I was once traveling with my family and we had a long flight delay. We were all exhausted and frustrated,
A pleasant surprise:
I was once traveling with my family and we had a long flight delay. We were all exhausted and frustrated, and we were not looking forward to spending the night in the airport. However, when we arrived at our gate, we were greeted by a very friendly and helpful gate agent. She immediately offered us some snacks and drinks, and she helped us to find a comfortable place to sit. She also checked on us several times throughout the night to make sure that we were okay. Her kindness and compassion made a big difference in our experience, and we were very grateful for her help.
Not-so-great service:
Another time, I was dining at a restaurant with some friends. We had been waiting for a table for about 20 minutes, and when we finally got seated, our waiter was very rude and dismissive. He took our order and then disappeared for a long time. When he finally came back, he brought the wrong food. We tried to tell him that he had made a mistake, but he just rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever.” We ended up leaving without finishing our meal, and we have never been back to that restaurant since.
In both of these cases, the difference between a good and bad experience was the way that the staff interacted with us. In the first case, the gate agent was kind and helpful, which made us feel welcome and taken care of. In the second case, the waiter was rude and dismissive, which made us feel unwelcome and unimportant.
If the waiter in the second case had been more apologetic and helpful, we might have been willing to give the restaurant a second chance. However, his attitude was so off-putting that we decided to never go back.
I think that the most important thing for businesses in the hospitality industry is to remember that their customers are people. They should treat their customers with respect and kindness, even when the customers are frustrated or upset. If businesses can do that, they will be much more likely to create positive and memorable experiences for their customers.
Here are some specific things that the waiter in the second case could have done to improve the situation:
- He could have apologized for the mistake and offered to bring us the correct food.
- He could have been more attentive and checked on us more often to make sure that we were enjoying our meal.
- He could have been more friendly and welcoming, making us feel like we were valued customers.
If he had done any of these things, we might have been willing to overlook the mistake and give the restaurant another chance. However, his attitude was so off-putting that we decided to never go back.
