Service with a smile, when you’re feeling anything but smiley

The core focus of a hospitality and tourism business lays with exceptional customer service, and giving customers a great experience in your venue. It' s a competitive industry and one bad day, one bad customer experience, can damage your business. "You are only as good as your last service” rings very true when customers have a bad experience in your venue. 
 
But how do you give service with a smile when you feel anything but smiley? How do you show up on the hard days when you'd rather be curled up at home not having to cater for others’ needs?

Most proprietors know the value of giving an excellent customer service experience, but just like any industry we all have our off days; we are human after all. Some days no matter what we do, no matter how much we pump ourselves up, we just can’t seem to muster the courage to be bright and bubbly.
 
We all have our off days, but off days are ten times harder when your core business focus is exceptional customer service.
 
There is no doubt it is hard to show up some days, but what I find helpful on these days is to remember why you started. Look back at how far you've come and in moments of frustration, or when you are feeling overwhelmed, stop and take a breath! Seems kinda silly to tell someone to take a breath, right? But taking the time to walk out the back , have a break, or go for a 5min walk can help to calm you down and get you back on track. 
 
And this goes for your employees as well. Everyone has their stuff going on and expecting employees to leave it all at the door when they come into work is really quite an ask. If you can see a staff member is struggling, give them some time to cool down; take a walk or have a short break. Re-setting the clock when you are feeling frustrated can do wonders in turning things around.
 
Another key in being able to show up each day and serve your customers is to ensure you are taking time to look after yourself outside of work. Exercise, lots of rest, and taking downtime when you can will greatly assist you through the busy times in your venue, and help you to see things more clearly on the days that you’re not feeling like showing up and putting that smile on your face.
 
Having some tools in your toolbox to deal with those tough days doesn't always guarantee that you will get through them unscathed, but it can help you manage the day, control your feelings, and ultimately do your best job of showing up for your customers.
 
And remember;
 
"Take time for yourself; You can't pour from an empty cup".
 
Just my two cents.
 
Love to hear your thoughts,
 
KB