THE BEST SERVICE IS SELF-SERVICE

Have you ever been to a place like stores, restaurants or hotels, where the waitresses and attendants frequently follow you around anywhere you go? Not only that, they also constantly ask whether they can help you with anything. One of my friends said, they even follow him to the toilet, like they thought he didn’t know how to use “it”. I have “tasted” many restaurants where the waitresses always ask whether they can pick up your “unfinished” meals and drinks, over and over again.
The outcome of those kinds of “hospitality” is really annoying. Plus what’s more annoying is that when you “do” need the waitresses and attendants, they are nowhere to be found. Too often, they ask whether they can help you, but the truth is they cannot help you with anything. I find many employees at supermarkets who cannot locate even the most general or simple products at their own workplace.

Hospitality or service doesn’t always have to be shown. Sometimes the best service is something that is “not shown but can be found or experienced” by the customers. Self-service is one of the best methods for service excellence. Not only this service can give freedom and make the customer feels like home, it also educates the customers to become independent and knowledgeable.

I will ask you a simple question, “If you are dining, would you prefer to pick the sugar and pour it into your drinks yourself as you desire, or have the waitress do it for you? Some restaurants or café even let the customers make their own drinks or meals. It is about time we learn to provide a “Self-Service Friendly Environment” to create service excellence.

Service is not to offer, but to deliver. Hospitality has to be real and not fake. Service excellence is an unforgettable experience.

Ivan the Freelancer

(Images are taken from Canadore College, Comtecusa, and Insidesocal).