The good, the bad and the downright EXCELLENT!
“How was your meal?”
It was date night with hubby and before we go and catch a movie we head out for meal to an Italian restaurant. When the waitress asked me how my meal was I had to (it’s a thing with me, being honest) admit that actually it was not great, a wee bit bland.
“Oh!”
…..that was it. No sorry or I’ll inform the chef or here have a drink on the house to compensate!
Just ‘oh’ and then walking off no doubt to inspire another customer with her amazing range of vocabulary!
How many times have you had a bad experience as a customer? I’m betting quite a few, I know I have!
It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, perhaps you feel angry, frustrated, unappreciated and maybe even a bit used. Not really feelings that you are going to want to have repeated by going back to that place again.
I am constantly astounded by how bad some companies are at providing decent customer service whether it be your utilities company, a bar you walk into, a retail outlet, where you buy your business stationary…the list is endless. We live in an age where as consumers or business customers we are far more knowledgeable about products and services and what we should be getting for our money. Staying ahead of our customers, as well as our competitors, has never been so important.
At the touch of a button is social media where, as businesses we can build up awareness of our companies and where, as customers we can let the world know what we think of the products and services we buy whether good or bad.
Don’t get me wrong there are also a lot of companies who are doing a good job, who make their customers feel appreciated and meet their expectations so it’s not all doom and gloom out there. I’m pretty sure you can think of many companies that fit this group but I’ll let you into a little secret, being good is not good enough, well not enough if you want to keep growing and become a sustainable business.
Many years ago I went on holiday to Dubai and stayed in a fantastic hotel. Whilst walking through the gardens on my second day I passed by a gentleman who worked there, he stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye and said “Good Morning Miss Small” (my maiden name in case any of you are wondering). Well, my goodness was I happy! Their staff had taken the time and energy to recognize faces and names of their guests. We were not room numbers, we were people and we were being treated with an amazing amount of respect and gratitude that we had chosen their hotel for our holiday.
This you can imagine is my favorite group of businesses…yup those that offer customer excellency, you know they kick ass when it comes to making you feel like an amazing person! They go above and beyond the call of duty to make our experience exceptional (and I don’t mean by cleaning the washrooms more than once a week). These companies make us feel special, cared for, like a king, queen or princess and I don’t know about you but I love it. I want more!
So…..
Unhappy customers = bad business
Happy customers = good business
Over the moon customers = kick ass growing companies
I know which one I like and which one I want to be.
