Walking along the seafront over the weekend I suddenly found myself laughing at a sign, as I seem quite often to do.
The sign, outside a refreshment kiosk used to say "Freshly made Donuts, 5 for a £1!". Inevitably, inflation has bitten and a new price has been inserted. It now says "Freshly made Donuts, 5 for a £1.50!". I thought I might like to take home some of this fresh, jammy confection but after rummaging in my pockets was unable to find a £1.50 coin, so I declined :-)
I have no idea why things like this make me laugh and was starting to recover as I passed another refreshment kiosk advertising "Takeaway's Avaible" (sic), a double whammy which I'm afraid rather set me off again!
Oh the joys of signage!
Have a lovely week.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Prom delight!
Dear Graham
I wanted to write to you to tell you of my fabulous shopping experience in search of a Prom dress.
I had been looking for some time for a Prom dress, on shopping trips locally, Bluewater, Brighton and Bournemouth. Here in Eastbourne at ********** they said that there is not much stock left, it is towards the end of the season, most had chosen last November. In Brighton I looked through and tried dress after dress, nothing was right, it was just exhausting and disheartening. As a last resort, my mother said she thought she had passed a Prom dress shop in Tunbridge Wells. Before we left we checked on the internet for other Prom dress shops, and rang one, The Italian Wardrobe. On answering the phone the lady was very helpful and although did not have exactly what I was looking for, did say they have over 1,000 dresses in the shop and felt sure there was something there for me. I thought it was definitely worth a look.
We drove to the shop mum had passed previously first, and on entering was asked when Prom was and was told not enough time, they need at least 12 weeks notice. They had a few we could look at, old stock, some not so popular ones, none of which I liked, and a designer dress upstairs (£800) so we promptly left.
I did not think we would have any luck, until we stepped into The Italian Wardrobe, owned and run by mother and daughter for the last 17 years. We were greeted with a smile and "oh my what a slip of a girl, so slim" (which made me smile). They could tell just by looking at me my size and I was excitedly showed what they had. The owner's mother took my mother over to a chair sat her down and made her a cup of coffee, while I could look and choose what I wanted, but also the shop owner suggested some dresses she would like me to try. She thought I should show off my figure and get somthing that would hug me more. She chose a dress and colour I would never have chosen, but she said she knew her stock and knew what would look amazing on me. She helped me in and out of each dress, and once each one was on, I was to walk over and show my mother (who would be paying the bill), and when I tried on the dress that the owner chose it was absolutely stunning and I loved it and so did everyone else who walked in the shop off the street who saw it. I felt amazing in it and I was so grateful for the shop owner's help.
They helped me choose accessories for the dress which we brought and then said if I chose some shoes and came back, they would pin it up ready for alterations, which I did and said the dress would be ready in a couple of weeks or so, when they would ring. All this without an appointment, I could just walk off the street and get all this help and attention. Other girls came in also, tried dresses on and asked to hold it for them without even a deposit, and they did. They were really busy but still found time for everyone.
The Italian Wardrobe is a wonderful family business and I cannot recommend them enough for the fantastic service that they provide.
Ed: This is a genuine, unsolicited letter sent in to me by a real young lady. It's a fabulous example of a warm, friendly business that went out of their way to exceed expectations. They looked after the client brilliantly, increased the value of the sale in a helpful way that delighted the customer and signposted their after-sales service! This customer is already doing The Italian Wardrobe's marketing and PR for them! Wonderful!
I wanted to write to you to tell you of my fabulous shopping experience in search of a Prom dress.
I had been looking for some time for a Prom dress, on shopping trips locally, Bluewater, Brighton and Bournemouth. Here in Eastbourne at ********** they said that there is not much stock left, it is towards the end of the season, most had chosen last November. In Brighton I looked through and tried dress after dress, nothing was right, it was just exhausting and disheartening. As a last resort, my mother said she thought she had passed a Prom dress shop in Tunbridge Wells. Before we left we checked on the internet for other Prom dress shops, and rang one, The Italian Wardrobe. On answering the phone the lady was very helpful and although did not have exactly what I was looking for, did say they have over 1,000 dresses in the shop and felt sure there was something there for me. I thought it was definitely worth a look.
We drove to the shop mum had passed previously first, and on entering was asked when Prom was and was told not enough time, they need at least 12 weeks notice. They had a few we could look at, old stock, some not so popular ones, none of which I liked, and a designer dress upstairs (£800) so we promptly left.
I did not think we would have any luck, until we stepped into The Italian Wardrobe, owned and run by mother and daughter for the last 17 years. We were greeted with a smile and "oh my what a slip of a girl, so slim" (which made me smile). They could tell just by looking at me my size and I was excitedly showed what they had. The owner's mother took my mother over to a chair sat her down and made her a cup of coffee, while I could look and choose what I wanted, but also the shop owner suggested some dresses she would like me to try. She thought I should show off my figure and get somthing that would hug me more. She chose a dress and colour I would never have chosen, but she said she knew her stock and knew what would look amazing on me. She helped me in and out of each dress, and once each one was on, I was to walk over and show my mother (who would be paying the bill), and when I tried on the dress that the owner chose it was absolutely stunning and I loved it and so did everyone else who walked in the shop off the street who saw it. I felt amazing in it and I was so grateful for the shop owner's help.
They helped me choose accessories for the dress which we brought and then said if I chose some shoes and came back, they would pin it up ready for alterations, which I did and said the dress would be ready in a couple of weeks or so, when they would ring. All this without an appointment, I could just walk off the street and get all this help and attention. Other girls came in also, tried dresses on and asked to hold it for them without even a deposit, and they did. They were really busy but still found time for everyone.
