In my book Service with a HUG (on page 24) I describe my experience when staying at Careys Manor Hotel in the beautiful New Forest.
My visit was in the late 1990s and the reason for staying at the hotel was to deliver a training course for one of my large clients.
Although I’ve already written about some aspects of my stay, there was one particular individual who worked at the hotel who is worthy of a special mention. His name is Colin and his role was in Conference Services.
Before telling you about Colin and what he did that was so brilliant (and so simple), let me tell you that over the years I’ve stayed thousands of nights in hundreds of hotels and conference centres around the world. Mostly there’s a standard of service that is best described as ‘adequate’ to occasionally ‘poor’. Colin stood out head and shoulders above anyone in that role I had encountered before or since. So much so that I still remember what happened – twenty years later! That’s the power of what we are talking about here.
So, what did he do?
He understood the world of his customer and what is important to them.
The first thing Colin did was to be visible and available. He maintained just the right balance of being present without that awkwardness that someone who is overly-attentive can sometimes create. He was just quietly and politely around, attending to what needed his attention in the moment.
The second thing Colin did well was to respond. If something was required, for example some additional marker pens, he understood that supplying them 30 minutes later would most likely be too late. As facilitators, if we are running a training course, we need a fast response. He understood this and usually acted immediately.
The third thing he did was to be proactive. Rather than waiting to be asked for additional flipchart paper, he would come into the training room during the breaks, check the room and, if anything was required, he would provide a top-up.
The fourth thing is something that I have not experienced anywhere else and this is where Colin proved beyond any shadow of doubt that he understands the world of his customer. When trainers and facilitators are running courses, at the coffee break, we are generally preparing the room for the next segment of the course. So, usually we don’t have time to go and get ourselves a coffee. Colin understood this and, at every break, he would offer me a coffee, which he would happily deliver to the training room for me. Pure magic!
So, my questions to you are very straightforward:
• How can you understand the world of your customers much better? (tip: most customers are very happy to tell you if you ask them!)
• Having understood the world of your customer and what is important to them, how can you go way beyond what they experience currently?
I would love to hear about what you do to delight your customers. Perhaps you would like to write a blog about it and we’ll post it here!
You can contact me here
You can find out more about Careys Manor Hotel here https://www.careysmanor.com/