Can you keep your promises?

Want to get a free breakfast? Here's how:

I'm spending my whole week on a customer project in the Innerschweiz and stay overnight at the Ibis hotel in Baar. Ibis is an affordable hotel chain with a great promise to its guests: If there is a little issue in your room it will be solved within 15 minutes or your get invited for breakfast.

When I arrived at my room there was exactly one of those potential issues: a lamp was broken and the room was half in the dark. I called the reception and the lady promised to take care. You guess what happened: I went to bed without any change. Returning next evening the situation hasn't changed, so I turned to the reception claiming my breakfast invitation. The reason for not having solved the issue was striking me: the technician is on vacation for some weeks and there are two male employees coming sometimes to look after issues. So, in fact it can easily take a week to get things done.

What a gap to the promise!

Do you know similar situations where ambitious promises to internal or external clients are not backed up by appropriate processes? Additional costs are the smallest impact, leaving clients and dissatisfied staff are more serious effects. So, improve your processes and structures BEFORE promising too much.

In the meantime – claim your free breakfast at the Ibis Baar, Switzerland.

Volkmar