Why giving the customer a little more care goes a long way

Ugandans complain a lot about customer service. It is understandable. If only those entrusted with selling the products or service knew the difference good customer care makes, they would invest in providing it. 
We have been to some trips upcountry and found decent places to stay at for a night or two. The ambiance both outside and inside look good enough. The rooms are clean and have one or two amenities. Thereafter things go downhill. You ask for a double room for two. In it is only one towel and one pair of bathroom slippers. When you ask for an extra towel, you are asked to pay for it. When you ask for a pair of extra slippers, they say they do not have – and yet they have not even checked. Why is it then a double room? 

During our latest long-week trip last week, we came across two places that knew how to take care of the customer. The first at which we stayed was quite basic but from the minute we got there, at 11pm, they were at hand to help. A second towel and pair of slippers were quickly provided when we asked. After spending one night in a room which we did not like, we requested for a change. One of the young men then took us through all the free rooms available. We made our choice and he then helped us transfer everything there. We asked for the housekeeping to kindly help us wash some containers and tea mugs on the second day. We did not have to request for that again. Every day, as long as they found a used mug or container, they washed it and we came back to clean crockery.

When we left the place, the whole team wished we could have stayed longer, because, they said, we were such good customers. I do not know if that was true but it certainly left me with a smile.  
The second hotel we stayed in is one of our favourites whenever we travel to that part of the country. When I called to book a room, the young man mentioned my name and immediately said they were ready to receive us. He knew our peculiarities and said each would be taken care of. We were not disappointed when we arrived. He was at hand to receive us, made sure we settled in comfortably and checked on us almost each day to ensure we were fine. There was no need to ask for extras. We had them throughout our stay. 

We also visited a number of restaurants during the trip and two that were opposite each other on a particular street stood out. Both had good food. One was much more spacious and had big portions. The other was much smaller and almost always full, sometimes you had to be careful you were not stepping on people’s feet when looking for a table. That was the only issue we noticed. On the rest of the items, it was good. Service was always quick. Where a manager noticed someone had not been served, they would attend to the person themselves. The menu was also more diverse. When at the end of a meal once, we asked if we could pay for some yams and sweet potatoes to go with, not only did they pack that, they added some greens and fruit. The first restaurant where we had asked for the same simply refused, as they said they did not know how to cost it since that kind of thing was not on the menu.
These hotels had their fair share of problems – limited breakfast options, not enough or no hot water for the shower, and more. So did the restaurants as mentioned earlier. There were probably other places that could offer better amenities at similar prices but the customer care won us over as it has no doubt done for others. 
It just goes to show that a little care goes a long way.
[email protected]