Service in an on-demand world
Cory Bergman April 24th, 2007
Ok, I know I’m not supposed to be blogging on my honeymoon, but she’s typing away on her Blackberry, so here goes. We’re spending some luxurious days here at the Four Seasons in Maui. The service is impeccable, as you might expect, in constrast to the typical service you may receive at many establishments with 20-something employees these days. Unlike the Four Seasons staff — which will always go out of their way to ask you if you need anything — today’s average service employee usually only responds to you when asked for help. It’s a frustrating development for many of us — especially for baby boomers — but as Rex suggested to me a few weeks ago, perhaps it’s a derivative of today’s on-demand media culture. Young people are accustomed to asking for things — their media is pulled, not pushed — and by extension, their approach to service is normal for them, not rude. But it’s always nice to revert to the old ways of doing things: push service, not pulled. Back to my Mai Tai…
5 Comments Add your own
1. Michael Rosenblum | April 25th, 2007 at 4:45 am
If you get a chance check out Kauai
2. invitedmedia | April 25th, 2007 at 5:32 am
funny, i just clicked over from kauaiworld.com. it’s the “local” paper’s web for kauai and ni’ihau.
i recall renting a jeep (’84?)on maui and attempting to drive along the southern shore. the road was washed out (i was told) 15 years prior. we got maybe 10 miles off the last piece of graded road and nearly buried the jeep in the sand. yes, mai tais were involved.
and kauai? i walked from poipu beach to lihue. got a ride back from some hippie when i flashed some pakalolo.
man, what i wouldn’t do to be 18 again.
if you get to the big island go to black sands beach. nothing like it. go to one of the “local” shops and order the locomoco… fried egg and rice with a burger patty covering in gravy, served in a cup.
definitely not served at the four seasons though.
3. Steve Safran | April 25th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Kate’s family lives there. So she’s cool about where to go.
Now, as for Bergman’s thoughts… it’s both sad and encouraging that he noticed the high level of service. Sad, because it’s actually unusual to get good service now. It’s so unusual that it almost makes you feel guilty when people treat you well.
It’s encouraging, however, because the bar for good service is now so low that it’s easy to beat the other guys. Simply be sufficient and you’re miles ahead.
I don’t blame 20-somethings for giving crappy service. This is less a reflection of the “on-demand world” than it is of the horrible management above them. Who, at any time in our history, came straight out of school knowing how to give exceptional service to the customer? The lack of quality in the service economy is a reflection on the low expectations of the 40-somethings of my generation, not the 20-somethings. Until we hold them accountable and demand outstanding service from our own employees, they simply won’t give it.
4. Rob | April 25th, 2007 at 8:53 am
It’s OK to blog on vacation I guess. My buddy Jeff calls me every year from his vacation spot in Kona, usually while I’m sipping cold coffee and banging out stories in the newsroom under the harsh glare of the flourescents while he’s drinking a Mai Tai sitting on a catamaran with his wife while the dolphins swim past.
Heartless.
Anyway. Kids these days are part of a fast food culture, they want it all, they want it now and they don’t care where they get it from. However, like Steve said, you get some good management or good training / indoctrination, and you can turn out to be a decent member of society.
I was a total slacker in high school, skipping class in the Spring to waterski on Lake Sammamish with my buddies. Summer after I graduated I got a real nice haircut and had four guys yell at me for 11 weeks.
After I graduated from Marine Corps bootcamp I didn’t turn out so bad.
Heh.
5. Pat Costello | April 26th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Blogging on your honeymoon, oh man, Katie is is gonna ring you up.
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