Skip to content
My books
Search
Menu

Service on skis

· Martin Thorborg

Customer service in Lake Tahoe impressed me on a skiing holiday in 2011. I talk about employees helping with skis, a ski pass and sunscreen, and a birthday greeting by the lift.

Historical post from 2011. The information and plans describe the situation back then.

Customer service in Lake Tahoe impressed me

Lake Tahoe is a fantastic ski area, and the service Americans provide is far beyond what we see in Europe. When you rent skis, they store them free and help you put your boots on.

Employees took care of the problems

They smile and constantly pay attention to what they can do for you. While we queued for the gondola, something was wrong with my son’s ski pass. Instead of sending us to the ticket office, an employee ran over and got it fixed. When we asked where to buy sunscreen, an employee gave us some free. They hand out sweets in front of the restaurant, and I could go on. There was even a happy birthday message on a board by the lift for everyone celebrating that day.

A board with birthday greetings in the snow by the Dipper Express ski lift.

 

Yes, those Americans know something about service 🙂

Customer service in Lake Tahoe: Give people more than they expect

I’m filming while we’re skiing in Lake Tahoe. My kids are just down there, and I’m trying to show some of the trip with my iPhone. I’m not half Swiss for nothing, I say, while also trying to manage the phone on skis.

What gets me thinking is service. The level here seems incredibly high compared with what I’ve experienced in Europe. When you rent skis, they help you put your boots on. They carry your skis in and out and help at the gondola. Those are the little things that improve the experience.

Next time you think about your own business and look at competitors, look at what they do in service. Then try to outdo them. How could you do it even better?

Beautiful mountains can’t replace good service

I love skiing in Switzerland. They have some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. But I’m sorry to say I think the service in some places sucks. It can feel as though they’re angry about taking your money.

I’m thinking of strange rules where a half-day pass can only be bought at exactly half past twelve. If you’re five minutes early, it isn’t possible. Or pizza only being made from twelve, and if you ask two minutes early, you’re simply told tough luck.

These are my experiences and irritation I’m expressing here. You have beautiful surroundings and a product people want to buy. So why make it difficult for the customer?

The steak in the ashtray

My sister’s husband had seen a couple in Switzerland ask for chips for their son. The restaurant wouldn’t serve them on their own. You could get chips with a steak, but not without the steak.

So the man ordered a steak. When the waiter brought it, he took the steak and threw it into the ashtray. Now the child could have his chips.

Of course it’s a slightly ridiculous way to demonstrate the point. But I also think there’s something cool about it. The customer could get what he wanted as long as he bought something extra he then had to throw away. It says something about how stupid a rule can seem.

In my opinion, Americans understand service. Try giving people something they haven’t expected. Something that surprises them positively. That’s the thought I take from the skiing trip into my own business. Also read Min vej som leder about my experiences with people and customer experiences in a business.

De bedste hilsner

Martin

Comments

  1. Ja det kan man kun kigger langt efter her i DK.

    Igen i går boycottede jeg en butik pga dårlig service. Jeg forstår simpelthen ikke at det skal være et problem at jeg handler ind i folks butikker.

    Hvis jeg så skal være helt ærlig, er det ikke mest danskere, men en etnisk minoritet her i DK, hvor det at være aggressiv og ligeglad med at tilpasse sig, åbenbart betyder mere end kunder. Jeg har selv talt med andre fra denne etniske minoritet , som heldigvis giver mig ret. Ellers ville jeg jo være racist 🙂

  2. Ja, det er som om at service ikke længere er noget man oplærer medarbejdere i. Det giver til gengæld en fordel for de butikker der rent faktisk både kan og vil yde en god service.

    I vores butik er vi meget bevidste om det, og er dygtige til at tale sammen, hvis vi mener at en kollega godt kunne have gjort lidt mere, eller gjort noget anderledes, overfor en kunde. Og det fungerer rigtigt godt, ligesom vi heldigvis også får mange positive tilbagemeldinger fra nye kunder i butikken. Vi betragter kunderne som vores venner. Ikke vores bedste venner, men vores venner. Og det er de også, for uden dem ville vi ikke kunne gå på arbejde hver dag. Så vi skal huske at tage godt imod dem 🙂

    Med hensyn til om det er især de etniske butikker der leverer den dårlige service, er jeg slet ikke enig. Jeg har forladt flere danske butikker, oftest større som Bahne og El-giganten, fordi jeg tydeligt kunne fornemme at det faktisk ødelagde den gode venindesnak de ansatte havde, at jeg havde tænkt mig at bruge penge i butikken. Til gengæld oplever jeg fantastisk service flere af de lokale etniske butikker. Men jeg tror ikke man kan sige noget generelt om at service er bedre eller dårligere i en dansk vs. etnisk butik.

    I øvrigt super cool med en skivideo på vej ned ad bakken 🙂

  3. Jeg synes ofte, når man er ude at rejse, at man oplever en utrolig god service mange steder.
    Tag fx til Tyrkiet – der kender de sgu til begrebet service, omend de kan være en smule anmasende, når de forsøger at shanghaie kunder på gaden. Men siger man først ja til at handle med dem, bliver man ikke skuffet.

    Det kunne man lære noget af her i Danmark, hvor jeg endda oplever at selv på finere restauranter, er service en by i Rusland, som man iøvrigt ikke kan udtale navnet på.

    Alt godt herfra – hav en god weekend. 🙂