to make a first impression…

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won’t be profitable for long.

Tis all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy – happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then send em yonder our way.

One key ingredient in running a successful bed and breakfast is the ability to get along with all types of people who will be staying at your inn. When you operate a bed and breakfast, you become the host (not an owner) who greets and welcomes guests (not clients). It’s more about hospitality service rather customer service First and foremost no matter what kinda day we’ve been having.:

1.Provide a warm, friendly welcome at the front door..

2 Take the extra step (or two) Be a “fountain of information”. As hosts, we’re called on to to answer questions about your area and mention nearby attractions and places of interest. We collect brochures and maps for the immediate area as well as other nearby areas of interest. We also have on hand. menus from local restaurants. The local restaurants love us!

3. Be helpful even if there’s no immediate $ signs involved.The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, theowner said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band – and charged me nothing! Where do you think I’ll go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think I’ve told this story to?

4. Find out when guests arrive what they would prefer as a beverage in the morning, and always have coffee made early. A pot of freshly brewed coffee outside the door in the morning will be a treat for the true coffee drinker. Not to forget that overflowin’ cookie jar for the midnight munchies.

5. Throw in something extra. Whether it’s a free ticket to the rodeo in town, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. A complimentary bottle of bubbly is standard for honeymooners .And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. Provide an umbrella stand with loan umbrellas near the door for guests who aren’t prepared for bad weather. You’d be surprised at how many folks appreciate that small but often overlooked touch.

6. Raise your hand if you havent left home without your toothbrush! We always have extra sample-size toilet articles on hand for your guests, such as shampoo, hand lotion, toothbrushes, razors and toothpaste.

7. Don’t make promises you cant or wont keep . Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one. Nothing makes me carnkier personally than someone who doesnt keep their word. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, “we’ll pick you up at the airport at 4:30pm”, you’d better be there by 4pm. . Otherwise, don’t say it.

8. Listen - really listen

Is there anything more exasperating than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? From a customer’s point of view, I doubt it. Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.

No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. The customer is always right might be a tired old , but trust me.. it’s always true. The problem or blame may be on the customer’s side, but you should never tell this outright. Without your customers where would you be ?

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”

And if worse comes to worse, note to self, “smile, check-out time ’s 11Am