Post by Kahlessa on Jan 24, 2008 23:16:58 GMT -5
Russell Crowe and the Phone Incident—a Customer Service Perspective
June 2005
Let me state that I do not know either Russell Crowe or Nestor Estrada, nor do I know what exactly transpired between them. I believe that throwing a phone or any object at or in the vicinity of another person is unacceptable behavior. However, I also believe that an employee who was well-trained and experienced in customer service should not have allowed the situation to escalate to the point that it did. The Mercer Hotel bears some responsibility for the incident and it would have been best for them to have avoided it.
People have labeled the phone-throwing incident as spoiled-star behavior. But most people in customer service have encountered such behavior. When I worked at a college bookstore, a law student threw a textbook and knocked over a display. Some people handle stress and frustration less well than others, and anyone working in a customer service position needs to be trained to handle them.
I have worked in customer service occupations for nine years, and I have dealt with many irate customers successfully. When confronted with an angry customer or guest, the employee has the power to either make the situation better or worse. How the employee responds to the customer’s complaint can either defuse customer’s frustration and anger, or escalate the conflict.
For example, I once worked at an electronics store that was moving to another location. In order to complete the move, the store at the old location had to close four days before the new store would be open. My job was to sit at a table outside the door and tell customers that the store would be closed until Friday.
Even though the store had notices posted and also published in the newspapers, several customers were unaware of the closing, and, in many cases, they had driven 30 or 40 miles on a special trip to shop at our store. So I found myself dealing with customers who were justifiably very upset.
First of all, I was sincerely apologetic for the inconvenience. I would have been angry myself to find a place that I had made a special trip to visit was unexpectedly closed.
Second, I tried to help the customers. I couldn’t open our store, but I could try to ensure that their trip was not wasted. I had 25% coupons to give out, but some needed to make a purchase that day. So I called other electronics stores in town to see if they had what the customers needed. Because I empathized with the customers and tried to solve their problems, customers who were initially very angry, left in a much better mood. Even if some were not happy when they left, they were not angry with me.
In contrast, a young co-worker who was working the evening shift complained that customers were getting very angry and swearing at her. I observed her and when a couple approached the store, she gave them a brusque “We’re closed. The new store opens on Friday.” I suggested that she apologize to the customers. She replied that it was not her fault that the store was closed, and began to whine about how unfair the customers were. Same situation—but different responses by the employees produced different reactions in the customers.
To fully understand what happened at the Mercer Hotel, I would ask these questions:
If I had been in Mr. Estrada’s place, I would have been extremely sorry that a guest was inconvenienced. I would consider a guest not being able to call his family to be a serious problem that needed to be solved quickly. If I could not fix the phones in the room, I would have tried to find another phone in the hotel. If there was not one in the building, I would have called around to find the nearest phone that could call Australia.
Perhaps the results would have been the same, and I would have ended up dodging phones despite my best efforts. But I have dealt with many angry customers and I have yet to have one lose his temper.
However things turn out for either Russell Crowe or Nestor Estrada, this incident will be detrimental to the Mercer Hotel. The hotel’s name is now associated with telephone problems. In addition, even if most people think Mr. Crowe’s reaction was excessive; few will believe it was completely unprovoked. So the level of service of the hotel may be viewed as suspect.
Russell Crowe has already publicly apologized to Nestor Estrada, as he should have. But Mr. Estrada deserves another apology—from the Mercer Hotel for not training him to better handle customer complaints.
June 2005
Let me state that I do not know either Russell Crowe or Nestor Estrada, nor do I know what exactly transpired between them. I believe that throwing a phone or any object at or in the vicinity of another person is unacceptable behavior. However, I also believe that an employee who was well-trained and experienced in customer service should not have allowed the situation to escalate to the point that it did. The Mercer Hotel bears some responsibility for the incident and it would have been best for them to have avoided it.
People have labeled the phone-throwing incident as spoiled-star behavior. But most people in customer service have encountered such behavior. When I worked at a college bookstore, a law student threw a textbook and knocked over a display. Some people handle stress and frustration less well than others, and anyone working in a customer service position needs to be trained to handle them.
I have worked in customer service occupations for nine years, and I have dealt with many irate customers successfully. When confronted with an angry customer or guest, the employee has the power to either make the situation better or worse. How the employee responds to the customer’s complaint can either defuse customer’s frustration and anger, or escalate the conflict.
For example, I once worked at an electronics store that was moving to another location. In order to complete the move, the store at the old location had to close four days before the new store would be open. My job was to sit at a table outside the door and tell customers that the store would be closed until Friday.
Even though the store had notices posted and also published in the newspapers, several customers were unaware of the closing, and, in many cases, they had driven 30 or 40 miles on a special trip to shop at our store. So I found myself dealing with customers who were justifiably very upset.
First of all, I was sincerely apologetic for the inconvenience. I would have been angry myself to find a place that I had made a special trip to visit was unexpectedly closed.
Second, I tried to help the customers. I couldn’t open our store, but I could try to ensure that their trip was not wasted. I had 25% coupons to give out, but some needed to make a purchase that day. So I called other electronics stores in town to see if they had what the customers needed. Because I empathized with the customers and tried to solve their problems, customers who were initially very angry, left in a much better mood. Even if some were not happy when they left, they were not angry with me.
In contrast, a young co-worker who was working the evening shift complained that customers were getting very angry and swearing at her. I observed her and when a couple approached the store, she gave them a brusque “We’re closed. The new store opens on Friday.” I suggested that she apologize to the customers. She replied that it was not her fault that the store was closed, and began to whine about how unfair the customers were. Same situation—but different responses by the employees produced different reactions in the customers.
To fully understand what happened at the Mercer Hotel, I would ask these questions:
- What is the hotel’s policy regarding complaints from guests?
- What training is given to employees in how to handle a guest who is upset?
- How had this employee handled complaints from guests in the past?
- What was the employee’s attitude regarding Mr. Crowe and the problem of the phones?
- What was being done to solve the problem?
If I had been in Mr. Estrada’s place, I would have been extremely sorry that a guest was inconvenienced. I would consider a guest not being able to call his family to be a serious problem that needed to be solved quickly. If I could not fix the phones in the room, I would have tried to find another phone in the hotel. If there was not one in the building, I would have called around to find the nearest phone that could call Australia.
Perhaps the results would have been the same, and I would have ended up dodging phones despite my best efforts. But I have dealt with many angry customers and I have yet to have one lose his temper.
However things turn out for either Russell Crowe or Nestor Estrada, this incident will be detrimental to the Mercer Hotel. The hotel’s name is now associated with telephone problems. In addition, even if most people think Mr. Crowe’s reaction was excessive; few will believe it was completely unprovoked. So the level of service of the hotel may be viewed as suspect.
Russell Crowe has already publicly apologized to Nestor Estrada, as he should have. But Mr. Estrada deserves another apology—from the Mercer Hotel for not training him to better handle customer complaints.