Travelling around the UK and Ireland working with clients on my 12 Month Profitable Growth Plan means I do spend a lot of time in local hostelries along the way. No, not in the pubs but in hotels for my overnight accommodation!
My experience this week certainly wasn’t the first of its kind since we have been allowed to go places once more, but it was definitely exceptional. In fact it further endorses my belief that so many companies are using the excuse of lockdowns, pandemics and guidelines to their advantage. We are drowning in ‘Could a’, Should a’ and Would a’ .. but the guidelines don’t allow us to……., or the pandemic means we can’t ……. These are excuses which are generally conjured up by people who only perform at their best under strong leadership from higher up.
So what am I rambling on about?
I recently stayed in a well-known national hotel chain whose reputation has long stood for quality, good value and good service. Although having not stayed at this particular hotel I have stayed in numerous others within the Group and I have an idea of what to expect….or so I thought!
Firstly they claimed to have their own Car Park. Upon arrival it turned out to be something best described as a derelict piece of ground which was vaguely nearby that anyone could park on or access. ‘It would a’ been better but we can’t find contractors.’ Ok, so what about guaranteeing on site security in the meantime?
The Meet & Greet was more like a Sybil and Manuel sitcom (Fawlty Towers for anyone under the age of 30!) I was eventually allocated a room and given the key only to find as I let myself in that it had not yet been cleaned. This time it’s a ‘We could a’ had your room ready but we are short staffed and because social distancing requires us to have fewer chamber maids!’ Ok, so why not make check in times later and check out times earlier by an hour each way, surely that would help?
In truth after they had completed the ‘clean’ it didn’t look much better so standards are not being maintained by the staff they do have and this continued throughout my stay.
I thought social distancing and lockdowns had made us all re-evaluate our values and priorities so wouldn’t you think that regardless of size companies would be bending over backwards to make up for business lost or better still turn it into an opportunity to really excel? Good customer service is a sure fire winner so if there was ever a time to be shit hot at customer service it has to be NOW!
But instead there’s an apathy that’s crept in and it’s using the pandemic as a bona fide excuse for sloppy unacceptable service.
Why have so many owners and managers taken their foot off the gas when it comes to installing goals, confidence, standards, behaviours, self-belief with a new blueprint of expectations to support their workforce through this period of unprecedented change?
Instead teams are left to their own devices to muddle though as best they can without a glimmer of direction or leadership.
The next thing will be the so called leaders claiming their workforce are resistant, reluctant and downright unmanageable….
Luckily I do have a rock solid solution. My 12 Month Profitable Growth Plan is a blueprint for taking businesses forward regardless of the impact of any pandemic with a strong focus on leadership, direction, motivation, drive, inspiration………
Its 12 months long because there’s a shitload of work to do but when it’s done, you and your business will be in the best possible health to ride out any future storms. To find out more give me a call 01438 217944.
Tracy Stuart, Coach and Behavioural Specialist NBS Training 01438 217944