What's your table number?

I hate that! You walk into a pub, go and ask for something to eat, and as a reflex the person behind the bar says "What's your table number?" No pause, nothing - just that request.

When you say you dont know, or that one over there, or even "I dont know, can you pour my drinks while I go and find out?" The reply is "I need a table number"

I understand that for a pub to serve cheap food quickly this process really helps, but couldnt the programmers allow the staff member the freedom to take the order, pour the drinks or something while you get the number?

Otherwise you look behind you, a local is glowering because you dont know the system that pub uses.

But why should you? Cant pubs go some of the way to make it easier for customers?

Isnt it much better when the (usually) local pub says "dont worry, we'll find you."

I wonder how a workable system (for the pub) can be made as friendly as that for the customer.

Amazon Update

They arrived. The books (detailed in blog below) arrived - at 9.23 am!!! I only ordered them the night before at 4 in the afternoon! How good is that? What level of quality does that offer?

Amazon

I just last night bought some books from Amazon... and as I selected my first a little countdown appeared to tell me that if I completed my purchase within the next 55 minutes (and 17 seconds ... and reducing the whole time...!) I could have my books by one o clock today.

How clever is that ... an automatic sales close ... I found myself cursing if I clicked the wrong button event though I had almost an hour to go!

More clever for me though is the standard this sets. I mean, I like the time countdown as a tool to help a customer buy now, and to upsell to the express delivery, but what I really like is the quality of this approach. I buy a book from my office at 4pm, and can have it by lunchtime the following day. Brilliant.

Regardless of what you make or sell, or what service you deliver, attentions to customers, delivered by market leaders, really should have anyone seriously contemplating how they can adapt an idea like this, or at least the customer-centric approach it offers, for their own business, department or section.

I dont know what the answer is, but if you have an idea of how this could apply to the service industry - particularly training, I would love to read your comments or your email.

Of course ... the only downside would be if the delivery doesnt happen in the next four hours and five minutes ... and counting down!

Hotels and "service charges"

Yesterday I checked out of a big hotel in London. The bill was being paid by the client, except for a couple of extras. After a long wait from the checkout Lady (we stood there in silence for five minutes) she presented me with my bill. Not only was breakfast shown on it, but also lots of little charges (£1.02, 88p and so on).

I queried the breakfast charges which she agreed to remove and then the little charges

"Those are service charges" she said.

"Let me get this straight" I asked "I buy a drink for £3.50, and you add a service charge?"

"Its discretionary" she replied, "Shall I remove them?"

So in addition to clearly paying a premium at the hotel, they then wanted to add 12.5% to everything! Yes she said they were discretionary, and yes she offered to remove them (which she did) but I am amazed that after marking up all sales, there is then ANOTHER mark up.

She removed all of them, then I had to ask what another charge was for ...

"That is the service charge to bring the sandwich to your room"...

That, by the way, is a service charge on a £9 sandwich ... some people might think already that a £9 sandwich is carrying a certain amount of extra service cost!

I just dont think its open and honest ... if as an hotel you need to charge £10 to deliver a sandwich to a room, then fine, charge that ... I then buy or dont buy.

But to tell me it is £9 and THEN add £1.13 for "service" is really sneaky.

I am with Gordon Ramsays opinion of restaurants that levy a "discretionary" service here ... the business needs to makes its money in the food, not add on charges.

(By the way, there is a suggested 15% "reading" charge for this blog ... thanks!)

Musings

Just a couple of thoughts for you...

• Why is it that when you phone a twenty something in a call centre virtually every question they answer is prefaced with "basically" and "obviously"? I asked a question- it was neither basic nor obvious to me.
• When I take my car in for a service the entire row of people who check in cars (about 5 of them) ALWAYS say "What WAS your name?" instead of what IS your name. Its hasnt changed since I walked into the garage.
• Why do hotels bang on about great service, but never take the time or effort to find out if you would like to be called Sir, Mr whoever, or even your first name. The default setting is usually Sir .. and I dont want to be called sir.
• Would it be possible for certain companies to look at how their advertisements represent their staff - smiling, helpful, cheery, proactive and always able to cope - compare them with the vast majority of their real staff - sullen, unhelpful, unhappy, hiding to avoid customers and desperately not wanting to be there - and either re-make their ads, or really crack this customer service thing?
• Why do managers in supermarkets stand around in groups of seven, all pretending to work, their hourly paid staff working flat out, when in fact even a cursory glance shows they are just having a gas?

I just wonder, you understand. No need, if you or your business is represented above, to do anything about it...

Big Weekend

This last weekend a group of us went to preseliventure.co.uk. Incredible place in the middle of Pembrokeshire where you go surfing, coasteering and kayaking. Loads of fun and really energising, even though we all came back exhausted and aching!

What REALLY amazed a lot of us though was the quality of the staff there. The lodge where you stay is really basic - just like staying at a friends house ... its all bunk beds and queues for the toilets, but they have managed to create a really friendly feel for all of their guests.

I was talking to Lorraine there (she seems to be the front of house manager who makes sure everyone knows what they are doing and where they are supposed to be) and she said that it really didnt seem like work to them. But actually what they do is really powerful. You see in the last seven years I have had the good fortune to stay in hundreds of hotels all across the UK and Europe - many of them very nice hotels that are well known chain hotels. And yet very few of the places I have stayed have managed to offer the genuinely warm welcome that preseli creates. I'll give you an example or two ...

We arrived early and Lorraine introduced herself and asked for our names. From then on throughout the weekend she used our names - as well as the names of all the thirty guests who were there that weekend.

We came in from one of the events for our lunch. "ah yes, this is the soup, and this is the vegetarian one for you, Lisa and Rob". That detail was something we had put on a form months previously and not mentioned once at the lodge.

When kayaking and surfing with experts (which is plainly what the instructors are) they managed to strike a balance between motivating us to go further and to push ourselves, whilst still appearing very calm and relaxed, and looking after fourteen or fifteen people from a safety perspective.

How is it that a relatively small, independent business like this manages apparently effortlessly to create the experience that many international chains so conspicuously fail to achieve? My belief is that in fact the experience ISNT effortless .. it requires constant work and attention.

Its an interesting thought - when did you last experience customer service that was excellent? Not good, or even really good, but customer service that got you talking, and really impressed? And when you experience it, what can you take and learn from it that you can apply to your own business, or day to day work?

But only think about that if you really are passionate about creating Excellent Customer or Client care of course .. otherwise leave it as is!

Meanwhile, if you fancy an amazing Leadership development programme which includes the activities I mentioned above, let us know .. we have a great programme lined up for you!

Graham