Every few days on our Facebook page we are currently publishing holiday pictures of our staff (Please have a look at them! Very worth it!). And since otherwise nothing much happens in the summer, even I had to go on holiday to have something about which I can get excited.
After I spent a completely useless weekend at Wimbledon (I was not allowed to play), the Eintracht did not take me into the training camp (splinter in the foot) and I did not play table tennis at the Olympics in Rio (I had forgotten to register), I ended up in Mallorca. With my family, whom I really like very much, even though they cannot help it that they have to go on holiday with me. I had booked only three weeks before departure, in the brand new Park Hyatt Hotel on the northeastern part of the island, and for almost "nothing". After all, as compensation for my frequent stays in China I always get plenty of bonus points from the Hyatt Hotel group, and I had to use them.
I learned a lot on this holiday, this time about personnel management. Picture this: an upscale hotel opens, with planned prices similar to those of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, and with a great concept, but it all goes terribly wrong. The near-highlight was my wife's birthday: on that day we were traveling and I had ordered (in writing) a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake. And because I know where, how and when logistics can go wrong (I know that because at Jarltech logistics never goes wrong), I called as well on that day: "We will be back in an hour, is the champagne there?". Yes, of course.
We arrive at the hotel: no champagne, but a cake! With the inscription: "Happy Birthday Mr. Teichmüller". No, my wife has the same beautiful surname as I, and also does not know anyone named "Teichmüller". There was also a card from the management, reading: "Dear Mr. Meier, we apologize for the problems with your door." Um, we also do not know them, our door is perfectly fine, but hey, at least there were cookies with the card. Maybe this Meier cannot get into his room because of the door problem and will visit us later.
And the best wife of all, in any case marked from her bad milestone birthday (she turned 25 - or at least she looks it), was not happy. My 8-year old son, on the other hand, greatly. He ran with the cake through the hotel complex and asked everyone who was Teichmüller. No such luck. No Teich, no Müller. Only a Meier who might be detained because of door problems, who is probably locked in his room, and does not even get cookies.
Of course, you can be polite and do not have to furiously storm into the hotel lobby, but it was perhaps not helpful that for an hour no one had answered the hotel phone. Not even the "Emergency Hotline". Everyone was too busy labeling cakes I guess. And then you are always treated as if you only wanted to point out an error to "cash in" on an apology. No, I would have just liked to have had a cake and a bottle of champagne, not 500 Hyatt points as compensation. My wife turned XX years old and here: Darling, happy birthday, I have 500 Hyatt points for you!!!
I realize I'm getting upset again, so every one of you who is now thinking, you know, Jarltech sometimes made a wrong delivery, had better keep quiet. :) Or call ol Teichmüller in the complaints department. You should know though, he is often ill those are the consequential damages of having to constantly eat cake.
Interestingly, my wife (probably out of anger over the cake), left the bedroom at three oclock in the morning, and walked through the living room (we will never know the real reason why). If it was not because of the cake, then perhaps her advanced age (Honey, I know you never read my blog, but just in case: I do not write it myself). The room is dark, the only source of light is a red light next to the door, indicating that we have activated the "Do Not Disturb" sign. And at that moment that same red illuminated door opened, and a man came in. My wife said "Hello" - he said "Pardon" - exit. What the heck did he want?
The hotel says: We have no idea what he wanted and who he was." I say: "Sorry guys, we also sell these RFID room door openers, so I know darn well that you can find out within seconds who has opened the door." Aha. What do you know. It was someone who was to make a repair in room 113. (Maybe he needed to change the inscription on a cake. At three in the morning.) Of course, room 113 is not even in the same building as our room. And of course, "Do not Disturb" indicates on the one hand: "The guests are in the bedroom and are sleeping now, so you can safely clean out the living room.. Or it indicates: "You have to repair something here, but the guests are obviously still in the room and are sleeping, so better call the reception desk and ask.. After all, you have to know whether the Teichmüllers are asleep or not. As I now know,"Do Not Disturb" can have multiple meanings. Up to now I had truly underestimated this sentence.
Oh, and before I forget: the weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, we are very relaxed, and you can never relax better than when you know that you are not responsible for the whole mess.
And again: away after dictation, your Teichmüller.
