Truth Behind “B&B’s Performing at the Same Level as 5 Star Accommodation Providers”

I had the pleasure of having some time away with my six year old son this week. We were visiting friends and family in Suffolk and required a place to stay over the weekend. So I started my normal search for branded accommodation in the area. Booking a branded operation always seemed the safest idea as you know what to expect no matter what location. However, it would seem quite a few other travellers had taken it upon themselves to also visit family on the same day as I as all branded options were fully booked.

Nightmare! I had committed to family and now have to say we will not be making it due to accommodation availability, then in the corner of my eye I spotted my 1998 AA B&B guide. So the journey started again, looking on the internet for B&B’s to stay at. The first one did not take children, under the age of fourteen, but said “no” really nicely. The next one was full and then I called, The Firs Farmhouse, in Monk Soham. The usual process expectation of the traditional internet credit card payment was parked and was replaced with a friendly voice, asking questions about a range of things, which made me, feel wanted as a guest. Then, an email arrived with some details of how to find the B&B and to drop a call with expected time of arrival, which I did. The same experience but a different voice, which finished off wishing me a safe journey and a sense that nothing was too much trouble. Now I was really excited to stay. I had that little voice saying do not raise your expectation to higher, it will probably be the same as other times where customer service shines and promises, but then punishes me for dreaming. This combined with the research report from the Hospitality Benchmark programme, which had a headliner showing, “B&B performing at the same level as 5 Star.” Really did have my expectations soaring far higher than I would like to admit.

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Was I in for a treat? The heading suggests yes. Well, this is what happened the journey begins, DVD of Hook playing in the background, as my son James settles in for the journey. He is well catered for, with movie sweets and drinks by his side. I am in the front behind the steering wheel, with trusty Tom Tom pointing this way and that. Finally we arrive at The Firs Farmhouse. The light had faded and now we see a period farm house with a big door opening and a smiling couple walking towards the car. I get out and greeted with a handshake and a smile, wow they both direct engagement with James, who is now a live wire from having sat in the car for over three hours. I am in that post driving mind, focus and vision returning to normal. In my heart I feel relieved that his energy had not put them on a back foot, as I reach to get our over-night bag out, there is a hand reaching to take it from me. I decline the offer as I normally do, So far so good.

Then the surprises start to move me in a way that does not happen very often in the UK. Expectations are being delivered in product, behaviour and procedure. As the Programme Director responsible for Customer Service at the National Skills Academy for Hospitality, I am always looking at customer service delivery and behaviour (see previous blog) Therefore, I am very rarely wowed by the current standard of customer service, but here was a gem unfolding similar to the experiences at Bovey Castle, where there were, “Wellies” for guest to explore the world in. So where is the personality and touch, well the welcome was genuine and warm, all potential questions where offered answers before I had a chance to ask them. Then product placement with thought and personalisation, a Lindt Reindeer medium size was sitting on the dresser. I knew that was not a normal welcome and was aimed at my son, who spotted it like a hawk. Then, the need for a cup of tea overwhelmed me. Those of you who drive a lot know this moment. Guess what…? I was now being offered one and so was James, but hot chocolate was his usual drink for bed. Expecting to need to lower his expectations and get ready to disappointing him, the offer came back that it will take a while, but they would be more than happy to do it, as that was also their grandson’s favourite and they have some available. Then, the tea was not the basic variety, but premium brand and the cookies joined the party of excellence. As we settled in drinking our tea and hot chocolate on a comfortable sofa with all the modern expectations, flat screen and all the channels needed. I ask myself, am I really in the UK or did we take a wrong turn? The milk was fresh in a bottle that was designed for milk. Then the bathroom, towels were of a five star standard and the toiletries were not basic or simple. The other unexpected was fresh bathrobes in the cupboard. It does exist I am in that happy place. Where expectations and reality converge to create a rainbow of excellence, the promise has been delivered.

After a great night sleep, breakfast – take a look at the personal touch, what else would you want to know?