The Italian Wardrobe is a wonderful family business and I cannot recommend them enough for the fantastic service that they provide.
Ed: This is a genuine, unsolicited letter sent in to me by a real young lady. It's a fabulous example of a warm, friendly business that went out of their way to exceed expectations. They looked after the client brilliantly, increased the value of the sale in a helpful way that delighted the customer and signposted their after-sales service! This customer is already doing The Italian Wardrobe's marketing and PR for them! Wonderful!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Should staff wear name badges?
Yes, they should!
Some fascinating research backs this up. We have conducted research in the UK, Australia and New Zealand based on 116,000 measured shopping experiences which identifies that in those organisations where the staff are ‘caught’ wearing a name badge the overall rating for the customer service experience is 12% higher than in establishments where all the staff aren’t wearing a name badge.
So, if the customer’s perception of the experience can be influenced so much just by wearing a name badge, then why wouldn't we do it!
Name badges are great for customers but also for suppliers and anyone else who deals with an organisation.
Why?
Some fascinating research backs this up. We have conducted research in the UK, Australia and New Zealand based on 116,000 measured shopping experiences which identifies that in those organisations where the staff are ‘caught’ wearing a name badge the overall rating for the customer service experience is 12% higher than in establishments where all the staff aren’t wearing a name badge.
So, if the customer’s perception of the experience can be influenced so much just by wearing a name badge, then why wouldn't we do it!
Name badges are great for customers but also for suppliers and anyone else who deals with an organisation.
Why?
- They save regular visitors from embarrassment if they have forgotten someone’s name.
- In businesses where uniforms aren’t worn name badges help customers to distinguish between staff and other customers. It can be embarrassing when you mistake a customer for an employee!
- If someone knows your name you are no longer ‘Accounts’ or ‘Despatch’, you are a real person dealing with real people. That’s what customer service is all about whether internal (with other departments of your organisation) or external.
- The Law of Reciprocity: If the customer knows your name they are more likely to tell you their name.
- Accountability: It demonstrates that you are not hiding behind anonymity. You are accountable for what you do.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
And the winner is...
Celebrating good customer service is not something we do often enough and yet customer service is something we talk about daily. How many times do you stand in a queue, leave a shop or hang up the phone feeling disappointed and/or frustrated? And how many people do you tell about that experience? And how many people will avoid this business because of it? We've looked at that here previously in the Customer Complaints Iceberg.
So it was with a refreshingly optimistic feeling that, as an invited guest of my Franchisor, Shopper Anonymous UK I walked into the 1066 Business Awards Ceremony at the Azur on the seafront in Hastings on Friday night. A whole evening of awards dedicated to the hardworking efforts of small businesses in the Hastings and Rother area. Several things struck me throughout the evening; the first thing to strike me was our own award for Best Small Business of the Year! How delighted were we! Another thing that became apparent was that even in the current climate many young people are taking risks, going out on a limb and bringing their ideas to life very successfully.
Two phrases were repeated throughout the evening. When the award winners for each category were asked what the secret of their success was, their answers usually included the phrases ‘attention to detail’ and ‘outstanding customer service’. The George Inn in Robertsbridge won the award for Customer Service Business of the Year AND best Overall Business of the Year. The owners of The George spoke very highly of their team and insisted that the customer’s viewpoint was considered in every facet of their business.
I think everyone in the room vowed to ‘up their game’ even more and take their business out of the mediocre and into the outstanding. In this competitive market place with highly discerning customers, ShopperAnonymousUK stands by its belief that customer service is the key. If your aim is to take your business into the ‘outstanding’ you need to APPRECIATE the customers, offer something unique or personal and work on retaining the customer base you already have. It is worth noting that the successful businesses at the 1066 Awards dinner also seemed to endorse our view that ‘customers’ includes YOUR OWN STAFF. If you treat your staff and colleagues as customers you will be rewarded with loyalty, commitment and hard work. With a powerful and positive team, unified in their commitment to their customers, it is far easier to take your business into the ‘outstanding’.
Logically then, the winner is, and always will be…..excellent customer service!
So it was with a refreshingly optimistic feeling that, as an invited guest of my Franchisor, Shopper Anonymous UK I walked into the 1066 Business Awards Ceremony at the Azur on the seafront in Hastings on Friday night. A whole evening of awards dedicated to the hardworking efforts of small businesses in the Hastings and Rother area. Several things struck me throughout the evening; the first thing to strike me was our own award for Best Small Business of the Year! How delighted were we! Another thing that became apparent was that even in the current climate many young people are taking risks, going out on a limb and bringing their ideas to life very successfully.
Two phrases were repeated throughout the evening. When the award winners for each category were asked what the secret of their success was, their answers usually included the phrases ‘attention to detail’ and ‘outstanding customer service’. The George Inn in Robertsbridge won the award for Customer Service Business of the Year AND best Overall Business of the Year. The owners of The George spoke very highly of their team and insisted that the customer’s viewpoint was considered in every facet of their business.
I think everyone in the room vowed to ‘up their game’ even more and take their business out of the mediocre and into the outstanding. In this competitive market place with highly discerning customers, ShopperAnonymousUK stands by its belief that customer service is the key. If your aim is to take your business into the ‘outstanding’ you need to APPRECIATE the customers, offer something unique or personal and work on retaining the customer base you already have. It is worth noting that the successful businesses at the 1066 Awards dinner also seemed to endorse our view that ‘customers’ includes YOUR OWN STAFF. If you treat your staff and colleagues as customers you will be rewarded with loyalty, commitment and hard work. With a powerful and positive team, unified in their commitment to their customers, it is far easier to take your business into the ‘outstanding’.
Logically then, the winner is, and always will be…..excellent customer service!
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