When you think about customer service from India, what comes to mind?
If you’re anything like the many Americans whose computers crashed during the onset of outsourced call centers, you’re probably thinking back to having to say the following line over and over: “I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I don’t understand…”
That was the memory imprinted in my mind after spending all-nighters in college on the phone with a man ten time zones away who was trying to unfreeze my computer and the term paper it was holding hostage. The man had a really smart brain but a really strong accent which unfortunately made the customer service call all the more traumatic. I almost made a vow that the next time my computer crashed, I’d skip dialing New Delhi and buy a new Dell.
My shallowly devised stereotype would completely change however seven years later (and four nights ago) when I went out to dinner at a place called Akbar Restaurant in downtown Baltimore. The food alone was divine – so much so that I hope in my next life I’m reincarnated into a piece of warm garlic naan aside a heap of anything Tandoori or Masala… But it was the service that truly brought me and my curry-craving companions to a state of Nirvana.
On top of their friendliness and menu knowledge, the waiters and waitresses of Akbar Restaurant excelled in their service role by always being “one sip ahead” ahead of their customers. When they weren’t serving their tables or submitting orders to the kitchen, they were standing in the corner with a pitcher waiting for any water glass in the restaurant to drop below the half-full point whcih was their cue to whisk right over and refill it to the top before that customer's fork could even get in another bite. And Westerners familiar with spices of the Far East know how crucial water – the universal freebie – is to a comfortable Indian dining experience.
These days, restaurant patrons have essentially become accustomed to having to wait for our waiters and waitresses. Spotting your server having a conversation off to the side or even pulling out the phone to text someone isn’t all that surprising anymore. However at Akbar Restaurant, the staff seemed determined to deliver surprising service by keeping constant surveillance to meet their customers’ needs before their customers even knew what they needed. They performed their jobs as though customer service was an art to be mastered – and in all honesty, it is!
Akbar Restaurant’s website doesn’t have much content regarding its corporate story but what they do have posted rings a true testament, especially this quote from a review by Baltimore Magazine: “You’ll feel like a pampered pasha here. No matter how hectic the place gets, the waitstaff is unfailingly serene.”
Every single business has the opportunity to act in a manner that appears unfailingly serene to their clients even during the hectic times – especially when your industry, like most, is always in hectic times. As displayed at Akbar, one trick to succeeding is thinking ahead and anticipating your client’s next need so that you can meet it and exceed their expectations. Even if it’s a universal freebie like a check-in phone call, go on and master such a task to ensure your clients stay comfortable.
Water not only whetted our appetites for more off of Akbar Restaurant’s menu a few nights ago but we’re now looking forward to reserving our next experience of Indian specialties and incredible service there. How can you stay “one sip ahead” of your clients and bring them to the same state of satisfaction?
Kristen Zatina is a writing specialist at entreQuest with an interest in everyday client experiences on which businesses can capitalize.