Yes, the milk in the milk jug was hot for the coffee. There was warmth and a level of service that was so real and truly personal for both of us. Hot chocolate was offered again to James as he declined the tea and coffee offers. Let’s take our hats off to the B&B that demonstrated excellence. I have celebrated excellence when experienced at Bovey Castle, so felt compelled to do it for The Firs Farmhouse. They even allow you to bring your own wine or bubbly and provide glasses and a bottle opener for your convenience, yet again demonstrating world class customer service through design and thought, with procedures and processes all making the guest the number one priority. Five star experiences at B&B prices do exist.

Thank you for making a stay exceptional! If you are looking for a break you can book The Firs Farmhouse, Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Monk Soham, Suffolk England, IP13 7HD for a current rate of £60 - £70 for a double. Their telephone number is 01728 627969. They are also on Four Square and their email address is jean.richardson2@btopenworld.com

Does Customer Service Training Deliver Tangible Returns on Investment!

It all starts in my view with this fantastic piece of research:

World Class Customer Service.... for 2012 and beyond, Research and recommendations regarding how best to raise customer service standards across the visitor economy in advance of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

In my capacity as the Programme Director for Customer Service within the National Skills Academy for Hospitality I have taken the findings and recommendations from a pan sector research document and spent time and resources finding a solution which fulfils the findings of this research.

So, how did I start?

Yes, I read the report three times, each time highlighting what was key to taking a page in a document and bringing it to life. I then engaged with a programme developer, who had a track record and was able to demonstrate industry return on investment. I had the vision of what it would look like and integrate with a solution of making training live beyond the one or two day classroom experience.

What next?

Piloting and this was a lot of fun with elements of pure pain and frustration. The main challenge at the time was to take a product that had structure and substance and ensure consistence with personalisation, through facilitation not training. The dilemma is if one person is able to facilitate the course then great, but how do we take that beyond that individual. The solution Train the Facilitator was born with assessment and Licensed Facilitators, which only has a success rate of around 40%, with feedback from Quality Panel and the Board that enabled the individuals that deliver the World Class Customer Service to be verified as excellent.

How did I get to a name?

The original name was “Gold Standard” Customer Service, then National Skills Academy Hospitality Customer Service Level 2 and Level 3. Then finally, I did what all slightly mad people do. I trained and developed the long standing short course solution experts – Welcome to Excellence who deliver Welcome Host and asked them to give our programme a name, which came back as, World Class Customer Service Professional and Coach courses. Thus, I feel totally justified in saying that these sets of programmes deliver exactly what was required by the research document and take the journey of Customer Service to a higher level than the excellent job that Welcome to Excellence have delivered over the last 13 years.

So, what a course that delivers on the research? Why should you be enthused to send your team on the courses or embed it within your own organisation?

This is where the real magic comes to life from those pages on that research document. The organisations that we have delivered and embedded into their Customer Service training and therefore culture have seen growth in financial terms. People 1st had to verify the qualification solution delivered what they said it would in their research. This report is about to be released, but the drafts show that the delivery method and the programme created by the National Skills Academy for Hospitality delivers a Return on Investment, which will be illustrated independantly by the ROI Academy.

Where are we up to now?

We have negotiated Awarding Body rates that make these courses financially competitive, the learner guides are at the same or lower price than all other short courses which deem to cover Customer Service, like Welcome Host or Gold and World Host a new product that is similar light touch approach as the Welcome to Excellence products. Therefore, if seeking a full solution regarding Customer Service which has endorsement from brand names like Hilton Hotels UK, Delaware North (Wembley Stadium and Emirates Stadium), Restaurant Associates, London Zoological Society, Galvin’s restaurant – La Chapelle, Brend Hotels, Boparan Venture Retail, Baldwins Omega, Barcelo, Virgin – Babylon Roof Gardens, Radisson Edwardian, Von Essen - Seaham Hall, Travelodge, Baxter Storey, and on and on. We are currently waiting for a response from Punch Taverns to join the journey to changing the face of Customer Service in the UK and many more.

