A latte, a plug and good customer service

It was just a typical day for me working as a freelance marketer and trainer.  I had a meeting in the morning and then had another meeting later in the day.  It was pointless in returning home in the interim so it was a good excuse to have a coffee and catch up on a few emails.

I decided on a nice coffee shop and quickly found a car parking space nearby.  Laptop bag under my arm and I headed to the counter to order a latte with a fifteen.  When I reached the top of the queue, I placed my order and I asked where was the best place to sit so that I could recharge my laptop as my battery was running low.

The female member of staff took a quick look around the coffee shop which had 50+ seats. She then told me that their plugs were under the floor and that I couldn't use any as they were not underneath the tables.  It would be a health and safety hazard to have trailing leads.  Someone was already sitting beside their only one wall-mounted socket.  She asked me for my money and that was it as far as she was concerned.

I sat down and I was fuming.  The girl simply did not care that I was dissatisfied and made absolutely no effort to help me.  I spotted plug sockets on the floor and to eliminate any health and safety issues, she could have moved a table about 12 inches and I would have been happy.

What did I learn?

1. In today's technological age, we use lots of mobile digital appliances.  Many clever coffee shop owners have grasped the importance of the mobile business person and have plugs conveniently sited beside tables or benches to meet their needs.  Coffee shops who think their businesses can rely solely on the "ladies who lunch" have a lot to learn.

2. The girl's attitude was very poor.  She didn't care about me and the dying battery on my laptop.  She was more interested in having a chat with her colleague then meeting the needs of a customer in need of a recharge of both coffee and electricity.

3. Because of the lack of an accessible plug but primarily because of the poor staff attitude, I will not be back there.  Customers have lots of options where to spend their money and businesses have to entice us to visit their business.  Good food is not enough as the staff interaction often makes the difference when we are deciding whether to go back or not.

4. A lot of businesses still need WorldHost Customer Service Training! If you are interested in finding out more about this course, please drop an email on lynda@customersensetraining.co.uk.

All aboard the Holiday Inn Express, the first WorldHost hotel in Antrim

Smiles all around as Julie Stirling (Human Resources Manager at the Holiday Inn Express) receives the WorldHost Business Award from Gerry Brown (People 1^st Director of Operations) and Lynda Willis (WorldHost trainer from Customer Sense Training).  Looking on are, from left, Stephen Kingsbury, Ryan Cobb, Louise McKinstry (Tourism NI), Roisin McKee (People 1^st, NI Director) and Ana McColgan (WorldHost Master Trainer).

The Holiday Inn Express has become the first hotel in Antrim to receive WorldHost Recognised Business Status.  WorldHost is a customer service training programme that was developed for the Northern Ireland market by sector skills council, People 1st, in partnership with Tourism NI.  The programme offers delegates a comprehensive training toolkit that can be used across a wide variety of industries.
 
WorldHost Recognised Business Status is awarded to businesses that have trained 50% or more of their frontline staff using WorldHost training programmes and signed a commitment to delivering excellent customer service. The Holiday Inn Express, who have been training their staff on this programme over the last three years, have 90 bedrooms and are situated beside the busy Junction One outlet shopping complex in Antrim.

Gerry Brown, Director of Operations from People 1st, who visited the hotel recently to present their WorldHost Recognised Business award, said: “It is excellent news that the Holiday Inn Express in Antrim has embraced the WorldHost programme. WorldHost Recognised Business status is an official acknowledgement of the business’s investment to ensure that all their customers have a positive experience; receiving the attention and service they deserve from polite and courteous staff.”

On receiving the recognition, Julie Stirling, Human Resources Manager at the Holiday Inn Express commented: “We are passionate about service standards and are incredibly proud to have achieved WorldHost Recognised Business status.  When our customers see the WorldHost logo displayed in our business, they will know that we have made a commitment to delivering an exceptional experience for them.  Not only does this generate a positive buzz about the service we offer, but it helps to promote the hotel as a friendly and welcoming destination to both our leisure and business customers.”
 
Tourism NI is rolling out the WorldHost programme in Northern Ireland in partnership with sector skills council, People 1st to help businesses gain a competitive edge and position Northern Ireland as a World Class Tourist Destination.

Lynda Willis was the Aghalee-based licensed WorldHost trainer who trained the team from the Holiday Inn Express in Antrim.  “It has been a pleasure to work with the team at the Holiday Inn Express in Antrim over the last three years.  I’ve held a number of training courses there myself and have experienced their attention to detail as well as a genuine welcome.  They really deserve this award and it is a tangible sign to their customers of their long-term commitment to excellence service.”

What do Linda Lusardi and Bruce Willis have in common?

Any idea as to what Bruce and Linda have in common?

Yes I know they are both famous and they can act but they have at least one other thing in common.

The answer is me!!!  My first name is Lynda (as in Lusardi) and my surname is Willis (as in Bruce).  By associating my name with two celebrities, hopefully you will stand a better chance of remembering my name.

Remembering names is a real challenge for most people but it is so important to remember the names of your regular customers.  It builds rapport with them and helps to break down barriers.  It shows that you care about them as an individual and not just as a £ sign!

You may know the food or product which your customers buy regularly but make the effort to find out the names of your regular customers and develop a clue as to how you will remember their name.  But please don't tell the customer your clue!

There are other very good methods to remember names but you will have to come on a WorldHost course to find out. There are a few spaces left on open courses happening soon in Antrim and Moira but drop me a line to if you would like to find out more or check my website for more details
http://customersensetraining.co.uk/worldhost/

Floating your boat

Have you ever been to a restaurant and you've come away saying that it was just ok?  The surroundings may be lovely and the food was good but you just didn't feel terribly positive about the experience.  Perhaps it's hard to put your finger on what was wrong.

