Let me tell you what I mean by this.
Our job in the service industry is to give you an experience – whether that is through food, service, entertainment, or atmosphere. When we fall short of your expectations, our only way to know – is if our customers come to us. The last thing that I want to hear is that a customer had a negative experience and I had to find out about it from their review on Google, Yelp, etc..
Of course, in the digital age – we post about everything online. This has become the biggest way to gauge if you are popular, trending, or attractive to new customers. You look at websites, and social media, and of course what people are writing about the place you want to visit. In this economy, every dollar has value, and when you spend it at Antonio’s we want it to be worth it to YOU.
So – here is why leaving a review instead of addressing it with the business directly – fails, for both the consumer (you, the customer) and the producer (me, the owner).
As the consumer – you leave unhappy, or worse, angry. In addition to the issue with your evening, there is discontent because 1) you have to pay for it 2) no one has acknowledged it. Instead of asking to talk to someone, you walk away, with no reconciliation and no offer to remedy your experience. Enter the Google Review – a way to make it known your night was not ideal and perhaps a warning to other consumers – but that is it. Even if there is a response to your review from the producer, most people do not respond back.
As the producer – there is no opportunity, no space, for me to remedy their dining experience, even if I offer to discuss their experience with them. It becomes disconnected and oftentimes the response is delayed by at least a day. By then – not only has there been a negative review, it is passing through word of mouth from person to person. It stings but it is reality. The fact is, the nature of the hospitality industry is to make every experience worthwhile and spectacular for you, within the scope of our offerings. What is universal – is the desire to pay attention to the smallest of details to form and shape a fabulous experience. I cannot understand what went wrong or how we can serve you better, if you don’t tell me.
I can only speak from the standpoint of a small business owner, particularly in the hospitality industry. And this is only applicable to situations where both parties want to put in the effort to resolve the situation. However, it would be fair to assume that most small business owners want to make things right with their customers – upon someone having a bad experience, no one wants to feel as if they are not seen or not heard. Give us the opportunity to help change the trajectory of your evening, if something does go awry. Allow us to connect with you as person to person, instead of minds behind screens. If it is within my power to fix – I will gladly help correct your experience, in hopes that you consider giving us another opportunity to make it up to you.
Elkhart is a small community – it would do us more good to work together and build upon one another, in hopes of making business, relationships, and experiences stronger.
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