Back on the motorway last week which means living in a world of Service Station pitstops once more.
Following my “Salute to Harry” post, I thought that would be the end of my hailing of Customer Service Heroes but then up popped Jeanette and Beatrice of the Eat & Drink Company at Birmingham North Service Station.
What a delight these two women were. We arrived well past breakfast time – “you still doing breakfast?” I asked meekly. I admit I was expecting the usual response to any request in the UK for breakfast after 11am: “stopped 30 seconds ago….” but I had forgotten that this was Birmingham, the home of customer services as far as I’m concerned. Jeanette, the smiling woman, spoke: “I’ll ask Bea – it should have finished but I’m sure she will rustle you up something”. I stopped in my tracks: I cant remember the last time I heard “I’m sure she will rustle you up something” this side of the Atlantic. .Bea was equally obliging “what do you need – eggs? bacon? sausages? the full hit?” My colleague had to be restrained from proposing and I from curtsying.
The chap behind me in the queue smiled at me while I smiled at Jeanette and Bea bantered with us all.
I know I slip into stereotyping here, but Birmingham Customer Service staff are the best ever – ever. My colleague, who is from Birmingham, weirdly derrides me about my “Brummie love fest” as he calls it whenever I am there but he has to admit that we have never had a customer service interaction that wasn’t just the best. I am convinced that the people of Birmingham could train the rest of the UK in good customer care.
Again, just a small interaction: in the big scheme of things – not groundbreaking but a constant reminder that it is the human interaction that remains the most powerful indication of good customer services – not whether the helpline answers in 6 rings or what the company’s mission statement is: its the Jeanettes and Beatrices that get an organisation a good reputation, nothing more – nothing less.
Eileen
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