Negroni

A recent holiday at an all-inclusive hotel provided a wealth of examples of how not to deliver effective customer service.

My first example is a tale of a negroni. For those not in the know, a negroni is a cocktail made up of 3 equal measures of gin, Campari and Martini Rosso, poured over ice and stirred.

The bar at the hotel was quiet on my first evening - I was the only customer - and I asked the barman for a negroni. He replied that he could not, as he was only allowed to make the cocktails listed on the cocktail menu. I asked why this was, and he told me it was in the interests of efficiency. After all, if everybody started ordering bespoke cocktails, it would be very time consuming.

I looked around, and saw that I was still the only customer. He asked if I would like something else to drink. I studied the menu to see what drinks were available.

“Yes please,” I replied. “Can I have a shot of gin in a glass with some ice?”

The barman obliged.

I then continued “Can I also have a shot of Campari and a shot of Martinin Rosso? You can put them in the same glass with the gin if you like to save the washing up.”

A smile came across the barman’s face. “Ah,” he said, “I see what you are doing!”

“Yes,” I responded (in my head), “I am getting what I want in a way that complies with the hotel’s policies and keeps you out of trouble, but ultimately involves a lot more work for both of us to achieve the same outcome.”

For the remainder of the holiday, my friendly barman was happy to serve me my three shots in the same glass! We just had to be careful not to call it a negroni!

When managers, who are far removed from the work, impose strict rules for frontline staff (and then monitor compliance) then service gets worse and costs increase. Those serving the customer are more concerned with following the rules (for fear of punishment) than doing the right thing for the customer.

In “efficient” organisations, frontline staff do things right - they follow the rules. In effective service organisations, staff do the right thing - working to a set of principles that help them make good decisions.

Absolutely not a negroni, just three independent drinks minding their own business