HOTO – This is a new acronym I learnt courtesy of Deepa Dey; it stands for Hand Over Take Over. HOTO finds its origins in the Military and in Warehouse Management and is a process involving the transfer of responsibility from one unit to another, ensuring seamless operations during transitions. This concept is crucial in maintaining continuity and effectiveness in operations.
The term HOTO came into my vocabulary, over the few days we spent in the hospital where many hands, heads, and hearts took care of us. Interestingly while the process and line of treatment that each of the duty changes navigated was the same, the orchestra of people that make a hospital work, worked well, but some of them just did their job and the others touched a special chord. HOTO with a heart, if you will.
I am happy to report that we are now safely back home and grateful for the care we received. In the familiar surrounds of my own home again, HOTO with a heart and how it is such an important part of the service industry is what I reflect on this week.
Particularly memorable was one smiling young man, let’s call him David, who appeared each morning to clean our room. He had an energy that lifted our spirits and an eye for detail. “You have finished most of your water, let me keep two extra bottles for you…” we did not ask, he noticed and offered. The first night we asked for an extra pillow, the next night it appeared without us having to ask. These small things are the big things when feeling cared for.
The real care of course happened in the operating theatre and the experience and expertise of the surgeon is what brought us to the hospital. However, when the same level of care is demonstrated by David when he is doing his job as well, you know that the culture of the organisation is working. They have created an ecosystem of care.
Early one morning, I stepped out to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. I found a nice patch of green grass right in front of the main entrance of the hospital and as I walked up and down, I noticed the morning security detail getting their daily briefing. Later in the day, at various points, particularly entering or exiting lifts, I saw this security team, doing their job, but all of them did it with gentle care and a smile.
Firmness and kindness can co-exist. Starting with the doctors, who had an air of “no-nonsense will be tolerated”, and yet at the same time cared to answer all our questions, to the TPA team, the food service team, and the nursing staff, to the security detail, all of them had one thing in common, patient care. On our first day, we got a room that was right in front of the nursing station, and while this had the benefit of being able to get immediate attention, it had the downside of being extremely noisy. Phones were constantly ringing and there was a lot of commotion and talking that made it difficult to get any rest.
I asked for a room change, and with the help of the General Manager of the hospital who kindly intervened and personally came down to help me find a room with a view, the shift was made before nightfall. I had a very clear brief from Deepa – that she needed to be able to look out of a window. We found ourselves in a lovely room on the second floor, looking out at beautiful green treetops.
Linking this experience to the PR world is a sharp reminder that in the service industry, the core offering has to be good, but the delivery of excellence with kindness and genuine customer centricity is what makes for a winning formula. Having all the core skills and offerings that are required is table stakes, delivering seamlessly 24×7 requires strong HOTO processes and a culture of service excellence. Don’t forget to smile and offer people an extra glass of water, sometimes it’s these little things that make the big difference. A truly professional PR firm is one that has learnt how to master the art of HOTO with a heart.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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