Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Good service does make a difference

Air New Zealand is past being "stuck up in the sky" and Rotorua can learn from their service standards. Photo / File

In the last three months I must have flown Air New Zealand 40 times. Mostly Rotorua/Auckland return with the occasional trip to Wellington. They have been consistent with their standard of service. I have not encountered one cabin crew member who wasn't helpful, obliging and welcoming.

The same goes for staff at the check-in counters, information desks and luggage handlers. It must be no small feat to get all staff "singing from the same song sheet".

Every staff member of Air New Zealand can make or break the flying experience of passengers. They have thousands of contacts each day with passengers and their families. They are all ambassadors for our national airline carrier and are doing an exceptional job.

We often think it is the board, chief executive and senior management team who enhance the profile and reputation of an organisation. Give it its mana. They do have that responsibility but today it is a responsibility shared by all staff.

How the "thousands of moments that matter" are handled by staff can make or break a business.

From my observation Air New Zealand must have invested heavily in staff training and setting service standards that can be benchmarked against other world airlines. Their staff, particularly cabin crew, appear fully representative of New Zealand society today.

They are obviously allowed a little more leeway with their in-flight commentary than they were some years ago. It used to be so tightly scripted most frequent flyers could spout it off by heart. Now there are some personal and often humorous observations, particularly when landing, thrown in by the cabin crew. Pilots have proven they have a sense of humour too. And the pronunciation of Maori in their greeting and place names demonstrates a commitment staff are trying to get it right.

Becoming a little less rigid and formal doesn't mean standards will slip. On the contrary people like to think "they matter" and appreciate when services are centred around them. We're way past being "stuck up in the sky". This never went down well with the majority of New Zealanders.

That's why I hope many people involved in the hospitality and visitor industry will attend the "Raising the bar" workshop being offered here in Rotorua by renowned TV chef Ray McVinnie in August.

Ray understands that excelling in service does matter. And it impacts on your bottom line too. From his observations of Rotorua he'll tell those attending what Rotorua is doing well and where it may have to do some things differently. I think the workshop will appeal to all those who have contact with the public and not just for restaurant, visitor and tourism operators.

We all remember and appreciate good service. Visitors' experiences can be marred by staff being grumpy or having an off day. And why should any employer pay staff to let that type of behaviour show. Business owners should go along to the workshop as well as their staff. Take the whole team. Learn together what is meant by service standards. And what are "acceptable above the line behaviours and what are unacceptable below the line behaviours" for all staff.

That these behaviours are non-negotiable and if you can't sign up to them then think about moving on. Go work for someone who doesn't mind paying for a rude and unhelpful attitude. You might have trouble finding such an employer these days.

Of course high-quality service standards should always be demonstrated by the business owner or boss. You can't ask of your team anything that you're not prepared to put effort into yourself.

I have experienced shoddy business service over the years. I have even wondered if those particular businesses wanted my custom. And the owners have often been the worst. If you have a business where you deal with the public, particularly face to face, then shouldn't you at least enjoy people contact?

Believe me; we all know when we're being treated as a nuisance. Of course there are some unreasonable customers but when staff are allowed to compete with them on the rudeness scale, nobody wins. Good service should not be reserved only for tourists and visitors to Rotorua either.

It is Rotorua residents who support local businesses. They should never be taken for granted.

Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.