08000 82 70 10

Do You Go The Extra Mile for Your Customers

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about poor customer service experience, the damage this can do to the reputation of a business and how it can negate innovative marketing efforts.

I now want to share with you a recent personal experience of how going the extra mile in customer service can go a very long way to rescuing what could have been a very negative experience.

Last Friday we went out for a meal with some friends (coincidentally the couple who were involved in the previous experience).  We took a taxi to Portishead, about 6 miles from us, to a restaurant called Larsens that had been recommended to us.  We had checked out their website and found that it very helpfully includes all their menus.  In this current difficult economic climate, I believe restaurants who make good use of Internet marketing and go to the effort to put their menus online gain a definite edge over the competition.

We already had a positive view of the owner, because when we had originally tried to book and she did not have a table, she took the trouble to ring back a day later to let us know a table had become free after receiving a cancellation . Our table was booked for 8.00 but we arrived a little early, so we were invited to take a seat near the entrance until a table became free.  It soon became clear though that this was not going to be for some time. Whilst we were in no particular hurry, we did have a taxi booked for 10.20 and our local taxis aren’t the most flexible.  Anyway, by about 8.30 we insisted on explaining our concerns to the owner, Sharon, who as head chef was in the kitchen.  She was absolutely charming, totally apologetic and we were all on first name terms straight-away.  She explained that one or two parties had brought along extra diners without notifying her and this had caused considerable logistical difficulties in her very small restaurant.  She was doing her best to get us seated as quickly as possible.  Whilst we were prepared to accept the delays we emphasised there could be an issue with the taxi.  Her response was to offer us a lift home if need be, which took us by surprise

We eventually sat down to eat at 9 and Sharon treated us like VIPs and personally oversaw every aspect of our meal.  As expected, when we rang the taxi firm to request a delay, they said they couldn’t collect us until after midnight, so we cancelled.  Sharon waived all corkage fees on our BYO drinks and offered us all second helpings of the delicious Goat Curry we all had ordered.  I took this offer up and virtually received another meal!  When it was time to go, she personally drove us to our homes, the last of which was over 8 miles from her restaurant.

In stark contrast to the pub in the previous article, instead of alienating four customers, Sharon’s efforts to retrieve the situation produced four advocates for her restaurant, who have all indicated they will return again.  Perhaps we’ll book an earlier table though next time!