Most organisations suffer from a wariness of creativity stemming from the myths that I outlined last week. As a consequence, organisations typically don’t set out in an intentional and systematic way to build and maintain their creativity – and this is a wasted opportunity.

This fear of creativity (more…)

Smiling can offer instant benefits - as a recent bout of martial arts demonstrated. And although front line service staff generally don’t need to be black belts, an ability to smile is a great asset.

I returned to my Saturday-morning karate class this weekend after a 5-week absence (more…)

The UK launch of the Apple iPhone last Friday seems a good time to launch a series on innovation. Each week I will post on the topic of business innovation and, specifically, how it relates to the delivery of superior customer service.

Topics to be covered will include: (more…)

Superior customer service is largely about knowing what the basic elements of good service are – and delivering them consistently and well. A couple of examples from last week’s family holiday in Yorkshire illustrate how making people feel welcome sets the right tone for a good customer experience.

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Making a positive choice to deliver a Wow! service is a different strategy from avoiding an “Oww!” service. Unfortunately many organisations implicitly choose the latter by failing to positively choose the former.

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When I was setting up this site my intention was to provide a source of stories about superior service from my own and others’ perspective. So I was particularly pleased to find a book that contains just that. The only problem is that I didn’t write it. (more…)

I can’t hear the expression ‘the gift of feedback’ without hearing a slightly sarcastic tone of voice probably because I have heard it used in that fashion to refer to feedback that’s un-diplomatic, too blunt or just plain rude. However, for any organisation committed to superior customer service, encouraging and dealing effectively with feedback is one of the most powerful things to drive improvement. I’m continuing to provide feedback to organisations that I deal with and will share the best examples on this blog. Here’s one that illustrates some good practice. (more…)

Following my earlier post on Chez Bruce’s excellent customer service I met with chef-proprietor Bruce Poole to find out how he fosters a culture of service in his restaurant. His comments are an object lesson for businesses of all types aiming to raise the bar in service provision. (more…)

Putting customers second is possibly a counter-intuitive response to superior customer service but it’s at the heart of creating an emotional connection. The point is not to disregard customers in favour of e.g. shareholder value, profit or some other measure but to put the needs of employees before those of customers. (more…)

Customer surveys are a brilliant idea, no? No, not always. When you try to measure superior service and the emotional connection a customer has with you or your product, it can be difficult to get data that really helps pinpoint where and how to improve. In this article I will highlight some pitfalls in satisfaction surveys and measures and suggest some simpler approaches to measurement that will help drive the right kind of change. (more…)