Customer Service: How Can it Improve? Rosa Say

Day 3 of the "Customer Service:  How Can it Improve" feature!

Today's writing comes from Rosa at Talking Story.  It is an adaptation from Chapter 6 in her book named  Managing with Aloha.  Please leave your comments below!

Please note:  Rosa is 4 hours behind Central Standard Time and will only be on-line today from 9a - 11a CST and then after 11p CST.  She does promise to answer all comments and knowing Rosa, even her replies will be a work of art!

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Sometimes we make things much more difficult than they need to be. So I propose a one-word answer to Todd’s question: Ho‘okipa.

In my mind it’s simple; however I am so glad Todd thought of this forum so we could shine a brighter light on our need, and encourage it more. We do need to raise the bar of customer service, and not only for the health of business, but perhaps more importantly to perpetuate the aloha between us.

If you can weave Ho‘okipa into the very fabric your business, you will cultivate an atmosphere of aloha and graciousness in every customer touch point. Achieve this, and your business will flourish.

Ho‘okipa is the Hawaiian value of hospitality.  

Business 101 teaches us to give customers what they want: Choose the right product or service, one that the market demands with enough regularity to reward you with profits if you become the supplier of choice. Assuming you’ve lined up the strategic factors, what’s next? Weaving Ho‘okipa into the fabric of your company as the way everyone is treated - customers, employees, suppliers. When you weave a value into your company culture it permeates everything and everyone, there is never a double standard. What is expected becomes habit; it becomes pono: good and instinctively right. In doing so, you will achieve a service and product delivery that is unparalleled in the dreams of your customers, turning them into loyal customers for life. When people feel they have experienced the ultimate in good service, they return for more of it time and again. Business flourishes.

Too simple? Perhaps I should explain the kaona, the “hidden meaning” behind what we in Hawaii know as Ho‘okipa to better reveal the abundance within it. And we certainly are not perfect: in today’s Hawaii, we too are feeling we must bring the true Ho‘okipa back to our islands. Mediocrity in customer service is much too prevalent.

If you were called Mea Ho‘okipa in old Hawaii, it was a compliment of the highest possible caliber. It meant that the person who accorded you that recognition felt you embodied a nature of absolute unselfishness. With the compliment they were also saying “Mahalo” (thank you), appreciative of the hospitality you extended to them with complete and unconditional Aloha (the outpouring of your inner spirit). In acknowledging you as “Mea Ho‘okipa” they were actually saying, “Your arms of Aloha have embraced me; I accept your graciousness, and I am exceptionally thankful for the outpouring of your generous spirit.”

The Mea Ho‘okipa were those who always seemed to radiate well-being, with an inner peace and joy that came from the total satisfaction they received from their acts of giving. They were those who truly gave of themselves freely, and gave often, never trading favors or silently hoping for anything in return. Their own pleasure and satisfaction came from the act of giving itself. Giving was their inner source of joy and contentment. To have another accept ho‘okipa from them meant their very existence was worthwhile. 

“Mahalo, Mea Ho‘okipa.”

Now wouldn’t that be a compliment you’d like to receive from someone, especially from your customer? Isn’t that a feeling you’d want to experience, as the employee giving someone such an incredible gift?  

I wrote down this quote from a Successories poster I had seen once:

“Never underestimate the power of giving.

It shines like a beacon throughout humanity.

It cuts through the oceans that divide us and brightens the lives of all it touches.

One of life’s greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening your own as well.”

They were referring to Ho‘okipa.

As a businesswoman, and as a management coach, I offer you this very teachable point of view: Ho‘okipa defines the art of true service. Mea Ho‘okipa - your staff, can experience the inner peace and joy from giving unselfishly to another person - your customer and guest. Their spirit will be nurtured and conveyed through the equation of warm and beneficial human interaction, and as a result, a ripple effect will be created in every single aspect of their job performance. To your customer, Ho‘okipa will be unparalleled service—it will be the epitome of service! —for it will be given to them completely unconditionally and intentionally, something that is exceptionally rare.

So just one word. Ho‘okipa. It is something you know, though you may have your own word for it. Use “hospitality” if you wish, however bring it to life. Demonstrate it. Talk about it often. Build your company culture around it. Live it.

I am sure you extend your unselfish hospitality to every guest who enters your home. Create an environment where every customer who enters your business is greeted by that same degree of hospitality, and your staff reaches out their arms to say, “E komo mai, please, come in, and allow me to be your Mea Ho‘okipa.”

Comments

[christopher grove]

Rosa,
quite simply a wonderful post.
You're right, whatever is given, be it a simple nice welcome, or a gift (price reduction, special offer, etc.)is always appreciated.
So why isn't it done more often? Probably because managers concentrate on efficiency instead of smiles, welcomes, etc. I remember when I worked in a call centre, we were told that the customer hears the smile and all of that, but only during the training period (1 week at the start). Compared to the number of times that the call length and efficiency were underlined, that obviously wasn't underlined enough as a priority...

[Rosa]

Aloha Christopher, and mahalo for your comment.

I think you've answered the question to why this isn't done more often - it isn't "underlined as a priority" and woven into the company culture.

What is a company's culture? A collection of systems that people must buy into if they are to succeed there - customer and employee alike.

Managers have much to deal with in terms of company systems, and we've all heard the systems versus people arguments in all sorts of incantations dozens of times. Ho'okipa should be thought of as a system of hospitality that comes naturally to people - we are going with human nature, not against it - when the overall business culture not only encourages it to flourish, but all other systems have habitually and systematically been designed around it.

