Inn.

Anna Leonow of Jacksonville was named Welcome to Arkansas Guest Service Person of the Year recently at the 38th Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

Arkansas Tourism Director Joe David Rice made the announcement and presented Leonow with a plaque during a general session of the conference.

Leonow is the lead guest service representative at Razorback Inn at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. She was nominated by her supervisor Rafael Serrati, who described her as able to demand the best of her fellow employees and “have them wanting to give their best.”

Serrati cited Leonow’s commitment to customer service in his nomination. “Whether she is giving directions to or from the Razorback Inn, finding availability for a disabled guest dealing with an emergency, helping on-base residents during severe weather or assisting relatives of a sick child having surgery at Children’s Hospital, Ms. Leonow, without fail, creates excellent personal and organizational impressions.”

Along with her award, she received a weekend getaway for her family to Mountain Harbor Resort in Mt. Ida. She will enjoy two nights in a Harbor North cottage with two bedrooms, two baths, a fully equipped kitchen, native stone fireplace and hot tub on the deck. The trip includes lodging, dining and boat rental.

“She is exactly the kind of person we want people to meet when they take a vacation to Arkansas,” Rice said. “We have some beautiful destinations, and another true natural resource is our people.”

Working with Angry Customers

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There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.
– SAM WALTON, Wal-Mart Founder

Nobody makes mistakes on purpose, but they do happen. Since your job involves interacting with customers directly, you will likely encounter an unhappy customer at some time. The most common response is to evaluate the merit of the complaint while you are listening to it. Try to curb that common response and replace it with the assumption that the customer has a right to be angry, even before you know the details.

Tips for Working with Angry Customers:
• Remain calm.
• Assume that the customer has a right to be angry.
• Actively listen to the complaints. Take notes if necessary.
• Give the customer options for solving the problem.
• Correct the issue and follow up when possible.

This has been a Hospitality Hot Tip. For more helpful ideas on superior hospitality for visitors, contact Kristine Puckett to schedule a guest service training session for your community.

Giving Directions

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Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends. – WALT DISNEY

You’ve likely heard the anecdote about a hapless tourist asking a local farmer for directions. After thinking a moment, the farmer begins rattling off a lengthy list of directions along the lines of: “Take the old side road up a ways, past the Anderson’s farm and turn left when you see Smithy’s cow. After a while, you’ll come to a broken-down truck, turn right and cut across the Kings’ back lot…” Inevitably, the farmer concludes, “You can’t miss it!”

Giving good directions requires a certain mindset. Put yourself in the place of the person who doesn’t know the area. The farmer in the old story above gives great instructions – for himself. For the tourist, though, the instructions are meaningless; they depend too strongly on local landmarks that the outsider would have no way of knowing. Giving good directions helps ensure your customer has a pleasant experience in your community, and it may encourage a return visit.

Tips for Giving Good Directions:
• Practice giving directions.
• Familiarize yourself with major streets and landmarks in your area.
• Identify key attractions in your area and promote them. Welcome to Arkansas information cards are useful tools for this.

This has been a Hospitality Hot Tip. If you’re interested in a more in-depth guest service training session for your community, contact Kristine Puckett.