Add Value

Some might say it's just their job, others might say it's just customer service, but I have to say I believe it's called "adding value".

This morning, after a rather rude awakening by a clock I didn't know had an alarm on it (sorry honey) and subsequently attempting to go back to sleep for an hour, I headed into the city. I love the city in the very early morning. Not only do you have your choice of parking spot, you get to see wonderful examples of both good and bad customer service. As usual I was way too early for the meeting I had partly organised (others had had a hand in the today's meeting you understand). Anyway,. that's just me - always like to be the first through the door to meet and greet the people who are coming to see us, and it means I can get organised and set up.

But because I really was too early even for me, I stopped off at a tiny little bakery I didn't know existed to have a coffee. The smell of the baked cakes and pastries straight out of the oven at 6.30 was phenomenal - and no, I didn't buy anything but the coffee - and for those in Perth - Terrace Bakery (opposite DOME) had coffee for $3 and it was hot, fresh and not bad at all. But the smile on the face of the gentleman serving me, as well as the polite, "If you take a seat I'll bring it over to you" made the experience even better for me.

But that wasn't the reason behind the message today.

The hotel where we were holding our function this morning was a place just along the road from the 5 stars, and a couple of stars down, but you would never know. The welcome board was prominent, the room clean and easy to find and when I walked into the room, a colleague who also likes to arrive before the guests was there along with a member of the functions staff. Normally those kinds of people are here, there and everywhere - not him. He stayed with us all morning, replenishing supplies without asking, quietly "doing his job". But not only that, the functions manager who you don't normally see, was there too and introduced herself and the trainee who would also be helping to look after us. I have to say, the food was superb and the coffee hot and plentiful - and if there are 2 things breakfast seminar attendees like it's good, hot food and lots of coffee. They weren't disappointed and neither were we.

It was the little things that made the biggest difference to us.

* The attention to detail
* The attentiveness
* The genuine smiles at 6.30am
* The fact that we weren't rushed or felt the need to hurry

And a hundred other things that said - when we next run a breakfast seminar I know who I'm going to call.

I was also fortunate to see and speak to one of the readers of the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine - no it wasn't a Motivate Me seminar, but an industry one of which we are both part of. I loved her comment "those annoying messages you send out" - they're working then!! and the comment "It's great to see things don't always go smoothly for you" ... of course they don't and that's why I like to write from a very personal perspective rather than the high-fallutin motivational messages other organisations tend to send out. There is value in the high-fallutin don't get me wrong, it's just I like you to know that I do stuff up and things get stuffed up on occasion - it's not that it happens, it's how you and I cope with the stuff ups - that's important, along with the motivation to keep going even when you don't want to.

Now you know I am going to give you some homework don't you.

Could you honestly say of the work you did today / this week that you went above and beyond people's expectations? The hotel and function staff did today, and I hope so did we (the organisers of the event);
Can you make some small but significant changes to the way that you work so you do go above and beyond even your own high expectations?

I hope so, because to me it's those little things that can mean the most