Reflection – Storytelling      Challenge & Selection  The tool I used was the tool of storytelling, to understand various problems among the canteen  staff and check out how our staff would be affected if we were to add new dimensions and  modify a few existing ones.    The kitchen adjoining to the mess hall could easily accommodate at least a 100 people yet they  were mostly half-filled, long queues and long waiting hours.  So, here my primary target was improvement of the service from the kitchen staff and serve the  customers efficiently.      Feedbacks are regularly taken and are reviewed weekly. All valid feedbacks are taken into  account to update the existing system and improve upon it.    This is done with the help of storytelling. We tell stories to each other within the team and try to  understand where the mistakes were. In stories, no one can get offended. Everyone can enjoy  the time and all matters are tended to at the same time. Earlier, the discussions were made  point wise while in the form of a story, we can cover multiple points in the same skit. At the  same time, we can also have a little roleplaying of sorts which seems like not extra work, rather  our time to assess and enjoy.    The beginning of the next week, we put our ideas that had come up during our storytelling  session forward and complete the cycle. In effect, it improves performance and reduces stress.       Application  Orders can be placed online or by calls as well as walkins.  As soon as the customers pay the bill, we take their feedback. This is done for walkins. While for  pickups, we decide to ask them about their feedback a little later, giving them ample time to  enjoy the meal and review the service.     We also have a sticky note section that each customer can put up on our board if they ever  wanted to appreciate the food and the service or if they wanted improvement. This is generally  anonymous.So they(customers) can be more honest and open in sharing their experiences.  However, there's no pushing someone if they don't want to give feedbacks.  Every feedback is evaluated and made sure is implemented/tested and follow-up feedback is  taken to check how the change affected the customer. Changes that cannot be implemented  are also mentioned.  Storytelling comes into picture here. Once all the feedbacks are received, we weave a story  around it. The main characters are the feedbacks and the changes necessary to implement. At

the same time, positive feedbacks are also taken into account. We feel proud of all the work  done properly and try to improve. As happens in a story, once the main characters are in scope,  we need to get some other characters to balance out the script. We do the same. We implement  the changes and try to balance out the rest without hampering the current services too much. All  the feedbacks are properly classified into doable, non doable, maybe. As the new storyline is  ingrained in the minds of the staff, we take a feedback once again of the repeating customers. If  they are happy, we are happy and we don't stop this process until the feedback is positive.        Insight & Approach  What I learnt from this exercise is that we have a clear idea of how our methods have improved  our service. At the same time, we can also understand that it's easier to take inputs and critical  feedback in the form of a story rather on face.  Story telling has improved our team understand our areas of improvement in a simplest way.  Afterall, who doesn't like a good story, especially when it helps a business.

