We remember people and how people make us feel. I am really missing spending time with people at the moment, we are all feeling that need. It makes the contact we do have with others so much more important, and my gosh, the way some people make you feel is quite questionable
As a wedding planner I understand that making someone feel calm, content, special is fundamental to the whole process. It is not only my job to meet a clients requirements for their wedding but more importantly, I need to fulfil their needs entirely, creating and protecting their experience. It is my responsibility to deliver a customer service experience that supersedes the clients dreams, as much as it is to deliver a breath-taking design, both go hand in hand.
I have lived in a world of two halves during this pandemic. One where customer service is the highest priority and one where the customer’s needs are not considered at all. Outstanding service is crucial in the hospitality sector. If you receive poor service in a restaurant, you are unlikely to return. As we moved out of lockdown and the world opened up, hospitality turned on it’s heels, working hard to meet legislation and ensure the safety of customers and themselves. My experience of the service they delivered was exceptional. Each establishment not only ensured my safety but they managed to keep the experience alive and strong. The need to experience a good service is fundamental in all industries; isn’t it?
We have been extending and renovating our home this year, due to Covid we had a 12-week delay. Due to poor service we have no end date in sight. We have had excellent service from a couple of the contractors we instructed, they have delivered a service surpassing our expectations and we will highly recommend their business to others. But we have experienced very poor service from many of the others. We can live with most situations and brush off quite a lot of negativity and we are patient people. We understand life, people and what a strange world we currently find ourselves in. But what we cannot live with is being treat incredibly poor by people we are paying, to provide us with a service. Contractors who put all the expectations on us as customers but take no responsibility themselves, contractors who place their needs significantly higher than the customers, their clients, contractors who have no understanding of what customer service means at all. It creates anxiety and distress and is damaging to their clients lives and absolutely wrecks the experience. Going forward we will not recommend these contractors because of the poor customer service provided, because they turned an exciting experience into a nightmare. We will tell people exactly how they made us feel, alongside singing the praises of those that helped and worked with us, making the journey so much more pleasant.
A friend recently posted a request for a recommendation based purely on the quality of service provided. They were looking for a solicitor to help them through the conveyancing process. They did not ask for the best conveyancer, they asked for someone to help their family, someone who is competent in their role whilst delivering outstanding customer care, someone who ensures the client feels cared for, that their family needs are respected, that they feel safe and happy in the process and that they can enjoy this exciting chapter of their lives with minimum stress. Being efficient, talented, skilled is one thing, possessing those qualities alongside outstanding service creates the ultimate experience.
The experience is precious. How we are made to feel matters significantly, now more than ever. Life is all about the experience and we hope to enjoy it, we don’t want it to be turbulent and distressing. Whether it is a wedding, purchasing a home or a meal out, we remember how we felt in that moment and that moment is defined by the quality of the service received.