2. What Does Exceptional Service Look Like? As part of reviewing our customer performance, we recently asked our clients, suppliers, partners and students two very important questions: What does exceptional service look like to you?; and Can you tell me about a time when you received exceptional service? The answers we received were interesting and varied, yet while service expectations are personal and subjective, clear trends have emerged on what customers would like to see from our business. And because these questions were phrased to be generic (i.e. they were not specifically directed at BurntToastÂŽ), the lessons that we learnt are just as applicable to you. So what were the most important factors that came through? A real interest in the customer, an understanding of their needs, and the ability to pre-empt their requirements on a consistent basis. And a smile doesnât go astray either. In fact, if your aim is to appeal to the younger demographic, their expectations of service are set so low that a smile will make your business stand out! Sad but true in the current service environment. The main findings from our survey are on the following pages. Iâd like to share them with you as a thank-you for contributing. I hope you find them useful. Wendy 2
3. 1. Get to Know Me Before you try to sell to me, spend time getting to know me so you understand my needs and those of my business. If I buy from you regularly, make the effort to remember how I like things to be made or delivered. Understand my potential â donât just look at my current status. Like you, I intend to grow. I want to develop real relationships with your staff, not just with the owners and managers. 3
4. 2. Show Me What I Need Train your sales staff â I expect them to be informative and helpful. Educate me on how to benefit most from the purchases that I make. Pre-empt what I need to do next and recommend appropriate actions â especially if Iâve bought from you before. Then deliver it in a way that makes me go âWOWâ, thatâs exactly what I needed! My needs will change over time â be responsive to my changing situation. 4
5. 3. Delight Me! Provide me with support, assistance or information without expecting anything in return. Create and deliver little surprises that make me feel special. Any time I work with you, deliver at least one unexpected and valued element. If you do this consistently Iâll reward you with my loyalty. 5
6. 4. Be Professional Be friendly! Approachable staff are essential. Show real attention to detail. Demonstrate detailed knowledge that adds value or solves a problem. Complete small tasks with as much passion and enthusiasm as the bigger tasks. After all, I am a person not a wallet. Be honest. If you canât deliver what Iâm asking for, say so! Better still, recommend a reputable alternative. 6
7. 5. Go The Extra Mile The solutions you provide should add value to my business or my lifestyle. Answer my questions before I ask them, especially when Iâm making difficult decisions and may not know the right questions to ask. Offer great suggestions that I may not think of for myself. Show willingness to travel to my premises. Value-add â go the extra mile to make me feel special. 7
8. 6. Deliver What You Promise I expect timely delivery, regardless of the product or service that Iâm purchasing. Ensure that everything is working and in the right place at the right time. Keep me up to date with timely, organised correspondence â especially if thereâs a delay or problem of any kind. 8
9. 7. Follow Me Up I may have questions but Iâm sometimes too shy or polite to ask them without being prompted. Follow me up regularly, but donât be pushy â genuine enquiries to see how Iâm progressing would be great. 9
10. For those who love the details. These findings are not based on a scientific study. Instead, they are based on feedback obtained through survey responses, in-class discussions at Cairns JCU, and informal interviews. The information contained in this briefing is intended to be of a general nature only, yet provide enough insight to be meaningful in a business context. Below are the details of our survey participants. Total Responses: 36 responses from a maximum of 44 (82% response rate) 16 responses are from surveys while 20 responses are from focus groups and face-to-face interviews 27 respondents were female (75%) and 9 respondents were male (25%) Industries: Tourism and Hospitality x 3 (8.5%) Retail / Consumer Goods x 2 (5.5%) Professional Services x 11 (30.5%) Marketing Students x 20 (55.5%) Sector: Government Sector x 2 (5.5%) Private Sector x 34 (94.5%) Relationship to BurntToastÂŽ Marketing: Current Clients x 5 (13.9%) Former Clients x 6 (16.7%) Strategic Partners x 5 (13.9%) Students of various ages x 20 (55.5%) 10
