I have held the position of a waiter in a four stars restaurant for more than four years. Through this job, I have learned about sales and customer service. Customers are the heart of every single business. To increase your sales/profits, you must be able to manage customer service perfectly. I have learned how to tune my wording according to my audience, serving kids, adults, or older people.
I usually greet my table with a pleasing smile, not too much to seem fake or too little to seem unhappy. Suppose my guests waited a long time to get a table. In that case, I have to give them more attention to better their experience and make them forget about the unpleasant waiting. Food and alcohol recommendations are always excellent opportunities to upsell and showcase my knowledge of our products. Customers are always happy and feel secure when you tell them what food to pair with a type of wine/cocktail by explaining details like mentioning ingredients, for example. If someone wants a stake, I will recommend a Cabernet Sauvignon like a "Korbin Cameron" because it is bold and has structured tannins that stand up the meat's juice.
When dealing with first-time customers, I try to be as honest as possible and tell them what food to avoid. I'm not particularly eager to play the "Everything is good" card because I don't think that is true. I want them to have a fantastic experience and enjoy their time. Customers have needs and concerns, and the best way to address them is by listening and paying attention to their body language. I constantly repeat the order back to the customer to show that I am present and I listen. I always ask my colleagues or managers questions about allergies that I do not know. It is better to say, "I don't know" than "I am sorry."
A cloud architect is a detailed oriented person—everything matters when you design architecture. You can only design based on the information you collect from the customer, so listening is critical. I am an attentive listener, and that brings a lot of value to the service that I provide. I pay attention to details as I share this belief of Perry Paxton "Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details, and excellence will come." I always want the best for my customers and try as hard as possible to perfect their experience. I acknowledge my humanity and weaknesses and always ask for help whenever needed; like the African proverb says, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." I can translate that in the cloud field "It takes an entire team to deliver a cost-efficient architecture."
Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed this.
Yvan, the Architect.