An interpersonal
communication problem I have encountered would be my recent experience as a
housekeeping coordinator. This role requires multi-tasking and good
communication skills which was challenging for a first-timer. The guests’
request would come through via the telephone or by the operator. The operator’s
role is to answer calls when any department’s telephone line is engaged. The
housekeeping and operator communicate via Skype where guests’ request would be
posted. As a coordinator, once we received the requests, we had to acknowledge
and reply within five minutes.
There was once when many requests flooded the chat on Skype
and I overlooked one of the requests which resulted in a guest incident. The
operator sent a few requests at the same time and I only gave one reply when I
should have acknowledged each individual message. Unfortunately, one of the
requests was to clean a particular room as soon as possible as the guest was
feeling sick and needed rest. Half an hour later, the operator called and
mentioned that the guest had requested for the room to be cleaned up half an
hour ago but did not see any room attendant.
I realized the importance of communicating clearly with others be it online or offline. The
possible root causes identified were; the operator did not ensure that all requests sent
to housekeeping was recorded and on my part, I overlooked the message as I was
occupied with other matters at the same time. Hence, I
regretted not being observant and replied only once out of convenience. Through this incident, I felt apologetic towards the guest. How should I make amends to the guest? What should I have done to ensure that the overlooked message was received?
Revised on 20/2/17
Commented on:
Michelle
Joey
Revised on 20/2/17
Commented on:
Michelle
Joey
Dear Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI’ve enjoyed reading what you have shared about your interpersonal communication encounter in your post.
The examples you have included to illustrate the whole scenario allows me to visualise the problem better. I agree with you that it is important to communicate clearly with people be it online or offline or it would lead to miscommunication, especially for work situations where miscommunication may lead to unpleasant occurrence or problems.
To answer to your questions about how you should make ammendments to the guest would probably be to apologise for overlooking his request and clean up the room as soon as possible while offering some hot towels or any other additional guests supplies that could make the guest who was feeling sick, to feel better for the long wait.
For the overlooked messages, I would say it is not entirely your fault. The operator could probably ask if you have noted on the other requests since you have only acknowledged one. Furthermore, the operator should also understand that it may be a busy period on both side and could probably help by highlighting the more urgent request too.
Overall, the post was really easy to follow, as your views were well-structured and the writing was coherent and good.
I look forward to your next post, Sharon!
Best,
Alicia
Hi Alicia
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to comment on my post.
Yes, you are right that I should apologize to the guest as it was a mistake on my part.
It is important not to neglect even an online communication channel and in this case, it resulted in a guest incident.
Hence, I hope that I will be able to communicate better in future when I am faced with these situations.
Thank you for your kind comments, Alicia.
Regards
Sharon
Thank you, Sharon, for this well explained problem and fairly well articulated question. There is a language issue to take note of:
ReplyDeleteSentence structure here (run on):
Through this incident, I felt apologetic towards the guest, how should I make amends to the guest?
I appreciate your effort!
Hi Brad
DeleteThank you for pointing out the sentence structure, I must have typed too fast towards the end.
Anyway, I have made the changes already.
Thank you for your comments.
Regards
Sharon
Hey Sharon!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to read your post and I felt bad after reading it too. Firstly, forgive yourself because we all make mistakes and it is understandable in your situation.
The communication breakdown that contributed to the guest incident could have been avoided. It is only human to have missed out a message since you have many messages to read, however, try not to be careless in the future!:)
Additionally, your colleague should clarify with you. It is important for both of you to be on the same page and for her to be sure that you have gotten the message and is doing something about it. It is important especially in a hotel to keep each other in the loop especially when different departments are working together. Your colleague can ensure that you respond to her once you have completed each task. This can help to eliminate the possibilities of tasks that have not be done.
In order to show the guest that you're apologetic, you can offer ginger tea, or honey to the guest since she is not feeling well. Additionally, you can prepare a list of drugstore near the hotel for her in case she needs to get any medication. You can also offer for her to have breakfast delivered to her room so that she does not need to beat the crowd the following day. Lastly, by leaving your name and contact number for her to contact you if she needs any help will make this encounter very personal.
This are just some of my recommendations! Hope it helps:)
Best regards,
Michelle
excellent feedback from Michelle :)
DeleteHi Michelle!
DeleteThank you so much for writing such a detailed feedback.
Yes, I totally agree on the part that we should both keep each other in the loop. When different departments work together, there are bound to be differences in terms of processes.
If I am ever faced with these situations again, I will definitely be able to overcome with all your great suggestions.
Regards
Sharon
Hi everyone
ReplyDeleteFirstly, thank you to those who have commented and provided suggestions in relation to the above interpersonal communication problem I've highlighted in my post.
If I am ever faced with the same situation, I would make sure to respond to the operator after I have completed each task. For tasks that requires urgent attention, the operator could have called me to ensure I have received the message. I will also need to note down on a separate paper named "URGENT MATTERS" and update him or her once I have resolved the issues. This ensures that all messages will be received and I would know which ones are on the priority list.
In regards to making amendments to the guest, I agree with both Alicia and Michelle suggestion that I should offer ginger tea or towels. This might be useful for someone who is not feeling well. On top of that, by giving her a list of clinics nearby would show that I am concerned for her well-being.
Thank you, Sharon, for following through with this situation. I think you have integrated the feedback from your readers well, and you have proposed a realistic means of addressing any similar occurrence. You show clear takeaways form this assignment. :)
ReplyDelete