The 4th Commandment of Customer Service is “when the customer asks, the answer is always yes.” This is the way of life for the front liners I had the good fortune to meet at this hotel which is located within 10 minutes walk from Tokyo Disneyland.

The last time I checked the dictionary for the definition of exceptional service, the answers I got were Honda Mariko and Iitsuka Miho. These two ladies were incredibly resourceful in helping me when I told them I needed an adapter as I’d lost mine and that I’d needed to charge my camcorder, camera and blackberry. They took ownership of the situation and tried a series of solutions but in vain. Finally, near midnight, Honda-san took it upon herself to walk to a nearby hotel to borrow one for me….in the cold of the Japanese winter.

Would I want to stay at this hotel again? Would I recommend a friend to stay there? The answer to both question is I certainly would again and again and again.

It is said, that every firm has access to the same sources of capital; product innovations can be copied overnight; and whatever cutting-edge technology we need is available right off the shelf. That leaves our people, and the service they provide, as our source of competitive advantage. Any HR managers out there looking to hire good, smart, “want to” people who truly want to be in the service industry and, even more important, truly want to take care of customers, go ahead and hire these two outstanding ladies….you know you can count on this because this is the true truth and I always say it as it is.
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