“I don’t understand. This hotel has no restaurant, no concierge, and no valet. It’s not at all what I expected. The place had no standards.”—Guest at a roadside motel

“I showed her the picture of Jennifer Aniston and asked for the same haircut. She cut my hair, but I still don’t look a thing like Jennifer Aniston. I’m not going back there.”—Client at a salon

“We went to the National Park and didn’t see a single buffalo. They really need to do a better job scheduling the animals. I’m very disappointed.”—Guest at a national park

Most of us know motels aren’t hotels, a haircut isn’t cosmetic surgery, and wild animals don’t follow a viewing schedule. So, how does the minority conclude otherwise? The answers are endless: lack of information, misinformation, wishful thinking, among others. Regardless of the source of the confusion, service providers must address the misalignment. The easiest way to handle such issues is to avoid them. When that can’t happen, we must address them calmly, with empathy and willingness to educate.

 …