As 2019 comes to a close and many of our clients start to wind down to a well earned break, it is time that we focus our energy into creating the business that we want in 2020. Now for some this may mean repeating what you did well in 2019, however, for many it is all about tweaking, reviewing and assessing strategies, systems and what we really want from our business.

Finally after twenty five years of business I am taking my own advice that I give to my clients, to make the time to look at my business and to make sure I tick off my To Do List, research and even surpass my targets while still being able to function happily as a wife, mum and a nanna.

Spring cleaning the office recently I found some notes at the bottom of a draw which I had obviously put there to not lose, however, they became buried under equally if not more important paper work and therefore the great ideas that I had scrawled across the paper are still there on the paper and had not been put into...

During the peak festive season many customers seem to be more demanding and unreasonable, deliveries take longer, wait times increase and inevitably tempers begin to flare.

Here are 5 tips to ensure your team are prepared for the Christmas rush.

1. Listen- Acknowledge the best way to gain customer satisfaction is to listen. Those customers that are truly dissatisfied are bound to let you know! Those in the customer service team need to recognise those that are disgruntled and offer an immediate solution ensuring the customer feels heard, their feedback is valued and overall avoiding an escalated complaint. Having pre-prepared solutions, strategies, and leverages to the most common scenarios is the best way to your prepare your team.
   These solutions are best generated in quieter months and learnt from focus groups, finding these issues ahead of peak season! Team members then feel equipped and competent when ‘that’ customer presents themselves.
2. Remain Positive-...

I’ve put together for you a QUICK 5 minute exercise to:

1. Determine all of the touch points during a single transaction with your customer.
2. Reveal the underlying gaps in your customer experience that you can work on straight away.

For those of you who have worked with me before, you’ll know that this is all a fraction of the exclusive service I’ve put together for your business and venue – but for those of you who are new here, I’d love for you to jump on board and give your own business a mini service audit.

Step one: Take out a piece of paper and draw a line horizontally on the paper, then add all the touch points during a single transaction with your customer. Let’s call it the Dimensions of Service.

Step two: Grab three different coloured highlighters (red, green, yellow) and highlight each point to reflect the service standard. Here’s the key you’ll refer to:

Red – Negative...

In my company the major use of technology was creating our proprietary software back in 2007 and then launching the OARS App in December, 2018.  The App has provided a tool to discuss report results, commend frontline team members for their excellent service or review service opportunities while on the floor without taking the employee back to the office to review on their desktops. Our technology has given them the freedom of face to face connection with their frontline teams.

The one key factor we have to consider when it comes to technology, even though it results in consistency and efficiency, is that it can be at the cost of personalised service. We hear so much about the disconnection that people have with each other and the rise of loneliness, we all need to take the time to get up, meet and connect with each other.  Emails and phone calls are great, but nothing will take the place of a face to face meeting where you can share a story, laugh,...

Do you find that so often the focus is on Customer Service and the Customer Experience?

So do I. In fact, I find that too often, this is the ONLY priorities businesses are making.

Do you know what’s JUST as important? It’s the Internal Customer Service, the service afforded to each team member from their peers and management.

And you know what, there really is a link between Engaged Customers and Engaged Team Members through Service.

Over the past two decades my company has developed thousands of assessments and surveys to measure the link, and believe me, there is overwhelming data that certainly confirms that if a team member is engaged, then the engagement they have with the customer moves the interaction from “SO SO” to “WOW”, going above and beyond their expectations.

Let me ask you: What do you do to engage your team members?  What service are you providing your team? Are you providing anything for your team members?

...

Have you ever been waiting to meet someone and as you stood there with your hand outstretched they said “I’ve heard a lot about you”!

For a moment your mind goes into hyper speed replaying every conversation and Facebook post hoping that what they heard was good?  My parents always used to say to me “your reputation precedes you” and how very true that is.

Your personal reputation and credibility along with the reputation and credibility of the organisation you work for or own is absolute paramount in today’s business world where more than ever personal recommendations are the strongest influencer in customers decision making.

Nobody will recommend any person or business that has a bad reputation or lacks credibility. What is unfortunate though is that customers have long term memories and seem to always remember the “poor service or the lack of their favourite dish on the menu” and then repeat these stories for years to...

Recently I have been speaking to a number of CEO’s and even presenting workshops on this topic as there is a definite change happening when it comes to planning for a “career” in the intergenerational workforce we now have. Earlier this year one of my clients was so proud and excited to announce that they had 5 generations within their team, I loved how they celebrated this with their team and customers as it is an amazing achievement. Since then my conversations with clients and others in business, is how do we manage these teams that have those who are nearing retirement, set in their ways and don’t want change and those who are seeking the “next thing”, how do we engage them while being mindful that this last group is highly likely they will be with you for a “short time not a life time”.

Career path progression is different for each person it’s not purely their generation, we all know that the workforce and workplace...

In EP17 of my podcast Middle Management Movement, I interviewed Toni Clarke – long term Board member and Past Chair of the Foodservice Consultants Society International, Asia Pacific. We chatted about UberEats, Pop Ups and Precinct dining trends and from this conversation it got me thinking about what we are offering and is it meeting the needs and expectations of our diners presently and in the future in our Clubs, Hotels and Restaurants?

Presently, there are over 15,000 dining establishments partnering with UberEats around Australia as well as many other home food delivery services. In 2016 while attending the National Restaurant Association trade show in Chicago I had the opportunity to see Jason Droege (Head of Uber Everything) present on the concept and how they were expanding throughout the world, which obviously they have successfully done and like so many other similar services continue to “pop up” in both cities and regional areas.

The change...

Have you ever read about a restaurant, lingered over the pictures and devoured each word until the craving became so strong that you had to go and experience it yourself?

Well I did!

However, it was not just a cook book or a magazine article that really got me hooked it was a book that was published by the owner. It was his vision for his business, his staff and the management practices totally focused on customer service that really interested me.

With the philosophy and wisdom of the restaurant owner ringing in my ears, who incidentally owns approximately 20 restaurants of various food styles I boarded a plane for New York.

Now before you ask, yes I was going to New York anyway for a conference (and shopping!). However, I wanted to experience first hand this man’s wonderful team of customer service practitioners & value adding demi-gods for myself.

The first impression was on the telephone when I rang to confirm my booking. My exuberant voice was met with a tone...

Over the last decade I have spent a lot of time flying from here to there for business or leisure, but mostly business so a lot of the time it’s by myself and I have found it is most rewarding because you get to meet the most amazing people. Many a conversation has been started over sharing a salt shaker at breakfast to end up having dinner or a coffee to hear about their business or the company they work for. Being an entrepreneur I have made some wonderful connections through just having a conversation, no hard sales pitch, genuine from the heart chat.

It’s surprising no matter where you are from in the world the same issues with clients, staff and suppliers happens to everyone and it’s always to have a good laugh or to perhaps to learn a new way to handle a situation the next time by sharing your experiences.

Of course you always have to consider your safety , however, be adventurous don’t sit at the table scrolling through Facebook or emails, look...