Contact: John Tschohl
(952) 884-3311
Email: quality@servicequaity.com
Web: www.customer-service.com
By John Tschohl
Note to Editor: Feel free to use all of parts of this news release. John Tschohl also is available for personal interviews. You can contact him at the phone number or e-mail address above.
It was a stunning surprise. Having devoted the past three decades of my life to helping businesses throughout the world improve their customer service-and, as a result, their bottom lines-I certainly did not expect to find the most customer-service friendly organization in the world in a small country in Southern Africa. But I did.
I was in Botswana to meet with the folks at Botswana National Productivity Center, a new distributor for my company, Service Quality Institute. While I was there, they arranged a five-day safari for me. I've been on several safaris over the years, but this was memorable for many reasons, including the superior service provided by every staff member with whom I came in contact at Wilderness Safari. It was a welcome change after spending four days in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, where the service was beyond poor.
Botswana is a small country, about the size of Texas and is home to only 1.8 million people. It also is home to the most service-oriented organization I have ever had the good fortune to experience
Wilderness Safari has thee camp levels: premier, classic, and explorations. But it has only one level of service: superior. I visited all three, the first being the Kings Pool Camp, the premier camp, which I would rate a 12 out of 10 in service, ambiance, and experience. When I was met at the camp's private airstrip, staff members introduced themselves-from the maids to the cooks-and called me by name. That is something I constantly preach. Calling customers by name is one of the simplest, yet most appreciated, things you can do in providing excellent customer service. What made the service at Wilderness Safari even more noteworthy is that, even though the people of Botswana are extremely shy, they go out of their way to be cordial and to make each guest feel special.
My room at Kings Pool Camp was one of the nicest and most incredible I have ever had the good fortune to inhabit-and elephants and hippos were just 50 feet away. Large bottles of shampoo, body wash, and hand lotion, as well as free laundry service each day, were wonderful touches. The food-which included six meals each day, from a light breakfast at 6:30 a.m. to tea at sunset to dinner at 8 p.m.-was superior, and all drinks were free.
The great service continued out in the wilderness where the animals-including elephants, baboons, hippos, and impalas-and the guides were beyond compare. It was as close to heaven as I've ever been-or ever hope to be! After two days, a private plane picked me up and flew me to the next camp, the Kvetsani Camp, where I was again greeted by name and treated like royalty. When I arrived at the lodge, the entire staff was there to greet me and sing a welcoming song. I would be hard-pressed to find any hotel in the world that could match the service I experienced at these two camps, which included staff members walking guests to their rooms each night, as a safety measure because there were so many wild animals on the grounds.
As I headed to the third camp, Little Vumbura, I wondered if the service would be as awesome there. I was not disappointed. After landing at the airstrip, I was met by a guide who greeted me by name and took me by boat to the camp, where the staff had gathered at the dock and greeted me with a song. There were no other guests arriving at that time-just me-and yet the staff's performance and service was spirited and special. I was immediately handed a wet towel to freshen up on the way to the lobby, where I was offered a welcome drink while my luggage was taken to my room.
It's important that you remember you and your organization are just one click away from obscurity. Customers want to communicate with people who are friendly, knowledgeable, and caring. And, if you don't' give your customers what they want, they will leave you-and leave you fast.
My flight out of Maun was delayed for 90 minutes, then delayed again for almost 10 hours, and finally was canceled altogether. The lack of communication on the part of the airline's employees was frustrating for passengers, who were provided no assistance at all in locating hotel accommodations for the night. Yet my visit to Botswana had been a good one. I had been fortunate to experience the best customer service in the world, thanks to Wilderness Safari, and highly recommend it to anyone in any business that wants to benchmark their organization's service against the best in the world. You can check it out by logging onto www.wilderness-safaris.com.
John Tschohl is an international service strategist and speaker. Described by Time and Entrepreneur magazines as a customer service guru, he has written several books on customer service, including Loyal for Life;e-Service; Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service; the Customer is Boss; and Ca$hing In: Make More Money, Get a Promotion, Love Your Job. He also has developed and conducts Customer Service Certification seminars.
You can contact John at 952-884-3311 or e-mail him at quality@servicequality.com .