More Important Than Ever

I tried to make a hotel reservation online like I always do, but kept getting errors and messages that the reservation system was unavailable at this time. So I waited and went back the next day, but same problem.
So there is actually a link there saying that if I have trouble making a reservation to call the local hotel. That was a bad sign... I mean, why would you have a message about problems if problems weren't a regular thing? Now that's a problem.
I called the number and it was a horror show. The agent couldn't find my "preferred" account, asked me numerous times for the same info, called the dates and days of the week incorrectly. It was awful. I had no confidence in the process and finally ended the call. Another brand got my business this time.
Please, please, please do the BASICS. Don't be mediocre. Don't assume your website can do it all. Now in the "digital age", your personality, your live person skills are MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER!
Here are the standards for every employee or owner before you pick up your phone or open your door:

• Smile when you talk
• Have paper and writing instrument at the ready; your system might stop or respond slowly
• Know how to use your systems
• Listen and repeat to confirm what you heard
• Do your work with pleasure, do not treat the caller as an interruption, make the caller feel like you have been waiting to hear from her
• Tell your people what you expect them to do, observe them frequently to make sure they do it, and coach them to perfection when they don't do what you expect!
• Listen to the consultants and trainers that you constantly hire to tell you what to do and then actually DO what they tell you to do

Ixnay on the Space Arbay

Boo Hoo. I am old.
I learned to type on a manual typewriter.
7th grade, 1970-something, I learned to type on a manual typewriter and the convention was that you placed one space between words and two spaces between sentences.
Well that antiquated convention should've died with the advent of the PC, but it hangs on.
It all had to do with the fact that on a typewriter, every letter takes up the same amount of space (monospaced type) on the page and so the double space made it easier on the reader's eye.  With computers and "proportional" type, letters take up as much space as they need, so the additional space is not helpful for the reader.  You can read the whole detailed story here.
Smart phones don't like the double-spacing either, by the way.  More than once I have had a text message that I sent, look really weird to the receiver with a bunch of symbols inserted where I put in 2 spaces. That's another good reason to stop double-spacing. It's real world proof that I shouldn't do it.
Even now, my thumb keeps double tapping after every sentence.
But, I am dedicated to changing the habit and working from the new info.
It is uncomfortable. But it is the right thing to do. When you get new information, you have to take new actions or make new decisions.  You can't be excellent if you do things "just because you always have done it that way".