ASPIRE LUXURY BUSINESS BREAKFAST
BUSINESS BREAKFAST ASPIRE LUXURY
TRAVEL STAFF SHOULD BE ‘GAZELLES ON RED BULL’ CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERTS REVEAL SECRETS ON HOW TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION,
BUILD TRUST AND THE ‘MAGIC FORMULA’ FOR ATTAINING TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE
Travel industry and hospitality staff need to be like “gazelles on Red Bull” as opposed to “elephants on Valium”, according to customer service guru Fred Sirieix.
Sirieix, general manager at Michelin-
starred restaurant Galvin at Windows and author of board game The Art of Service, told an Aspire Business Breakfast there was a “magic formula” for companies to attain top customer service, which involves identifying touchpoints during the “customer journey”.
He said: “The difference is to do it
so it becomes a system and to do it with heart. I want my reception staff to know what is happening, to be waiting for the guests, super-excited. If you had a choice of a gazelle on Red Bull or an elephant on Valium, I know which I’d choose.” For Sirieix, who co-hosted BBC2
series Michel Roux’s Service, it is critical that employees see customers before they see them; smile at clients before they smile at them; and say hello before they say hello to them. “You make that vital first impression,
you are building that trust,” he said. “Customers will only come back if you get a nine out of 10. The differentiator is
service. It’s how you make people feel.” Jo Causon, chief executive of
the Institute of Customer Service, highlighted five key areas to consider to achieve top customer experience: professionalism; how easy it is to do business with your company; dealing with problems; product and service quality; and timing.
“It’s understanding what the
customer is asking and being prepared to go beyond what they want,” she said.
As an example, she said small
gestures such as texting clients on holiday, could make all the difference. She said: “I will text my customer in Venice who has just finished his art course. He will be thrilled to bits. One quick text makes him feel that I am on the ball and I care.” Similarly, making sure clients’
One quick text makes my client feel I’m on the ball and I care
“It’s not necessarily about
responding immediately, it’s about responding appropriately. Don’t promise something you can’t deliver,” she said. Gold travel counsellor Lisa Hillyard,
who started her career in travel on a Youth Training Scheme more than 30 years ago, told the debate that being prepared to go “above and beyond” clients’ expectations was key to top customer service.
aspirations were met by checking even the smallest of details, was crucial. But she admitted: “Because I have
such loyal customers you almost can’t wow them anymore.”
Fred Sirieix, general manager of Galvin at Windows, said staff should ‘build trust’ with customers
aspire september 2014 —23
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