How have we truly embedded the courses into the culture of organisations?

We train your best managers and trainers to deliver to your own teams. If you are too small to release people to train others the other route is through our training Provider partner HIT Training.

Take a look at my valuable TIPS on how to deliver excellent World Class Customer Service. These clips will give you a real taste of what we cover on our courses

Ambition an understatement for Darlington College's YCYW finalist

Perfectly crisp white chef jackets, cheeks cherry red, hat’s sat neatly on their heads. It’s a look that would grace the kitchen of any 5 star restaurant, combined with the warm, cheerful, greeting that is more ‘front of house’ than you might expect a group of level 3 Professional Cookery Diploma students at Darlington college.

But this is Darlington College all over. The students have the world at their fingertips and it shows through their determination to win the title of ‘smiliest’ endorsed college through the National Skills Academy Hospitality. This is Darlington’s second year running with the title and this year the students were lucky enough to experience amaster class from TV Chef Cyrus Todiwala (MBE).

Lee Humble is an inspired young student in his first year of college currently studying his level 3 Professional Cookery Diploma at Darlington College, endorsed for excellence by the National Skills Academy Hospitality. Lee is full of ambition and initiative as he managed to anticipate the cooking equipment needed to help Cyrus’s master class. He was on hand at all times to help with the preparing and cooking of Cyrus’s famous Indian cuisine.

From the early age of 12 Lee was cooking at home, including the Christmas day dinner for as many as 15. Lee has always had a passion for food and this was obvious due to his enthusiasm and attentionhe paid when listening and taking notes from Cyrus’s astounding knowledge of food.

Lee said; “When I finished school I got 13 GCSE’s, one which was food technology, where I focused on multi-cultural food. I thoughtthat Indian Cuisine was dishes like Tikka Masala, Korma and Jalfrezi.However after meeting Cyrus and experiencing this Master Class I have realised that Indian cuisineisn’t traditionally focused on saucy curries, but a blend of condiments and spices to create perfectly flavoured dishes.”

Lee is one of many from Darlington College who has ambition and drive to succeed in the hospitality industry.

Lee informed us of his future plans; “I love cooking and although my family keep telling me I’ve chosen the wrong career this is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I love creating dishes and I want to become the best that I can and develop my own style and eventually move to Australia and become the head chef of an amazing restaurant.”

David McHattie, CEO, The National Skills Academy Hospitality says, “We were lucky enough to visit the college on the 8th September and experiencean excellentfour coursedinner as part of the Young Chef Young Waiter regional competition. It wasimpressive, the flavours and combinations were fantastic, whilst the front of house staff delivered a smooth and efficient service. These young chefs are the future pipeline of talent and are an asset tothe hospitality industry.”

The National Skills Academy Hospitality is proud to endorse Darlington College’s Professional Cookery Diploma as an excellent course and was delighted to gain Board Member Cyrus Todiwala (MBE) to help their student’s journeyto becoming professional chefs.

250,000 Students Rejected from University?

You may feel like there isn’t any light at the end of the tunnel but you are sadly mistaken!

After only having graduated a few years previously I really feel for the 250,000 students who will be refused a place at University this year due to the lack of places. These A-Level and AS qualified students will also be joining the 5 million others that will also be seeking employment, However does this small army have the upper hand.

If we look at the students that were selected for University are they any better off? With the current rising of University fees and what used to be the post University “graduate job” swiftly decreasing, it would seem that even the people who were lucky enough to attend University are still not getting the best deal.

If I am totally honest with the cost to attend University rising, I would be very reluctant to go. I was one of the lucky few who paid what seems now a measly amount of £1,125 a year in fees. I do understand why students fork out the fees for University if they are guaranteed a job after all their hard work but what few professions offer that? Doctors, dentists, accountants or teachers maybe!

