In follow-up to the overview last week, this series of standards discussions will begin by highlighting the principles represented by the first “A” in the acronym ANGUILLA PRIDE™. This “A” is for Accuracy in every statement, preparation and action. This is the first of the service quality standards that needs to be demonstrated for each member of every business to achieve professional excellence.

In turn, every manager needs to follow them by way of example to fully support his or her staff; to enable them to take pride in their work; earn greater gratuities where given; and benefit from “free” marketing and a superb reputation. That is, to build prosperity through professionalism, we must inspire customers to return and tell others to choose us, instead of our competitors or another destination. No other form of marketing, no matter the budget, is more powerful or effective than earning today’s customer loyalty; so we all prosper tomorrow, not merely keep replacing our losses, without growing at all.

In our culture of respectful individuals, both managers and colleagues can be assured that most everyone has the best intentions of being truthful and specifically “accurate” in their speech and actions. We also know that the best intentions can still fall short, resulting in unmet expectations from service failures due to inaccuracies that affect our customers. Immediately managing needed corrections can enable us to demonstrate Accuracy in most situations. Even if we must make a quick adjustment now and then, we can learn to prevent mistakes in pursuit of flawless performance over time. That is, by ensuring this standard is met, we can engender confidence in all we say and do.

As customers, we also know how disappointing and frustrating it is to experience the lack of Accuracy. Common examples might include how a menu becomes inaccurate the moment the kitchen runs out of a particular ingredient for a popular dish; how long a very tired guest might need to wait if a room isn’t cleaned by the time promised or entered in the registration list for the wrong day; or if an item is added to an invoice with a transposed figure, overcharging the patron. Left unchecked, such errors can send customers to our competitors the first chance they get.

All too often, the diner would tell a friend something like, “they are always out of my favourite dish.” The hotel guest might go to the Internet and blog that the front desk staff didn’t know what day it was, that their suite wasn’t ready, how exhausted they were, that the children were pleading to change clothes and go to the pool, but that all had to wait a long time in a hot, boring lobby. And, the store patron would very likely tell a friend to trade elsewhere, because the prices are too high for what you get; or even worse, that they felt they’d been cheated by the establishment. But when the host can suggest a tempting alternative to replace the dining selection before the orders are taken; or when the front desk can have the guest escorted to another freshly cleaned room without ever knowing the first was not ready; and when the billing oversight can be caught and rectified before the patron leaves the counter, expectations can be exceeded with prompt, conscientious attention to Accuracy.
As managers or service providers, what can we do to achieve Accuracy not just 99% of the time, but 100% of the time? Always checking with colleagues and reviewing appropriate references are essentials for Accuracy. Proactive communication across the service team can also promote Accuracy. In the restaurant example, the first person in the kitchen to notice the last of the ingredients would tell the chef, not just wait until asked. The chef could then prepare an alternative special and tell the wait staff before the next order is taken. The goal would be for the diner to tell all her friends they should go to the restaurant and savour that delicious entrée. The registration clerk would repeat the arrival details on the phone, and then send an email to the guests to confirm. The housekeeping staff would keep the front desk informed of available accommodations before the guests arrived; and the guests would tell their friends they were immediately shown to a clean, comfortable room, and treated like royalty, never noticing any hint of a delay or blunder. Likewise, the clerk would be fully trained to use the cash register and to check his or her calculations before finalising every transaction, so the patrons would tell others to shop where prices are always fair and the staff trustworthy, as well.

But why is 100% Accuracy so important? Is seeking perfection realistic? Settling for 99% Accuracy would leave 9-10 words misspelled in this article; a 14.4-minute power outage every 24 hours; and with at least 10,000 of us coming and going here in Anguilla each day, 100 would have a mishap on the road, totaling some 36,500 accidents per year! World class performance is quite simply epitomized by the pursuit of perfection. Nothing less will do.

To learn more about measuring and managing customer satisfaction and ClienTell® Consulting, LLC services, please visit: www.clien-tell.com (© 2010 Melinda K. M. Goddard)

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