The Spirit of Elvis in Customer Service
© Holly Stiel
In the last ten years, the culture has changed vis-a-vis customer expecations. Even the Internal Revenue Service and Postal Service have adopted a customer service focus. The basics of doing just what you are required to do to get the job done isn’t enough. People want much more.
Elvis was unique, creative, electric - he wowed us. Wowing, is what is required in business today. It’s important to ask the question, what am I doing? How am I expressing my uniqueness? Are we just adding more “stuff” or are we paying attention to the customer’s agenda and meeting the human needs as well as the business needs? This can be as simple as using their names or creating the feeling that you actually care about them personally.
To sustain such personal service requires that we become aware of and develop our own rhythm and flow in performing our jobs. Rhythm is an undeniable factor in the lessons we can learn from the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Creating a Rhythm is so important, because it elevates us from the role of victim to the role of chooser. The best example of creating a rhythm at work can be seen in open restaurant kitchens. Without it, chaos would result; with it, the line flows and the diners get to observe the dance. I personally learned this valuable lesson from my colleague Michael Welsh. We were both sitting at the concierge desk during a slow moment, when suddenly a busload of guests arrived. As the lobby rhythm picked up considerably, Michael turned to me and said “come on Holly, lets disco through this.” At that, we both stood up and danced through the multiple phone lines flashing, and rapid fire questions from guests standing three deep in front of us. Being in touch with this internal rhythm allowed us to serve with flair and keep our stress to a minimum.
Anyone who knows anything about Elvis knows he had a great sense of humor. Bringing a sense of humor to work is one of the most important tools anyone can bring to a job. Exercising one’s humor muscle is a way to change the perspective of a busy, stressful job into one that is interesting and filled with laughter. Switching the perspective to think comedically can be as simple as keeping a humor journal with you at work and jotting down those priceless moments that pass quickly unless we are paying attention. I always refer to my journal as the anecdote to stress. It helps me to remember to Choose laughter over annoyance. Without the tool of the humor journal, I may react differently to this interaction.
An example: Three guests from New York approached the desk. The conversation went something like this. “We are sick of California food, we have had it. We want New York food, you know, food like you can get in New York?” I responded by recommending the Palm restaurant, a restaurant I knew they had in New York. Without skipping a beat, this family said “The Palm? What do we want that for, we have that in New York.” One reaction would have been to be aggravated, or think people were ridiculous. Armed with my humor journal, my reaction was to laugh, think people are funny, and actually feel appreciative that I had such a great story to put in my humor journal. It’s great therapy and always good for a laugh.
After all is said and done, and much has been said and written about hospitality and quality service. The bottom line is, service comes from self. Each one of us brings our unique, creative, spirit to work with us. It is through our personal relationships that we sustain the wow. We choose to be in touch with our own rhythm, perform in good times and bad, laugh and spread joy, and create an atmosphere of Thank You Very Much.
It really does boil down to the Wonder of You!