For those students who want to become accountants but aren’t fortunate enough to get into University, surely there is another way? Night courses at college, internships, or apprenticeships? At least this way the student is somewhat guaranteed a job in the end. Maybe University is over rated now, with the demand for hands on, quick thinking, experienced individuals, I find myself thinking that whether you go to University or not you still have to start at the bottom. After graduating I found myself waiting 2 years till I found the job of my dreams, many graduates aren’t even this fortunate, I have friends who still aren’t in the most desired job. Therefore was it really worth all the debt.

I have also noticed that people are quick to scrutinise certain professions which I have experienced first-hand. After working in a restaurant as a waitress I was continuously asked by my customers “Surely this isn’t all you do?” but little did they know I was on about £25,000 a year, and I only worked 30 hours a week. I also had the opportunity to progress into management. That is a career path in itself, but why is it overlooked? In this current climate, University isn’t the solution to everything and we need to find ways to progress in life and succeed in something we feel truly passionate about. My only advice would be to really think about what you want in life and work out the best way for you to get there. There are courses in college for almost everything and many employers offer some great development opportunities if you are willing to work hard and be hands on. Students shouldn’t feel like they are hitting their heads against a brick wall because there is far more opportunity out there than people realise, it is just finding it.

The Hospitality industry can be a great experience, and career choice rather than a stopgap. Employers should view these students as a potential long-term prospect and put effort into attracting and then engaging, developing and retaining them. I personally loved working in a restaurant; 10 hour shifts fly by when you’re having fun. I also made some amazing friends that I will have for life, some great tips (£80 Tables of four), had lots of fun with hilarious customers, even the social life after work was excellent. All in all great times for me, wouldn’t change it for the world.

The experience and skills I learnt has helped me in my current role at the Academy. I have patience, time management, confidence, pace, ability to talk to anyone and excellent customer service skills. All of these have benefited me immensely. Not only this, but I honestly had the best experience working in a restaurant. Many believe it to be anti-social hours but really it is a time to socialise and enjoy the diversity of each day with the new customer you are faced with. Others believe it to be a simple role, but waiters are truly underestimated for the amount of stamina and patience it takes to provide constant excellent customer service whilst meeting every customer’s expectations.

So I guess the big question is “If I want a career in hospitality, where do I start?” Well with the hospitality industry still facing its perennial skills shortages and the 2012 Olympics on the horizon there are currently hundreds of jobs available. Click HERE to chat with other students in the same position and ask us at the Academy for advice to work out the best path for you. Alternatively try these sites:

www.uksp.co.uk

http://www.caterer.com/SearchBySpecialism.aspx

If I could go back and start again I wouldn’t have gone to University for the soul reason that I was hired for my personality, skills in customer service, time management and ability to work well under pressure, all of which I obtained in a restaurant, and not at University. You make your life what it is and University definitely isn’t a guaranteed gold ticket that gets you into the job of your dreams any more.

You can shove your job! by Lindsay Campbell

The case of Steven Taylor has got all sorts of media channels very excited. You'll recall that 38 year old Mr Taylor is/was a senior flight attendant with the award winning and social media savvy JetBlue Airlines in the States and on Monday last week he very spectacularly quit his job after conflict with a passenger who allegedly stood up and tried to retrieve their luggage from the overhead locker before the plane had finished coming to a standstill at JFK, despite an announcement asking passengers not to.


The story goes that the passenger had oversized bags anyway and when Mr. Taylor went to ask her to sit down, the bag fell out and hit her on the head inflicting a nasty gash.

With this ST an employee of more than 20 years "flipped" stormed back up the aisle, grabbed the P.A. and told the passengers what he thought of them, opened the door of the aircraft and jumped down the emergency slide swigging a can of beer, walked across to his car and drove home. Well what else would any self-respecting male flight attendant do?

ST has now become something of a celeb, he has hired Howard Bragg, one of the most powerful and influential PR guys in Hollywood, he has been offered a reality show, by Showtime and is currently on bail pending the court case due at the end of next month.

