During our sunset drinks at their popular bar in Phuket, we were prompted for a second round of cocktails given that our glasses were empty. The waiter repeated our orders correctly and walked off without clearing the table.
Moments later, another more senior employee came by and asked if we were enjoying the evening, to which we said we were. After some exchange of pleasantries, he similarly walked off without doing anything about the empty glasses.
As it was a busy evening, it took longer than expected for the drinks to arrive. (It would have been nice if we had been informed about the delay and approximate waiting time.) However, before they were finally delivered - a good twenty minutes’ wait - we counted at least four further occasions when different team members leisurely sauntered past our table empty-handed, with nods of acknowledgement and friendly smiles, and could have easily removed our empty glasses.
These moments are what I call the MOE or Missed Opportunities of Efficiency. It is usually also synonymous with being carelessly inattentive.
Engagement and friendliness are all great, but these are just hollow emptiness if basic attention and efficiency are not met.
Service Bank: Minus 3
Reflective thoughts: What are some obvious and not-so-obvious examples in your work process where efficiency could be easily improved?