Sales communication: impressive up-selling by thinking ahead

A hotel in Chicago is using some sophisticated techniques to simultaneously show concern for their guests' welfare and "up-sell". The Majestic Hotel sends confirmation e-mails to guests after they make their reservations. At the bottom of the e-mail is a list of options guests can choose to have ready for them when they arrive. The options range from a bottle of specific wines, milk and cookies at bed-time, or a fruit basket,  to a day-long transit pass, a picnic lunch of local delicacies, a bike rental, two hours in a kayak, or other options.

The hotel has clearly thought ahead about guests' frequent requests, and now is letting guests choose them before they arrive. This allows the hotel to more easily fill the requests, and gives them some extra profit as well.

When the guests arrive, in their rooms they find a refrigerator filled with common soft drinks and water, as well as a variety of snacks and even small toys related to the local tourist attraction. These are available on the "honor bar" system; the hotel maid notices what is gone, notes it as a charge on the bill, and refills the items daily when the room is cleaned.  Guests do not need to get dressed and leave their rooms to find a vending machine.

Another need of some guests is for a place to relax, read the newspaper and drink some tea or coffee.
These are available in a home-like "living room", where guests can chat with each other.

This same idea of thinking ahead about your customers' needs and meeting them before being asked could be used by astute business owners and managers in many fields.

 A human resources manager, for example, could think ahead of time of the many questions asked by new hires,  career development options in the organization and to a page on career pathways for employees.

A medical practice could remind patients of upcoming appointments, invite them to write down their health concerns,  and need for prescription referrals before the appointment,  answer the top 5 questions patients ask the staff about the latest health issue, or give ideas about how to stay healthy this season.

What options can you offer new customers or employees to up-sell them on your organization?

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Amazing customer service - restaurant style

Maggiano's Little Italy in Durham, NC is a little restaurant with a fascinating angle on customer service. They want to make their target customers (new customers and out-of-town visitors) feel very special. They do this in a way that can be (but rarely is) used by most businesses, especially those in the hospitality and other service industries.

I recently had dinner in this restaurant for the first time. The server casually asked my guest and me about ourselves, and any dietary needs. Upon learning that my guest was visiting from another state and that we had never been to the restaurant before, the server quietly swung into action. After we were served a delicious dinner, several members of the restaurant staff visited to welcome us, and we were offered a complimentary (and wonderful) mini-dessert for us to split.
The purpose of this extra attention was of course to make us feel like visiting royalty, and naturally want to return.

Basically, the approach of this restaurant boils down to three principles that can easily be used by other businesses. First, the first person who approaches the new customer is well-trained to ask a few casual questions to search for customers with specific characteristics. Second, there is a system to discretely alert other members of the staff, who also welcome the visitor. Third, the business provides complimentary samples of additional services or products to these visitors, as a tangible welcome.

Many businesses could also offer to put the visitor on their mailing lists, and send him or her coupons for special deals or freebies throughout the next year to entice him to return. Others such as hotels maintain a database of customers' preferences (whether for types of rooms, recreational activities if mentioned, or other issues), so that they can refer to it when the customer comes again.

What is a recent example of great customer service that you have experienced, and what could other businesses do to emulate it? If you own or manage a service business, what else could you do to welcome your new customers?

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Branding and Customer Service: A Tight Connection

Medical facilities spend a lot of money and effort on branding campaigns. Billboards, articles and the like all proclaim the superiority of their services. However, when staff contact prospective patients before their arrival, they apparently do not all have access to the patient's information, leading them to give varying answers to simple questions. The result is a confused impression in a patient's mind regarding staff's competency.

Branding needs to be carried over into customer service, so that everyone has information on a customer's record and documents a call for future use. Branding is not just a clever slogan; it should include leaving a solid impression of competency in a client's mind.

Your Front Line's Verbal Image

What is your "front line", the first people to talk to a prospective client or vendor, saying, and HOW are they saying it?

Research shows that 93% of the first impression is non-verbal, but based on factors such as tone of voice, rate of speaking, dress, facial expressions, etc. Only 7% of the first impression is based on words alone.

Today I spoke to a member of the "front line" of a multi-million dollar company, about working for them as a vendor. She answered the phone at 10 AM sounding bored and uncaring. A few minutes later, she said of the staff member to whom she referred me, "I think he does stuff like that." Her information about the staff member's responsibilities was very inaccurate, but her language was worse - it was appropriate for a first grader, not for someone who should have had some college background!

If you work in marketing or public relations, are your efforts being undercut by poor communication skills of your "front liners"?