This story is interesting on three levels other than the obvious. ST, despite showing a total lack of professionalism, service and care for his passengers (it is the FAA who are pressing charges for endangering a passenger jet etc) is now an internet hero, striking a blow for all those people who hate their jobs and their “stupid ignorant customers”

He has a Paypal fund already set up by "admirers" which has accumulated £45k in a week to pay his expected legal fees and court costs. He enjoys the support of a ST Facebook fan site which has 95,000 fans and another site - the rather dramatically named "Save Steven Taylor" site which has 15,000 supporters.

Interesting to say the least that the outcome of his reckless and stupid behaviour is financial reward and cult hero status. It's just a shame that the real hospitality heroes and service heroes who work tirelessly day in and day out sometimes working in really tough conditions, (not enjoying discounted flights for friends and family and duty free shopping, meal allowances and uniform etc) don't get a look in or a nod, but just get on with it because they want to, because they believe it's the right thing to do and because they care.

It reminded of me of the occasion when I was at an awards show in the Northwest and a lady was being presented with a certificate for 35 years of working as a cleaner in a local pub. She had never had a day off through sickness and illness in her whole time of employment there. She would also come in and do extra shifts when needed and helped in the garden planted shrubs and flowers and tended to the beds all in her own time at her own cost. That my friend’s is a hospitality hero. Not a self-confessed "bag Nazi" who threw a little tizzy fit by throwing himself out the escape chute.

Good luck to ST. I wish him every success, my beef is not with him, it is more the celebration of the mediocre, when we should be striving to celebrate and reward excellence - surely?

The second aspect to this little melodrama is the way the organisations involved have responded to it. JetBlue a very media savvy company who work really hard with their social media (they have seven full time Tweeters) have said absolutely nothing about the incident and maybe for good reason with a court case due and possible litigation claims from all the passengers who were on board that day.

However “Never waste a crisis”, is the old saying and I'm sure JetBlue won't and will come out of this very strongly – but right now things are a little awkward for them. Contrast that however, with the makers of the slide, TMZ who are happily issuing press releases highlighting the successful deployment of one of their slides and have been delighted to note that " their product worked perfectly and Mr. Taylor was a model test subject for it, other than he didn't take his shoes off before going down". Gulliver reports that Spirit Airlines – a low cost carrier are telling their customers, “don’t be blue, slide down to get our low price airfares.”

There is a third point to this which Slate (business section of the New York Times) highlighted this week, that employee dissatisfaction appears to be at a very high level as the workforce gets squeezed by the Head Office bean counters and with high unemployment and low morale and the continued focus on recapatilising balance sheets, the pressure to drive more production with less staff has never been more intense.

Slate reports; “The economy has been growing for a year, and corporate profits have surged—Standard & Poor's estimates that profits of the constituents of the S&P 500 rose nearly 52% in the 2nd quarter of 2010 from 2009. Much of that impressive profit growth has been driven by the remarkable gains in efficiency and productivity that corporate America has notched since the recession took hold. Last year productivity soared 3.5 %, up from 1 % in 2008 and 1.6 % in 2007”

There clearly has been slack in the system and a readjustment was required, however, we have to respect and look after our people and our teams and respect the work they do for us and more importantly for our customers.

Leadership is not about cutting costs, looking for efficiencies of course and better value for money always – but just cutting costs?, frankly it’s not the best solution.

ST story is an interesting little cameo for us in these difficult and challenging times. Perhaps now is the time to start considering a more balanced view as a report from the Bureau of Labour Statistics published last week in the States suggests that “Workers put in more hours, but output didn't keep up. They simply can't run any faster”

Anyone told the experts we don’t need them anymore?

Just filled in my review of a sad little stay at an Earls Court hotel last week - inflated prices, impossibly small rooms and no air con – that type of thing.