Complaining – the national pastime of the Germans
Let’s be honest, we Germans love to complain – about the weather, football, the economy, politics, etc....
Let’s be honest, we Germans love to complain – about the weather, football, the economy, politics, etc. This unites us all – regardless of our social class or political affiliation. Complaining is a national pastime in Germany. We love to grumble about high prices, the shortage of skilled workers and the weakening economy, while at the same time discussing our next holiday or the four-day week. Please don’t get me wrong, I am all for everyone taking a lot of time off and having a good rest – the only thing that bothers me is the fact that we love to see everything in such a gloomy light! We have to start working together to find solutions, because what we forget amidst all the moaning are our own abilities.
No, Germany is not falling apart! Germany still has a lot of untapped potential. We have people with great ideas, curious and inquisitive people (yes, even among Gen Z), a high average level of education, a high degree of legal certainty, a consistently strong industry, very good research ... and yes, we also have the capital. But we have to stop complaining and focus on our strengths. We are capable of innovation, we can be or remain market leaders in many areas, but, at the same time, we have to be open-minded. Even if one area collapses, we can successfully develop and expand a subsequent one. These are our strengths. However, we have to accept the challenge – be it in society, in politics or in the economy. Burying our heads in the sand won’t help us.
We are once again facing enormous opportunities for our future – whether in medical research, industry, the energy sector or, of course, across the board in the field of AI. And that’s just what comes to mind. There is, of course, much more. Let’s work together to develop new ideas that will advance us not only as a society, but also as a business location. There is potential out there, it just needs to be tapped! And by the way, we’ll have less reason to complain!
The road to success: do we really have to get worse at everything?
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless....
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless. Our sales department asked me to speak to a customer on the phone who doesn’t buy from us because we supposedly supply end customers.
No problem, I thought. I called and explained that this is exactly what we don’t do, and that this is a key promise to our dealers. There are extremely rare exceptions – only if a vendor forces us to or a retailer explicitly asks us to. But that almost never happens.
Then it turned out that there was a misunderstanding: the customer said that we also supply small retailers. My answer: »Yes, we do and we have to, based on our contracts with the vendors. Our competitors do that too.«
»All correct«, I hear, but then it got exciting: »Your large competitors are not interested in small customers, so they are poorly served. At Jarltech, small dealers feel comfortable because you provide great service.«
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ... A customer doesn’t buy from us because our service is too good? I hadn’t expected that.
But don’t worry, contrary to the headline: We will continue to endeavour to offer every customer the best service we can!
Why is good service so important again?
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important....
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important. If you want a customer to pay more than elsewhere, then you have to make the difference! You have to know what they like and anticipate their wishes.
Here in Shenzhen is the Grand Hyatt Hotel – I was here at least six times a year before Corona – and even stored some luggage in Shenzhen, so that I only had to fly with hand luggage. Liquids and such ... that was difficult on the plane.
It’s been over three years since I was last here, and I arrived to be greeted by an armada of hotel staff. My beloved Coke Zero was waiting for me in the car outside the airport. My luggage, which I hadn’t expected to see again, had been stored for three years and completely cleaned for my new stay. Everything was hanging in the wardrobe and the bathroom was neat and tidy. My razor was charged and my chargers stood on the desk. Of course, the fridge was full of Coke Zero and the white wine I had last drunk three years ago. Even the room service knew what I liked to eat.
That’s what hospitality really is. And we have to do the same at Jarltech. Always write down what our customers want and like. And when I go out to dine with a customer, I need to know whether they are vegan or if they don’t like pork, for example. Some customers want to be called and courted on a weekly basis, whereas others find this rather annoying. Some still prefer paper catalogues, others believe it’s environmental pollution. And all the better if a customer returns after three years, and I still have it all written down somewhere. Jarltech may not be a hotel, but we are a service provider that has to differentiate itself The difference is always in the details.
The world's smallest chef gives a guest performance in Usingen
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October...
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October 2023 to the 30th of April 2024. Personally, I always have fun enjoying delicious food with a bit of a show. Come by sometime – it's also great for Christmas parties with up to 20 people. And if you're a customer of ours, why not have your sales contact invite you next time you visit Jarltech? 😊
Have fun with the little chef!