Three Indicators of Great Service
Thinking ahead may well be at the heart of service. Do you remember being in a great restaurant and the wait staff always stayed just ahead of what you needed? A pleasure to dine there; right?
Yes, unless the service is obtrusive and fussy. Excellent service is both forward-thinking and unobtrusive. Some restaurants think that an overly high ratio of wait staff to diners is optimal. I disagree because the experience often shifts to be about the staff and not about the pleasure of the diners.
A third element of great service is that it is performed with joy and caring. I recently asked a service professional if he enjoyed his job, and he said, “Not really, but it’s a skill I have, so I have to use it.” He did not realize that “skill” alone is insufficient.
Of these three elements – thinking ahead, unobtrusiveness and performed with joyful and genuine caring – how would you score yourself? Can you think of an experience where you would rate the service high based on these criteria?
What are the implications of these criteria for your own business or profession? Do you sincerely care when you are delivering a service? How often are you able to serve with joy?
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.