And managers must be held accountable for ho'okipa just as they are for other metrics. The great news is that this is a metric that feels good and right.

[Rich...!]

Hi Rosa, nice in theory, but I remain sceptical/cynical, it comes down to what drives people. As mentioned in this post (http://www.helloworldblog.com/2005/01/can_you_train_p.html) I believe that there is something inherent in people that drives them to want to give good service, and I believe that it stems from simply taking pride in what you do. As such, I feel that there is some people that just can't be trained to give good service; polite, rule driven "plastic" service perhaps, but not good old from-the-heart-because-I-want-too good service...!

[Bren]

Rich, you've got a point. I think some folks are unreachable too. Seems like you might have too narrow a view, though: either have the "gene" or don't have the "gene". If they have it, you can train them. If they don't you can't. I don't buy it. I think the "gene" must be viewed within a context.

For instance, in the retail context, I don't have the gene. I hate it there and I don't want to talk to people. On the other hand, in higher education, I seem to do pretty well.

So, maybe there is a "gene" but it's not universal--it's contextual. And a manager won't know whether a person has it without trying what Rosa's describing. Without trying, we could be losing some potential winners...

[K. Todd Storch]

Rosa,

You're writing is absolutely wonderful. I feel like I'm back in Hawaii, comforted by a gentle breeze and no worries as I try to pronounce the words in my head!

I want to add Ho‘okipa to my vocabulary. How do you pronounce it?!

Thank you for this great post!

Todd

[Rosa]

Aloha Rich, Bren, and Todd, mahalo for keeping the thoughts going while I was offline today.

Rich I agree with you: it does come down to what drives people, and personally, I do not believe you can teach someone to be Mea Ho‘okipa. Either they are or they aren’t. You can’t fake a genuine sincerity for giving that you simply don’t have in you. Fake it and your customer knows it, and you feel like the fake you are - not good for either of you.

However, I also believe that many people ARE born Mea Ho‘okipa. In any business, recruitment, interview and selection will be the most critical things you do, so that the right person is in the right job. And if you are hiring a service provider, you better be hiring the person who is innately Mea Ho‘okipa.

Bren’s comment is perceptive about there being contextual considerations as well, however you’ve got to start with innate talent. I’m sold on the Gallup theory (hire for talent, train skills and grow knowledge) for I’ve seen it play out time and time again.

Plain and simple, the person who is Mea Ho‘okipa is someone who genuinely loves serving others. Those of us who aren’t Mea Ho‘okipa ourselves have a hard time understanding it, but Mea Ho‘okipa are those who do not equate serving others with being a servant - they equate it with being a host. And not just a polite and cordial host, a knock-their-socks-off host.

Now Mea Ho‘okipa can benefit from training just as we all can improve, by building on our natural talents whatever they may be. I won’t go into it here, but in Managing with Aloha, I do talk about what skills and knowledge the manager trains his Mea Ho‘okipa in: perhaps we can visit it more so in some of my future Talking Story posts.

I love Bren’s thinking, that “without trying, we could be losing some potential winners” however consider this as well:
Far too often we will hire right, but then that person who may indeed be true Mea Ho‘okipa becomes disenchanted - or worse, doubts their own naturally good inclinations, because the company culture does not support, encourage, and reward their efforts (and I'm NOT talking about incentive programs). The other unfortunate thing that happens, is that everything is done for the almighty customer, however the same degree of ho‘okipa is not extended to everyone else, and employees start to think, “hey, why aren’t I good enough too?”

When I encourage you to weave ho‘okipa into the company culture, it’s got to be for everyone, and it’s got to be inculcated into every single company system. It’s got to be prevalent to the point of being self-sustaining. Frankly, it's got to be obsessive, and nothing less can be tolerated.

Todd, mahalo for your kindness, and for being Mea Ho‘okipa for me here today. You are doing a wonderful thing, getting we who can make a difference to take the responsibility for doing so.

(It’s pronounced: may a hoe o key pa.)

[Matt]

Rosa,
What a wonderful post. Your thoughts and ideas on customer service are refreshing and inspirational. Thanks for sharing.

Matt

[Rosa]

Aloha Matt, and mahalo for leaving a comment here for me.

I like the post you just did at your blog about coaching girls soccer:
http://mattsunshine.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/01/coaching_girls_.html

Seems to me there are some valuable applications to customer service in your coaching lessons too!
Aloha kaua, ---Rosa

[Rosemary]

Mahalo Rosa for a wonderful post. At the place where I work, the Customer Service Manager and I believe and try to practice Ho‘okipa everyday with the customers as well as the employees. We spend most of our waking time there- it should feel like home. We also want the customers to feel the warmth, the minute they walk through the door. We have music playing and decorate the branch for the holidays. From time to time- we will have a customer appreciation day with cookies and punch. Several years ago we had a cookout for them and some of them still talk about it to this day. I love to hear laughter during the day- it's music to my ears. I never thought of it as hospitality- but that is the perfect word. If every business could put into practice Ho‘okipa- we as customers would be in heaven. Now I have to practice saying the word- so I can pass it along to the staff.

[Dave]

Rosa,

Although I am only on chapter four (good words are to be sipped you know) I feel like your book is like a carefully crafted bridge. On one side is age old Hawaiian values and on the other is the world of business. As I walk back and forth I can actually feel the possibility of a greater reverance for values in the workplace through your words.

How could anyone not feel this way after they have read this enlightenment on Ho'okipa??