I arrived late in a city centre hotel, with a full day of meetings and training the next day. So rather than go down to the bar or the restaurant to eat, I decided to order room service.
Nothing fancy. No large silver globes over the plates, no gangs of waiters setting a table on the terrace, no gentle pop of the champagne cork as I come out of the bath. (As you can tell, I've always rather fancied the James Bond lifestyle).
Just a club sandwich. A simple club sandwich. (OK, and fries).
It arrived, and in good time too. And what a club sandwich! Toasted ciabatta, still warm.
Succulent, chargrilled chicken breast. Crisp streaky bacon. Soft lettuce, sweet tomatoes. OK, the mayonnaise was in those annoying little packets, as was the ketchup for the fries, but this was delicious.
You might think I'm going over the top on a sandwich, but trust me, the food in standard hotels isn't usually this good.
So, on the basis that I always call down to complain if something's wrong, I decided to call down to congratulate and thank the restaurant. So I call the restaurant number on the bedside phone.
"Hello, reception," came the answer. "Oh!" I said. "I wanted the restaurant". "Putting you through now sir". She said. Cue a few minutes of Vivaldi (of course), then "Hello reception".
"I'm waiting for the restaurant?" I said. "Putting you through now sir". Vivaldi's back.
"Hello reception!" came the cheery but by now tiresome welcome. "Can I have the restaurant please" I asked. Still being pleasant. I hope.
"Putting you through now sir" she said. Of course she did. By this time, even Vivaldi has chucked it. The Four Seasons have gone, to be replaced by a "Welcome to the Hotel" message offering lunches, dinners and stay-overs at Christmas and New Year.
Yes, I know it's March.
Then, "Hello reception!".
I think I said "Oh, never mind!", and put the phone down. Assuming the poor woman didn't know it was me again, God knows what she thought.
So, a compliment, which they didn't receive. In fact, a compliment which almost turned into a complaint. Just because they didn't pick up the phone.
So, what did I learn? That some of our customers want to say thank you, and well done. And of course, some want to complain. But if we don't do the simple things - like picking up the phone - we'll never know.
Try it now. Pick up the phone, and call your own business. And see how they handle the call.
