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!