Time For. . .

...Developing Your People, ...Improving Your Business

+44(0) 1324 640534
enquiries@timefor.co.uk
Find us on LinkedIn
Find us on Facebook
  • Home
  • Management Consultancy
  • People Development
  • Business Support
  • About Us
  • Neil’s Blog
  • Contact

Serve Us With A Smile

12th July 2018

Sometimes what we don’t say, says so much more than what is said. Precisely the situation I was in last night at one of our local restaurants. I go there because the food is excellent, and I can sit quietly between training sessions (when I need to have a break before starting work in the evening). As I was saying, ‘the food is excellent’. And this is what I said to the bar manager when he asked, “how was your meal sir?”. But what I didn’t say was what was foremost in my head. I wasn’t in the frame of mind to give him some feedback, so I just kept my thoughts to myself, remained polite and went on my way (like what so many would do in the same situation!).

The food was excellent, but the waitress was terrible. Not for the first time I hasten to add (hmm, is that quick enough?). I ate at the same place a few weeks ago, with the same waitress serving me, and had exactly the same experience (in fact worse!). I said to myself on that occasion, that I wouldn’t be back. But last night I thought, ‘you know its normally pretty good, and last time was probably just someone having a bad night’. I came in and asked for a table for one. There was only one other sitting at the time. I was spoken to in a way that made me feel that it was a nuisance that a table was going to need to be set up for me at that time (it was dinner time btw). I was given a menu. I made my choice and placed the menu back on the table (an indication that I was ready!). The waitress saw me do this. She then proceeded to pass my table 11 times (yes, I counted) without asking me for an order. Granted, two of those occasions was to serve the other table, the other 9 were just trips backward and forward doing stuff (although a few of these were not actually doing anything other than making me feel ignored!). On pass number 12 I asked if she was ready to take my order (seems the wrong way round!). All of this appears to be a bit petty on my part, doesn’t it? But the whole time, from start to finish (c.90 mins later when I left, after my meal), this young lady had a face on her like thunder. As she did the time before. The impression it left with me was immense, to the point that I am writing about it. Do I blame her? OK, yes in part. She is responsible for how she is perceived by the world around her. But what about the person who hired her, the person who trained her, the people working in more senior positions within the establishment? They can all see what we the customers see and ultimately feel. Their product and their brand is evaporating in front of them. That is it for me now. I aint going back.

So here is the message. If you are in a customer facing, service sector role, then a big part of your job description is not just to perform tasks, but it is to do so in a friendly, efficient and approachable (which means smiling as well, or at the very least not being a bear with a sore head) manner. This is part of your job description. If you aint doing it, then you aint doing what you are being paid to do! If this is something you are unable to do, then it doesn’t make you a bad person, it just means you are in the wrong job. Customer service is a performance. A customer doesn’t care about what’s going on in your personal life. The customer is coming into your workplace as part of their personal life in order to have an experience that makes them happy and/or feels as if they are being looked after and cared about. The food, in my example above, is only part of the product. The service is every bit as much a part of the product. If both don’t happen to be collectively good, then one will impact upon the other. Customer Service is the product. So, when you are at work in this type of environment you need to put on your happy face, Service with a smile!

Testimonials

Neil Middleton of ‘Time For’ helped us with bespoke professional development, advice and support for one of our team. He helped bring a fresh perspective with great results. I am writing this after several months of seeing ongoing benefits from his advice. Neil’s approach really worked well at teasing out the issues and finding sensible solutions, and all in plain English. Thoroughly recommended.
Kate Jeffreys, DirectorGeckoella Ltd
Neil’s leadership qualities, experience and communication style are abundantly evident as he guides you towards where you need to go. You are always his priority as a client
Janice PorterOwnerJ Porter Bookkeeping Services
Neil talked with us in detail about management techniques and the general running of our business, in order for our business to become more effective, stream-lined and productive. He did all of this in a calm and non-judgemental manner. We would highly recommend his services for helping businesses improve and reach their full potential
Paul WagstaffeDirectorNurture Ecology Ltd
Neil was fantastic help during discussions with him on establishing my new company, and his support and advice gave me a lot of confidence heading into the future
Lindsay MackinlayOwnerParnassus Ecology
Neil takes you through, step by step, how the annual accounts of company are constructed. He does this in a way that’s enjoyable and clear, and he gets everyone involved in the process
Jim KeoghBusiness PartnerWillis Networks
Your help has led us to being more dynamic and responsive as a business, resulting in increased profits and a greater market share
Andrew Hargreaves B.Sc.DirectorWildlife Provençale
Time For… exceeded my expectations. They listened and quickly identified the individual needs of our sales force and of our particular target audience
Scott GrantDirectorEIS Financial Services Ltd
The training provided by you gave us confidence in understanding our products and their unique selling points. Thank you for the invaluable contribution you have made
Darren RollettTechnical DirectorRoom 108 Ltd

Get in Contact

+44(0) 1324 640534
enquiries@timefor.co.uk
Find us on LinkedIn
Find us on Facebook

Keep in Touch

Receive notifications about new courses, latest news and our blogs.

Time For Bespoke Solutions Ltd
Registered Address: Unit 32, Haypark Business Centre, Marchmont Avenue, Polmont, Falkirk, FK2 0NZ
Registered in Scotland, No: SC295771
VAT Registration No: 256 3645 88
Copyright © 2015 · Privacy Notice & Legal Notices