Thing is I knew it was going to be poor before I stayed as I’d read my reviews – ignoring its star rating, I just cut through to what the paying public thinks and they were pretty spot on, apart from the odd, “its brilliant – thoroughly recommend” which I can only assume was written and posted by the hotel management, as it was a rare chink of light in a sky of thunder filled reviews.



The interesting development for hospitality with the spread of social networking and ready access to the internet and the web is that the public decide now what is good for us and what is not. Democracy is alive and well – if your product or service sucks, then fully expect somebody to photograph it, film it, comment on it and post it to a world wide audience of approx 6bn in a matter of seconds. Social networking has put the power back in the hands of the people – the genie is out of the bottle and there is no going back.



There will always still be room for a guidebook of course – ipads and iphones still have their limitations (hard to believe but true) connectivity, risk of theft, sunlight on the screen etc and the old analogy that lighters never fully replaced the match still is a good one.



However, what has changed is that we no longer need the “expert” An expert is good at conveying what they like, what they need, what appeals to them and when we had no one else to trust or listen to that was fine, but things are different now, very different. We are all commentators, informers, communicators and through blogs and social networking sites and the widespread use of smartphones we can now all have our say and instantly - we are all empowered.



The public decide who wins X-Factor, Big Brother, I’m a Celebrity etc the people are empowered, with a touch of a button, instant democracy by millions is delivered in a thrice – thumbs up, thumbs down, dreams created, lives shattered by a populous now used to deciding the fate of others – we love it, we want to be heard, we want a fraction of the action, we want a voice and now we have a platform – indeed we have many.



I can feel the luddites swaying uncomfortably, heads in the sand they stand there Canute like ignoring the inevitable and wishing for those John Major days of “warm beer, long shadows on cricket grounds and invincible suburbs” clumsily misquoted from Orwell by the way, in the Lion and the Unicorn.



However, let us consider the case of the Chinese for instance, Gulliver reports that 30 million Chinese booked travelled online last year (80% up on 2008) and 6 out of ten of them used web based forums to decide on their choice of destination. Just consider also that whilst globally the sector struggled last year – Chinas’ tourism revenues grew by 9% last year.



But things never stand still for long and China, India and Hong Kong travellers are now using social networking sites as opposed to travel based forums for selecting their travel destinations and preferences – 20% of them want the recommendations of their friends through Chinese versions of Facebook with the biggest and successful called Renren and value that more than anything else in their decision making.



Steve Kaufer, CEO of Trip Advisor, acknowledged this latest trend recently as he believes that users will no longer wade through 174 reviews from anonymous posters and will build their own group of friends and peers who they will rely on for their recommendations.



So the days of the expert are numbered – rather like John Majors’ misty eyed vision of Britain, its just for the romantics.

for more interesting blogs visit http://www.excellencefound.co.uk/

By Lindsay Campbell - Operations Director

Undercover Boss Over My Shoulder

Before I went into the new Training Academy in Coventry, I was fully aware that Marija Simovic the CEO of Harry Ramsden’s who was due to appear on the Undercover Boss was going to attend. I am generally not intimidated by people that I meet, however when you know that they could be judging you on your knowledge of customer service and coaching skills- even I was a little quieter than normal.



As soon as I got in the room, Mark Maltby (Facilitator of World Class Customer Service) was there to guide me to the seat right next to Marija (CEO & TV star of Harry Ramsden’s). But it was the best seat in the house as had 9 hours of direct insight into the challenges and changes that face them and their team and how they will go on to put it into action. The desire to deliver excellent experiences to their guests and team members was forefront of every point made during the day and it was exuded with enthusiasm from all members that attended.



It was a huge insight to see a passionate CEO and operations team engage and develop strategies to help them when going back to the floor and I have no doubt that the World Class Customer Service Course will encourage this.



At least my seat will get me first on the list for some stonking fish and chips and some welcoming service. But we know it isn’t a quick fix, so I wish her and the team all the luck in the world in reacquainting us with truly great British brand with much loved customer service skills their customers and team deserve.

To see Marija in action visit: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/undercover-boss/4od