A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you a story about appalling customer service from Mini, and the damage abdicating your accountability for outsourced suppliers, can do to your brand. 

So this week I thought I’d balance that dismal tale out with a couple of great stories I heard recently.

Two great examples of putting the customer at the heart of your business, and putting your heart into wowing them with your service.

I love stories like this…

A month or so ago, on a gorgeous summer evening, my sister Jo and a friend were out riding and decided to stop at a local hotel to see if they could get a drink. Neither was particularly smart (dress-wise) and Rothley Court in Leicestershire is a very smart place, so they weren’t sure if they’d be served, but thought they’d try their luck anyway.

Her friend went in to get the drinks while Jo held the horses and soon he returned empty handed, looking downcast - ‘They’ve asked us to leave’, he said.

Then his face broke into a big grin, as a waiter appeared behind him carrying a tray with two drinks and behind him… a waitress carrying a tray of chopped carrots for the horses!

Great story…great customer experience.  But the next one is even better!

On returning from a lovely holiday in the US, a young couple realised that their little girl had left her favourite teddy, Dobson, at the hotel.

The dad comforted his distraught toddler by telling her that Dobson was a very hard-working teddy so they had let him stay on for a break.

He contacted the hotel, who had found the teddy, and he said there was no rush to return it and shared the story he’d told his daughter.

Over the course of the following week, much to the little girl’s delight, a daily e mail arrived from Dobson, telling her what a lovely holiday he was having, with pictures of him, on the beach, by the pool in his shades, on the spa table with cucumber on his eyes…

The team at the hotel had not only found him and sent him back to his owner, but found a way to delight a young customer, and possibly secure their business for life.

And do you think the couple have told many people their story?

Delighting the Customer, Going the extra mile, or as I heard it referred to recently, Sprinkling the Pixie Dust, costs a business very little - often nothing at all - but the repercussions on them as a business, their return for putting a bit of heart into their service, can be huge.

Just as the Mini story illustrated how a bad service story can spread like the ripples from dropping a pebble in the pond, so can a story of great service.

What will your story be this week?

Do one thing: Sprinkle a little Pixie Dust for one of your customers today.

And if you want help in creating the systems that will deliver a great experience for your customers, check out our 'made for you' resources here.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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I was asked an interesting question the other day, 'Are you a gut or data person?' 'Do you make decisions intuitively or do you like facts to support them?'  

'Neither' was my reply, 'I'm a blend of the two'.

We all have to trust our gut in life and in business. That feeling where you just know something’s right for you, or you take to a person immediately without knowing much about them. A gut feel based, to a degree on knowledge and experience you’ve built up over the years and stored in your subconscious, to be tapped into when you need it. 

But I also like to manage by fact. I like to know how systems work in my business, whether it’s my CRM system or my accounting software, I need to understand it.  And I need to know my business facts and figures - how much I've made, how much I've spent, whether I need to spend money on advertising or on developing new products.

I may have a gut feel for what’s working but I really want to know the facts and figures.(How many who go onto Dragons Den don't!) I want to know how everything flows in my business so I know where to invest and what to ditch.  I need my data to understand what's working and what isn't, so I can get value for money and maximise my budget.

On the same day I was asked the 'guts or data' question, I was talking to someone who said she didn’t do processes because she was a creative.

Like many, she believed that the two are mutually exclusive. Like many, she didn't get that Process gives you the platform of consistency that frees you to unleash your creativity for your next project, for growth, or even for a whole new venture.

Steven Spielberg and J.K. Rowling have systems - for writing, for producing, for their PR, advertising and marketing. There is a system to writing a book, and  a series of processes that make up that system -research, planning, plotting, writing, editing, re-writing, proof reading, jacketing, marketing. 

Process doesn't diminish creativity, it liberates it, and brings the end result to market.

Systems and creativity go hand in hand - both essential in delivering a great Customer experience. Your Customers want the razzamatazz, but they want the basics first - they want consistency.

How consistent is your business? Do you know?

Do one thing: Start managing by fact.  Know your key numbers.  Understand the flow of your business. And start aiming for consistently excellent performance.

And if you want to know a little more about how to do that, download this!

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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It’s that time again, the start of a new school year.
For some parents there will be a sigh of relief as children get back into their routine, for others there will be an anxious wait to hear how the first day went at a new school.
I can still remember my first day, even though it was mmmm... a few years ago, playing with toys and a particularly scary skittle clown, I recall. Funny what stays with you.
There's just something about first days!
Can you remember yours? Or your first day in a new job, a new role?
How did you feel? Anxious, excited, scared?
And what about at the end of that first day? Was it memorable...for all the right reasons?
You may have someone starting with you today. How memorable will their first day be?
Will your new team member go home feeling full of drive and energy dying to tell their other half, mum or dad what a great day they’ve had and how excited they are about the future?
First impressions count, and that applies to your team members too. Too many employers seem to think, ‘Well I’ve given them a job why do I need to impress them’.  They haven't thought through what they need them to know, or more importantly, how they want them to feel, by the end of the day.
There's no structure, and for many their first day will be sitting watching someone else work, perhaps reading policies or listening to someone tell them every detail about the company history and what everyone does day to day.  Some will be left to their own devices while one of the team finds something for them to do.
Even those who've put some thought into a first day can still get it wrong, thinking that they have to give information, when whats more important is to give inspiration.
We need to start with a new team member as we want them to continue; inspired, energised and engaged!
As Dr Seuss would say, ‘Today is your day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way’.
That is how you want your new team member feeling on their first day, ready to climb their mountain, with you there with the ropes, the harness and the map to motivate and support them every step of the way.
First days matter, and like every other area of your business, having a system for running them, will keep them consistent, memorable, and a hugely positive experience for every new member of your team.
Do one thing: Grab yourself some fresh ideas and a 'made for you' system for Making a First Day Memorable right HERE, and be the employer you wish you'd had.
For further support and guidance for building an engaged and high performing team, download our free Busy Business Owner's Guide to Removing the People Pain

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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