Customer service: would you give UK hospitality a gold star or a black mark?
I was interested to read about People 1st's launch, earlier this week, of a Gold standard customer service campaign aimed at ensuring the customer experience for visitors to London before, during and after the 2012 Olympic Games is as positive as possible.
Their release quotes from a recent Square Meal Restaurant Guide survey, which revealed that 50% of UK diners find fault with the restaurant service they receive.
The campaign is backed by London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, who said:
"For the next few years leading up to the 2012 Games and beyond London will be the focus of the world. We are expecting a huge increase in the many millions of tourists who currently visit our capital from abroad and from around the UK and we must grasp the opportunity to ensure we offer a first class welcome to everyone – a welcome they will never forget."
What do you think of service standards across the country? I think they can be patchy. recently I went to a pub behind Piccadilly Circus and received such an astonishingly frosty 'welcome' at the bar that I immediately turned around and walked out again. And a few months ago, as I approached reception at a hotel in Scotland to check in, I was greeted with absolute silence from the person behind the desk. It was a bizarre and uncomfortable few seconds - I waited for her to acknowledge me, she waited for me to introduce myself - that would sit well as a case study on how not to greet customers in a management training video.
What and where was the best customer service you have received recently? And the worst?