I was in a restaurant last weekend and it just didn't "float my boat".  And you've guessed it, the staff did not make me feel terribly welcome.  Yes, they were polite but they just were completed disinterested in me and my booking.  It wasn't particularly busy either.

Good food simply isn't enough.  Being polite isn't enough either.  Businesses need to love their customers and give them such a positive experience that customers will pick them when next in the locality.  I wasn't expecting a red carpet but I did expect some personality and interest especially when I tried to engage staff members in conversation.

By contrast, I was in another restaurant a few weeks ago.  Staff were really helpful and aimed to sort out all our requirements.  There was a bit of banter too and I gave a generous tip at the end.  I know that not every customer wants to be your best friend but a warm welcome is required for every customer.  A smile and genuine interest in people will go a very long way,  

Please try to be excellent and not just ok in how you deal with your customers this weekend.  Try to "float your customers' boats"!

Lesser Spotted Ulster

Do you remember the UTV programme called "Lesser Spotted Ulster?" where Joe Mahon takes a look at places and events "on the wild side"?  Well, I'm thinking of renaming my WorldHost courses as "Lesser Spotted Ulster" too as there are so many hidden gems on our doorstep that we don't even know exist.

Last week, I was in Newry with a great group from Seaview Guest House, Formula Karting, the Fun House, Sugar Supper Club, Heart and Home and Thee 1 Beauty Salon.  As part of our familiarisation trip, we stopped off at Flagstaff Adventures http://www.flagstaffadventures.co.uk/ which is just off the main Belfast -Dublin road before you come to the border.  Jason Cromie (who was also on the course) set up this business recently and gave us the opportunity to do some paintballing and off-road driving in 4x4s.

It was both scary and exhilarating as we were driven around the course on Flagstaff Mountain with breathtaking views of Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains.  The other course participants live in the area and didn't know that the business existed.  Everyone really enjoyed the experience and promised to spread the word to their friends and family.  We also were able to evaluate the customer service which we experienced there - it was excellent, by the way.

When we go away on holiday, we take time to explore the various tourist attractions in the locality but when we are at home, we simply never get around to it.  We need to get out more and visit the many hidden gems which are on our doorstep.  Then we can recommend them to our visitors and hopefully they will stay longer in our area.

As Spring has sprung (I hope!), take the opportunity to get out and about this weekend to visit some of your local tourist attractions in "lesser spotted Ulster".

Take care

Lynda

PS I know some of you will be disappointed if I don't tell you when my next courses are happening so here they are for you.

Lisburn - 11th and 18th March
Lurgan - 24th and 31st March
Armagh - 27th March and 3rd April

Click here for more details  http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/customer-sense-training-and-consultancy-983509711

The Twelve Days of WorldHost in 2013

We've had a fantastic year training amazing people at brilliant visitor attractions in Northern Ireland. We've picked a selection of photos that captured 2013 for Customer Sense Training and Consultancy and perhaps you are in some of them. Sorry if we have left anyone out but there were so many to choose from. 


Day 1: Crumlin Road Gaol

Day 2: Coca-Cola Factory, Lisburn



Day 3: WorldHost Business Recognition Award Ceremony at Good Cottages



Day 4: Fun House, Newry



Day 5: Lyons Karting, Hillsborough

Day 6: World of Owls, Randalstown



Day 7: Ulster Aviation Society, Lisburn



Day 8:
Formula Karting, Newry

 

Day 9: Hillsborough Castle



Day 10: Felting at the Irish Linen Centre and Museum



Day 11: Superdrive Motor Sports Centre, Portadown



Day 12: Tayto Castle, Tandragee

Thank you so much to each of the attractions, hotels, conference centres and coffee shops that we have visited this year.  We couldn't have got there without the amazing people in the coach companies that we have used too.  If you have sent people from your organisation on a course, we are very grateful of your support this year and we hope that you will send more people on WorldHost training courses in 2014.  The lovely people at the Department of Employment and Learning are still funding WorldHost until 31st March 2014.

Finally, we would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family.


Lynda, Heather, Jane, Sarah and Jonny
The Customer Sense Training and Consultancy Team

Are you getting?

“Are you getting?” was how I was greeted in a fast food restaurant recently.  It was accompanied by a scowl and it came after a three minute wait while I watched the disinterested employee put a few orders on to trays.

Was I a valued customer?  Definitely not.  Was I given a warm welcome?  Definitely not.  Will I return?  Let’s say, it won’t be top of my list of “must return soon” businesses.

This assistant in the fast food outlet failed on a number of reasons including:

1.      Although she was busy serving other customers, she didn’t acknowledge me at all and say “I will be with you in a minute.”  Instead, I had an uncomfortable wait while I wondered should I walk out and go to a competitor.

2.      She scowled at me – I wonder was she able to smile at all?  It’s not hard to smile at customers and let them know you are glad that you have come to your business.  It wasn’t the only restaurant I could have visited in the area.

3.      She said “Are you getting?”  That’s not even a proper sentence.  “Hello, how can I help you today?” would have been a much warmer and professional greeting.

Am I being fussy?  Perhaps so but if I was an American visitor arriving in Northern Ireland for the first time, I wouldn’t be too impressed with the greeting that I received.  It’s definitely not the way that we would welcome a good friend or family member to our workplace.

Over the next few weeks, it is silly season while the Christmas rush is on.  Even though you are really busy, try to remember the WorldHost golden rule of welcoming customers as they enter your premises with a friendly smile and a “Hello, how can I help you today?” instead of “Are you getting?”  Hopefully that will be part of the answer to get customers to come back to your business in the future.

PS Check our website (www.customersensetraining.co.uk) for details of WorldHost Customer Service Courses in January and February in Craigavon, Newry, Antrim and Lisburn.