Customer Service - sponsored by W.C. Duke Associates, Inc.

Customer Service Beyond the ADA

By Allan Appel
Published Nov. 21, 2007, by ScrippsNews.com

Marketing a business or service to the disability community sometimes involves going beyond the minimum requirements of The Americans with Disabilities Act. A hotel's physical facility, for example, may meet ADA's accessibility requirements, but poor customer service practices can still dampen or even ruin the stay of a guest with disabilities.

In a publication called ADA Business Connection: Expanding Your Market, the U.S. Justice Department outlines a number of accessible customer service practices in the hotel and lodging industry that serve to foster more business from guests within the disabled community.

Good customer service usually begins with the reservations system. In addition to answering questions, well-trained staff should proactively inform guests with disabilities about the accessible features of the facility.

After an accessible room is reserved, that room must actually be ready and available to the guest upon check-in. Otherwise, an arrangement for a comparable alternative room should be in place in the same or at another facility nearby. And of course the customer should not be out-of-pocket for any cost differential between the two facilities.

The reservations staff should be trained to handle deaf or hard-of-hearing customers using TTY telephone or relay service. When the guest with a disability arrives, staff should talk directly to that guest, rather than to a companion who may be able-bodied.

Accessible facilities can quickly become inaccessible. Large trash receptacles may block an otherwise accessible sidewalk. Lowered reception desk areas may be cluttered with decorative plants. A route to a public restroom may be blocked by hotel supplies. Or perhaps an accessible hotel room is crowded with oversized furniture, thus impeding maneuverability.

Even housekeeping staff can affect accessibility. A television remote control may be unwittingly placed atop a tall chest of drawers. Or an adjustable shower head may rest at the highest position, beyond the reach of a guest using a wheelchair.

In an effort to be trendy, a hotel may utilize plush, pillow-top mattresses that consequently make beds too high for people using a wheelchair. A platform bed precludes the use of a personal lift. Low lighting in a restaurant may create ambiance, but older patrons may find it difficult to access a table, and guests with visual impairments may have difficulty reading a menu.

Allan Appel writes a biweekly column about disabilities. aappel223@yahoo.com.