It seems that the European supply of empathy is as scarce as the UK grit supply was last month. BBC correspondent Jane Kirby’s fine comment on contemporary life in Paris suggests that whilst French may have a deep professional respect for service delivery they are confused about the business issues.
The original article can be seen at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8500246.stmService professionals aren’t confused about servitude; great service is about value addition close to the customer or to get analytical about it close to the active user. Great service requires a clear understanding of how to align behaviours, the service environment and the processes with the customer expectation and then take that 1% step to be just a little better than the customer had expected.
The result for our French colleagues is that the customer now has three magical gifts; firstly their transaction value in the case of the waiter or the taxi driver this may be a tip, it may be that if the waiter really is focused on our well being we might spend more in the restaurant. Secondly the customer may bring their loyalty, they may choose to visit that restaurant on a regular basis or phone that cab number more often, and they may even put the restaurant or taxi in their phone as the number of choice. Finally, the customer may bring their ultimate gift, referral power. The customer has the ability, power and technology to relay their experience to their friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even readership in Jane’s case. Good experience travels well, we do tell our friends about an amazing restaurant or great service, as customers we recommend what we like and what we prefer. The self interested taxi driver or waiter has to realise that bad news also has an audience. Just sticking with the Sunday Times a moment here AA Gill didn’t build his reputation out of helping restaurateurs; he built a following of readers out deep criticism.
From a World Class Service standpoint Jane’s article has a more profound implication, one that has a direct bearing on UK service delivery and that is the presence or absence of empathy. Research suggests that empathy is the most troubling absence in UK service. Empathy, in service terms, means the ability to read, understand and effectively respond to the emotions of the customer. This is a skill to be sure, some people are naturals when comes to empathy and some of us have to think about it, great waiters, concierge’s or taxi driver don’t judge, they simply provide the helpful options and suggestions that create a better sense of well being for the customer and this is the moment where their professional skill is leveraged. As customers we love it when they do. Service magic in action.
We don’t know which rooms a hotel has available or what the restaurant has in its wine cellar or the quickest way across Leeds but the service professional does and the best know when to offer assistance to the customer. Good observation can tell you when a customer is anxious, bored or lost and a little proactive support can deliver that 1% moment of customer happiness, that life is not pointless and people do care.
Empathetic service isn’t the same as proactive service, being pro active can be tiresome if it isn’t well managed. Imagine the business traveller who clocks hundreds of thousands of air miles each year travelling through an airport, they don’t need proactive assistance they need empathy and that require the service professional to read the situation and respond accordingly with a bias for questions if they aren’t sure.
As service professionals we become what we think about, if we only see the role as subservience or as slavery then we can see the resentment streak coming a mile away. If we think about the well being of the guests and the gifts they can bestow on our business then the virtuous cycle is plainly in view. The great restaurant managers and hoteliers know this and Britain does have some outstanding examples. There are some real service “jedi” who don’t deliver service for the return they do it out of blind belief in great service, Expertise, lovingly combined with boundless enthusiasm was one organisations description but the CEO of Tablet Hotels seemed to sum up the mental outlook best with; “For us it’s a fine line between persistence and stubbornness, Optimism and delusion. While we believe that our clients are loyal for good reasons, we go beyond reason to make it work”.
The strangest thing about empathy is the hugely asymmetric effect it has on the customer. It costs nothing on the part of the service personnel but creates a massive impact on the customer. Empathy is part of a good competitive strategy nowadays and it can be taught; there are key traits and behaviours that highlight empathetic behaviour it is a matter of training and coaching these behaviours so that they become part of a professional approach. Shame the French, who are so brilliant on hospitality and design appear to be off the pace on the day to day delivery of welcome and guest happiness.
