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.”