ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 25, 2000

NICKEL AND DIMING YOUR WAY TO OBLIVION
When I am on the road, I keep in touch with my colleagues and clients by e-mail. I continue to be appalled by hotels that charge 75 cents (or more!) for toll-free calls. Personally, I think the practice is unconscionable and I flatly refuse to stay at a hotel that has this policy (Adams Mark and Hyatt to name a few) unless the client insists.

If this is a major issue with the hotel, they should raise the room rate $5 and give away the 800 calls -- nobody will even notice. The hotel would make more money and would not risk alienating business travelers like me! Even if they didn't change the room rates and just gave toll-free calls away, I suspect what they would lose in telephone charges would be more than offset by the business they would gain from folks who are presently going elsewhere!

A note from the Doc:
Are you nickel and diming your guests? What are your cute little upsells? Are you tacking on a few cents here and there for things like a side of BBQ sauce or blue cheese dressing? Could you raise a price in one area and give away something in another to make your guests happier?

GET YOUR STAFF INVOLVED
Your job is not to have the answers, merely to be able to find them. Why would you work on a problem yourself if you could get your staff to do it, especially when they prefer to have a role? This came out clearly today. I was working with a client in Arkansas this afternoon and the question came up about uniforms. One of his restaurants had them and one didn't. He was concerned that his staff (at the restaurant without uniforms) would revolt at the idea of wearing them. I suggested that he just ask the crew what they thought about the idea and, if they were up for it, let them come up with what they wanted to wear.

He called one of his lead people over and raised the question. Her response"Well, if we got to pick them, uniforms would really be a great thing!" She then proceeded to suggest all sorts of possibilities. What could be easier?

A note from the Doc:
Someone asked me once, "How can I make my staff feel like they are part of things?" My response was, "Make them part of things!" If you want to keep the good people, you must let them be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. They will be happier, more productive and stay longer. You will get better solutions to problems without having to figure it all out yourself. This sounds like my idea of a good time!

FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD
Finally, my old e-buddy Jerry Mistretta sends this along:
Once again, your incredible website has helped to solve another issue at my restaurant. I wrote for help several weeks ago regarding "employee meals" and I got an unbelievable response from my fellow restaurant owners. I received over a dozen responses with so many terrific suggestions and ideas. I not only solved my problem, but also made a major improvement to staff morale. I am truly amazed at how united we are in this passion-filled business. Gotta love it! Thanks guys!

A note from the Doc:
Rather than spinning your wheels trying to solve a problem by yourself, why not ask someone who has been over that ground before? I will continue to make EHC a forum for this purpose. Please feel free to use it.

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