The Art of Service

People who are seldom well served don’t know how to serve other people.
This statement was made by my girlfriend after we discussed service in
China. She told me how she had helped a friend getting his laptop cable
back he forgot in his hotel. The guy had called the hotel and they
confirmed they found the cable. To make a long story short. My
girlfriend needed to go there three times before she had a cable which
is likely to be the right one. First time she was on her way up and
down the Hotel. All staff ducked any responsibility, pretended to be
deaf and told her to ask somewhere else. The second time she got
closer. She was shown three plastic bags with cables. “Tell me which
one it is”. She didn’t bring her mobilephone but had the owners number
and asked them to give him a call to find out the exact brand. “Sorry,
we cannot make long distance calls” . Third time she knew the brand,
waded through the bag with cables and is likely to have found the right
one. “Please show me your ID Card”, was the question. Might I add, this
was the third time she went there and they never asked before. She got
angry, not like her at all, and this was the moment they gave her the
cable right way. She noticed that getting angry worked. It gives staff
apparently the feeling they are dealing with a boss-like person, which
can constitute trouble if they don’t act. Staying friendly gives them
the chance of not doing anything. Doing something means having the
option of making a mistake, which also means trouble.