Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Denver, CO
Real World Story: My stay was at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Denver, CO. Because of the brand name “Wyndham” in its title, I had high expectations for this hotel. However, it didn’t take long for disappointment to sink those assumptions. At the very start, my check-in process and the man behind it were not memorable–either positively or negatively.
Then once in my room, I realized I needed an iron and ironing board. I didn’t have either in my room, so I called the front desk. I asked the man who answered if he had an iron and ironing board. He said, “I think so.” I paused and asked, “So you THINK you have one?” He replied, “Yes. I think so. Come on down to the front desk, and you can get them.” As I’m walking to the front desk, I’m wondering am I walking all the way down to the front desk to PROBABLY get an iron? Luckily, when I arrived, the iron and board were sitting on a counter. I approached the front-desk man who looked at me with no smile or acknowledgement. When I pointed to the iron and ironing board, he slowly got up and brought it over to where I stood.
Before leaving, I asked, “Is there breakfast here tomorrow morning?” He replied, “Probably.” Once again, I was taken aback. Probably? What kind of answer is that? So I asked, “Is that a yes or a no?” He repeated, “Probably.” Then I asked, “What would turn that probably into a yes?” He simply repeated himself a third time, “We’ll probably have breakfast.” Wow. What an awful response. I left feeling angry and confused. How could that be his response? He obviously could not have cared less and it showed. What an awful experience.
The next morning, the front-desk staff were just as apathetic. They did answer my questions when I asked them, but they showed no concern or helpfulness. For example, when I asked about the shuttle to the airport, a female employee told me I HAD to sign up for it; I couldn’t just show up. But she said sign-ups ended at noon. I informed her that I needed a shuttle at 1pm, but she didn’t know what to do. She simply pointed to the sign-up form and said, “My sheet ends at noon.” She offered no solutions or alternatives. I paused and asked, “What am I supposed to do?” She simply shrugged her shoulders.
Unbelievable I thought to myself.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Meet expectations. If the name of your company is associated with a higher-end brand, customers will have higher expectations, so you must deliver on those expectations or the entire BRAND is tarnished.
- Train your staff on customer service skills! It is painfully obvious when employees have absolutely NO training on customer service skills—all the basics are missing.
- Teach positive and appropriate language. When employees use tentative speech, unprofessional body language and bad attitudes, it is a recipe for disaster.
- Deal with customer complaints quickly. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was told again and again that he would not be in for 3 days. Although they did give me his email address, and I sent him an email with my concerns, he never responded.
Remember: If your company name brand is associated with great service, you’d better deliver on that brand promise, or else you risk a bad blog post by an angry customer service investigator. Customers judge a company by every touch point, so make sure that every person in your organization is aware of your brand and what it stands for. Then make sure everyone is held accountable for delivering on that promise.
What do YOU do to ensure your brand promise is delivered positively?