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Posts for August, 2010

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  1. 0

    I’m stressed…the ultimate “Bale out”!!

    Added on 27th August 2010 by Fiona Yorke in Stress

    Cat in a Wheelie Bin…is it too easy to blame stress for ‘bad behaviour’?

    We are avid lovers and owners of animals at Ultimate U – dogs, cats and fish feature in our team’s menagerie!

    So, we were all mightily shocked by Mary Bale’s actions this week as she first appeared to befriend Lola but then put her into a wheelie bin.  We understand that she may lose her job with the Royal Bank of Scotland as a result.  Her reason for doing this act was that her father has been very ill.  One of the questions we are deliberating here is, how does your father being ill motivate you to hurt another creature? 

    There is evidence that if you’re experiencing a stressful set of circumstances that your behaviours can become different to the norm and sometimes you are not aware of how you are coming across to others. 

    Our concern is that there are people like Mary Bale who use stressful circumstances as an excuse for inexcusable behaviour.  We have seen a trend emerging for this tactic and we think that sometimes it is absolutely that – a tactic to get people out of a tight spot.   This in turn can diminish the experiences of people who are in genuine need of help with their situations – it ridicules stress as a serious issue.

     What do you think to this?  Do you think Mary was in control of her behaviour on that day?  Is she using her father’s ill health as an excuse?

  2. 1

    What is great customer service?

    Added on 18th August 2010 by Fiona Yorke in Customer Service

    Snip, snip, snip – a brilliant hairdressing experience!

    I think my experiences are fairly typical when I say that excellent customer service that leaves you feeling delighted are often hard to come by.  Doubly challenging for me, as I train organisations on this stuff, and in some ways I am even harder to please!  So, when something really good happens I want to celebrate it.  I would like to share with you my latest hairdressing experience. 

    My hairdresser of 7 years had decided to move on from my local salon, so I felt that it was time for a change.  Now, maybe you are with me when I say that your barnet is quite important: it frames your face, can enhance your image and maybe even increase your self-esteem; so getting it wrong is not an option.  I was therefore naturally anxious about trying somewhere new.  I decided on Baroque in Harrogate (some distance away from Richmond but worth it, I thought, if they were really good). 

    I was warmly welcomed by the reception staff and promptly taken upstairs to meet the team who would be creating the magic! The rapport built by Hayley and Rebecca was excellent. They asked some really good questions like: “What impression would you like your hair to give?” and the usual, “How much time do you want to spend on your style everyday”.  They listened well and advised on a complete re-style (very worrying as I started to think “does my current style look a bit rubbish?” and then the, “can I trust them thoughts” crept in). 

    My fears were unfounded as I left feeling absolutely re-invigorated, re-styled and dare I say it – fabulous and I actually believe I left the salon walking a little taller than usual.

    So, what were they magic ingredients?  For me, it was the treating me as an individual, really caring about what they were doing and completely listening and responding with empathy to my queries.  There were the other bits that were also fantastic such as the complimentary hand massage and the endless cappuccinos I consumed.

    I’d love to hear from any of you out there who have had a fantastic customer experience – what do you think makes exceptional service? 

    Who are the customer service heroes in your area and why?