An Elevator With An Undo Button: 5-Star Customer Service Training, Inspiration From An Iconic Hotel

by Micah Solomon (that’s me). Originally published in Forbes.com. The author is a consultant, influencer, keynote speaker, and trainer in customer service, customer experience, customer service culture, and hospitality. (Here are three ways to reach Micah:email, chat, web).

The elevator in the San Francisco St. Regis hotel is a striking example of anticipatory customer service, the highest of the three levels of customer service I yammer on about in customer service training sessions and at the lectern as a keynote speaker. (In case you haven’t heard these yammerings, the three levels of customer service are, from lowest to highest, non-service: refusing to comply with a customer request; reactive service: fulfilling stated customer requests; and anticipatory customer service: fulfilling customer needs and wishes without them needing to ask, perhaps without them even knowing enough to ask.)

What makes the elevator at this Five Star property (as rated by Forbes Travel Guide, the creator and steward of the star rating system) sublime is that it has an “undo” function built right into its buttons.

Think I’m pulling your leg? I am not. That’s really how the elevator buttons work: If you slip up and press the wrong floor, or change your mind post-button press—“mezzanine, nah, I wanted lobby”–you can clear your slate and start again.

This qualifies as anticipatory customer service because it fulfills an unexpressed desire of the customer: to undo a little error they’ve made; to feel a little less clumsy; to be inconvenienced a little less. (A customer desire like this, by its nature, is going to be unexpressed; no customer is ever going to fill out a survey, or broach to an employee in person, the sentiment “you know what I’d really like? If, the next time I momentarily forget the floor my room’s on, it would be nice if the elevator had been redesigned so that I have a second chance to head in the right direction.”)

But lovely though the customer-centric technology on the elevator is, I would argue that nobody comes to a Five Star hotel for technology or facilities alone.

The five-star difference, at its heart, is customer service—hospitality—delivered by human beings. And five-star service is something you’ll encounter at the St. Regis even before you get to their schmancy elevator.

If you were to arrive here on a weekday afternoon, when the crunch of new arrivals is hitting all at once, you’ll likely notice the energetic woman working the line: greeting guests, pointing them to the next free agent the moment one comes available, and generally sharing good cheer and a sense that the line isn’t going to take as long as it may look. (It’s not really not much of a line; I timed the wait at 45 seconds, though I calculated that without her ministrations it would have edged up to a minute and a half). You might expect someone doing this to be a junior- or mid-level employee, but, in fact, she’s woman who runs the entire joint: General Manager Jacqueline (Jackie) Volkart, a Swiss-born and educated veteran of the hospitality industry whose previous postings have included 25 years working for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company at a variety of properties as well as stints for Marriott and Hyatt hotels in Cancun and the Drake Swissotel in New York.

Volkart is clearly the heart and soul of this place (though she’s quick to tell me “our associates are the lifeblood”), and I enjoyed visiting with her and gathering up tips for anyone who wants to do better at their own business via customer service and hospitality.

On Why She “Leads From the Front”

Micah Solomon, Forbes.com: You’re a visible presence in the public spaces of your hotel–greeting guests, pitching in with whatever needs to be done. But you’re the GM. Aren’t you supposed to be hiding in some office in the back, pushing papers from one stack to another?

Jacqueline Volkart, GM, St. Regis San Francisco: That’s because I’m selfish! It’s more fun to be in the lobby where I can see the customers, don’t you think? This is why we’re all in hospitality, because we love to be with the guests and make sure everybody has a great experience. But there are other advantages to leading from the front. #1: It shows support. The team appreciates it when they see leadership pitching in. #2: It shows customers that we all work together as one team to provide them a warm welcome, to provide them that wonderful stay and to be there for them. Finally, if there's an issue-a training issue or a customer concern-you can address it right then and there. More often, though, it’s a chance to catch an employee doing something right, and praise them for it?–then and there, or in our “lineup meeting” where we celebrate our heroes of service.

Career Advice for Women

Solomon: I know my fair share of hotel GMs, and just a minuscule percentage of them are women. Any thoughts on what it means to be one yourself, and on what is needed for women to advance and thrive in the hospitality industry?

Volkart: I feel it’s important in my position to be a good role model. So that other women will want to have a career like mine, will want to “be me.” I do feel that our corporation [Marriott International] absolutely supports women, even if that hasn’t always been the case everywhere in our industry. What has worked for me, and what I recommend to other women with ambition, is to “raise my hand,” to let people know that not only am I a good and hard worker, but that I am interested in new projects, new opportunities. In a busy environment, that’s how you get noticed.

Service with a Sparkle

Volkart: The level of service we’re aiming for here comes from the heart, it’s not something artificial. And when you do serve from the heart—I promise you this is true–your eyes sparkle. Guests can see it, and the person delivering the service will feel great about themselves as well. This may sound idealistic and corny, but it’s the truth.

Punctuality—broadly defined—means respect

"Punctuality is respect. Punctuality is not to just be somewhere at 11. It’s also: If you tell a customer you’re going to do something, show them respect by actually following through. This sounds simple, and it is, but it’s also a widely overlooked principle of respect."

Crisis Reveals Character—and Superstars

"Of course, we all want things to go smoothly, but when they don’t, great things can come from that as well. You find superstars through crisis—little crises and big ones. You see who's going to step up or who's going to be on the sideline not doing anything. In Puerto Rico, with the hurricanes, which were and continue to be a very challenging situation, I really felt this happening. Incredible contributions came out of employees who in their normal daily activities might not have had the same chance to show their full potential, but when the crisis hit they stepped up in spectacular ways."

Turning around upset customers

"Resolving things with upset guests is about talking to them, about providing an opening for communication. Just recently, we had a really upset guest and everybody was telling me: 'you need to talk to this guest because we don't know what to do for them.' So I find the guests in the lobby and I say, 'Let’s sit down and let’s talk.' And we talked and talked. And after maybe ten minutes, I said, 'How can I help you? I am your friend; I've heard you aren't exactly enjoying your stay with us.' He tells me, 'I forgot what my issue was.' He knew we were there for him, and in this case, that’s all it took."

[More from the author on the subject of turning around upset customers: If you’d like a copy of my 5-step AWARE methodology for customer service recovery (turning upset customers around), let me know  and I’ll send you a printable version for your office use.]

Micah Solomon is an author, consultant, influencer, thought leader, keynote speaker, trainer, and subject matter expert (SME) in customer service, customer experience, customer service culture, hospitality, innovation. (email, chat, web).