Do You Know What Your Customers Need?

Some establishments ooze customer service.

Their procedures make it easy do business with them, their amenities demonstrate their desire to make each guest comfortable and they anticipate customers’ needs even before guests themselves know what they need.

I experienced this first-hand when I checked in for my 10-day stay at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. For the first time ever, my bellman actually pointed out the emergency plan and gave me specific directions for where to go in case of a hotel evacuation.

He then demonstrated all of the special features of my hotel room: There was a big mirror hidden in the desk; all I needed to do was lift up a panel and there it was. I wouldn’t have seen that if he hadn’t shown me. And how convenient that was for putting on my makeup and doing my hair every day!

Based on my reservation, the staff at the Emirates Tower knew I was from the United States, so they provided the correct adapter for my personal electronic devices; it was already in the room when I checked in.

Painted on the ceiling was a discreet green arrow that pointed to Qibla, the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during Salah. Muslim visitors to a Muslim country need to know which way to face during their five daily prayer sessions.

Most ingenious to me was the jogging map provided to guests to help them find their way around the neighborhood. The map was printed on a small card about the size of a nametag you would wear at a conference. On one side was a visual map with color-coded routes; the other side featured descriptions of each of the four route variations, including each path’s distance and degree of difficulty.

The map was on hard plastic and came with its own lanyard — allowing a runner to wear it while exercising. The whole thing was draped over a water bottle that came with its own Jumeirah Group logo sweatband. After all, we were in the desert!

I mention all of this to make one very important point: What steps have you taken to make your customers feel more comfortable?

Have you anticipated their needs? Do you provide special nuances that make their visit so pleasant that they can’t wait to tell their friends about it? What could you do to take your level of service closer to the outstanding hospitality exemplified by Emirates Towers and the other fine properties of the Jumeirah Group?

Do you know what your customers need?

(Photo by iStock)