Greetings!
"Anybody can be a waiter, not everyone can be
an excellent one" said the waiter as he set our drinks on the table and
arranged the small bowls of nibbles alongside.
This was the answer I received from a waiter named Pepe, serving me on a cruise I took recently. I'd chatted with him to find out a little more about life aboard his ship. I'd asked him for how long
he'd been a waiter and his answer included the comment above. And what a great observation too, one which
applies to all walks of life.
I met Pepe three weeks ago when I spent
five days aboard MSC Fantasia, the recently launched flag ship of Italian
cruise line MSC Cruises. My time was spent conducting a customer experience
audit for the brand, part of a process I'm going through in order to become
a provider of training and consultancy services. See it as part of my
induction. My brief was simple - "explain how the customer experience can be improved, where are the opportunities, what's being missed, where are the WOWs?"
Trying to find ways to improve the
experience of a premium brand is always going to be difficult. If you were carrying out an
audit of your own business or brand where would you begin? Well start by standing in your customer's shoes.
Pepe told me how he was passionate about doing his job and serving guests the best way he could. But Pepe wasn't alone in his eagerness to please. Elton my cabin steward also adopted a positive and helpful attitude throughout the trip. In fact Elton went beyond expectations.
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