Common causes of increased service times

We’re 95% Full — But Running on 40% Capacity.” A full hotel means nothing when your staff is running empty. The Story Last month, I visited a hotel in Lagos with 95% occupancy. Business was booming. But behind the scenes? Staff were stressed. Errors were frequent. Guest complaints were rising. The manager told me: “We don’t have time for training. We’re too busy.” But when I reviewed their service flow, the truth came out: 3 guests waited 15 minutes for towels. Room service orders were mixed up. A guest requested late check-out — the front desk never communicated it. One guest even said: “The hotel is full… but no one seems trained to handle it.” The Consequences of Skipping Staff Training 🧯 Mistakes become daily occurrences 😤 Guests feel underserved despite high room rates 🧠 Staff burnout becomes the norm 💸 High turnover + recruitment costs increase ⭐ Online reviews drop — from “luxury” to “chaotic” Root Analysis 1. Reactive leadership: Training only happens after problems explode. 2. No systems for onboarding or upskilling 3. Success (high occupancy) becomes an excuse for complacency 4. Frontline staff are overwhelmed and unsupported The Solution: Train Before the Storm ✅ 2-Hour Weekly Power Training: Short, high-impact sessions that respect operations but build skills. ✅ Cross-Training System: So staff can support each other during pressure hours. ✅ Performance Coaching: Not just tasks — but communication, attitude, guest connection. ✅ Real-Time Feedback Loop: Daily micro-reviews from supervisors on what went well and what didn’t. The Results (After 1 Month) ⏱️ Guest service time improved by 32% 💬 Reviews shifted from “slow service” to “attentive team” 😃 Staff felt more valued and confident 🔁 Repeat bookings went up, especially from corporate guests 🌟 A culture of growth replaced a culture of firefighting Advice from Dr Jeff HD 💡 Your team is your true capacity. Occupancy doesn’t equal success unless your people are trained to deliver it. Train today — or apologize tomorrow.

😨 Why would your P95 be spiking when your P50 is flat? If you're seeing this, only a minority of requests (the slowest ones) are getting significantly delayed. There can be a few different reasons for this, here are the top 3 in my experience: 1. Inconsistent Load Distribution: A subset of servers or containers may be experiencing high resource utilization (CPU, memory, disk I/O). If a load balancer is unevenly distributing traffic, some nodes may be slower than others. A single instance or node under strain could increase response times for a small portion of requests. 2. Network Latency Spikes: Some API calls or database queries might be routing through a slower path or encountering transient network congestion. Issues with DNS resolution, service mesh (e.g., Istio), or TLS handshakes can cause sporadic high-latency requests. 3. Background Processing or Batch Jobs: If a batch job or cron job is running at certain intervals, it may temporarily increase resource contention, impacting only some requests. If this is happening, it typically is on a consistent schedule which means day over day or week over week analysis becomes very important to understand that this is consistent and recurring. How to debug and attempt to root cause this? 👉 Break down latencies per server, pod, or region, this let's you see if one specific component is slow for a variety of different reasons. 👉 Analyze logs at p95 – Look at the slowest logs to identify patterns. Correlate with infrastructure metrics – Check CPU, memory, disk I/O, and network latency. New log patterns around the P95 spike are a very strong indicator of the source of an issue. 👉 Use distributed tracing – Tools are available like OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, or Edge Delta to show where time is being spent in a request. #observability #monitoring #devops #sre #metrics #logs #traces #otel

Inside The Hub: Navigating Driver Experiences at Shipper/Receiver Facilities Typical driver events at a shipper/receiver facility encompass a range of experiences, often marked by a mix of efficiency and delays. Here is an overview: 1. Slack Time Slack time refers to the period when drivers arrive at the facility but are not immediately loaded or unloaded. It is essentially downtime for the driver, during which they may catch up on paperwork, rest, or tend to other tasks while awaiting their turn for service. While some slack time is expected due to scheduling and operational factors, excessive slack time can lead to inefficiencies and impact delivery schedules. 2. Detention Detention occurs when a driver is held at the facility for an extended period beyond the agreed-upon time for loading or unloading. This delay can result from various factors such as congestion, equipment issues, or inefficiencies in the facility's operations. Detention is a significant concern for drivers as it can eat into their available driving hours and ultimately impact their earnings. 3. Loading/Unloading The primary purpose of a driver's visit to a shipper/receiver facility is to either pick up or drop off cargo. Loading involves the process of placing goods onto the trailer, while unloading entails removing cargo from the trailer. Efficient loading and unloading are crucial for minimizing delays and ensuring timely delivery of goods. However, challenges such as insufficient staffing, inadequate equipment, or complex cargo handling procedures can lead to delays in these processes. 4. Dwell Time Dwell time refers to the total duration that a driver spends at the facility, including both active service time (loading/unloading) and any waiting or slack time. Monitoring dwell time is essential for evaluating the efficiency of a facility's operations and identifying areas for improvement. Prolonged dwell times can indicate bottlenecks in the supply chain, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity for both drivers and shippers/receivers. Conclusion Navigating the intricacies of a shipper/receiver facility is a routine part of a truck driver's job. While efficient operations can streamline the process and minimize delays, drivers often encounter challenges such as slack time, detention, and prolonged dwell times. Addressing these issues requires collaboration between drivers, shippers, and receivers to optimize workflows, improve communication, and enhance overall efficiency in the transportation and logistics industry. #SupplyChain #Logistics #TruckingLife #DriverExperiences #ShippingAndReceiving #Transportation #OnTheRoad #EfficiencyMatters #SlackTime #DetentionTime #LoadingAndUnloading #DwellTimeOptimization