I Forgot!

I stayed at a nice Resort the other nite on my way to visit my brother and his family for Christmas!  This resort is a nationally known facility, with a high class reputation for food, service and ambiance.

A fire was burning in the fireplace, I sat down and ordered a liquid beverage.  20 minutes later, the waitress came over and said, "I forgot what you wanted.  What did you order?"

I told her what I ordered and began to wait another 20 minutes before she came back and served the beverage.  Now, I had a parched throat, was tired and thirsty-- needless to say, I was ready for another beverage shortly after the first one arrived! 

Well, you guessed it-- another 20 minutes lapsed before she came around again and asked if I wanted another beverage!  Interestingly, there was a couple sitting on the side of the fireplace who just started to laugh about this little snag!  I asked what was so funny, interested in knowing what they knew that I did not.

They said that they have had the same experience every time they stay at this resort,  always a different waitress, however, always the same result-- a long wait and no chance to order any food.  They cracked the code-- they bring their own beverages from their room and don't worry about the waitress.

I got to thinking---um, what is the problem here?  Well, I think it is obvious---- management was not watching the floor and seeing what was happening!  My new friends and I did discuss that perhaps the resort had a staff training issue-- perhaps, the waitress was not trained properly, perhaps she had more tables to be responsible for than she could handle (staffing issue).

The one thing that was clear was that sales were being lost because I was never asked about food or anything else.  The other guests were not asked if they wanted something to eat or drink either.  More money lost for the resort.

Remember, sales are what make the cash register ring!  At the end of the day-- it is all about the cash register ringing!

Take a look at your business. 

How much money are you loosing every day by not paying attention to your customers? 
Do you watch your staff make the sale?
Does the staff have the training  and tools necessary to be most productive employee?
Has the employee been trained "your way"?  Your procedures may be different than what the employee did before.  Make sure that the employee understands and knows how you want things accomplished.
Do you encourage your staff to fully address all of the customer needs?  If I am thirsty, I am probably hungry as well?
Are all staff members encouraged to continually ask members if their needs are being addressed by a staff member?


Customer service is the key to more sales-- don't let a staff member "Forget" to fulfill a customer request.  The customer may walk and never be back! 

We want customers to continue to come back and buy more product-- what ever that might be!