I’m just back this morning from a ten-day trip to Scandinavia, where I was invited to speak and present a two-hour keynote to the annual Danish Dental Association convention in Copenhagen.
Coincidentally, and probably by fate, the rock band KISS began the European leg of their World Tour the following week, and so I was able to get to see them in concert in Helsinki by extending my visit an extra few days.
I also visited Stockholm Sweden, where my wife and I enjoyed the sights and the history.
Here are three of my most memorable customer service experiences from this trip:
Firstly, the Danish Dental Association were fabulous hosts. On our first night in Copenhagen we dined with our organiser and his wife [both dentists] at one of the city’s finest restaurants. Our night seemed to pass by so quickly, though when we checked our watches we had been dining and chatting and sharing stories for well over five hours!
The lesson here was that the four of us were all very likeable people, and although we had never spoken to each other, except via email, it was easy to connect and enjoy each others company purely by being truly interested in the stories and adventures that we all shared.
Throughout the rest of our stay, and even following my keynote on the fourth day, our hosts were always attentive to our well being and in making sure that we were very well looked after at their function as well as in our lodgings.
Our visit to Copenhagen will always be extremely memorable because of the way that our hosts welcomed us to their town and to their event.
Secondly, while in Stockholm, my wife and I dined twice at one particular restaurant purely because of the excellent service that we received.
On our first night at dining at Sturehof, we turned up early on spec, because our hotel had advised us that the restaurant booking was for 10:00pm, but that they might be able to seat us sooner. So we arrived at 8:10pm and were told that our wait would be about ninety minutes, if we’d like to enjoy a drink in the bar area.
Well, our table became available in forty-five minutes. So the restaurant was able to exceed our expectations with this simple act of “under promise and over deliver”.
Secondly, our waitress on the first night, Sarah, made us feel very at home with just the right amount of conversation throughout our dinner.
In fact, she was very interested in how our meals were, especially as we had asked her for her personal recommendations.
And when one dish came through over-cooked, Sarah simply had the price for that dish zeroed off our bill. Although this was not our intention, it was a gesture that was greatly appreciated. This was an excellent example of a Zero Risk philosophy operating in this business.
Our dining experience on the second evening was just as great.
The service was exceptional, although not Sarah this time. And the restaurant was able to relocate us at our request to a better table when cigarette smoke from outside wafted in through a doorway and irritated our eyes early on in the evening.
Thirdly, in Helsinki, my wife and I attended a concert by rock band KISS, as they began their World Tour 2017.
We had Meet and Greet tickets, which allowed us to attend a pre-concert intimate performance by the band [unmasked], followed by an autograph signing [also unmasked], and then later, a photo opportunity with the band in full costume and paint [them, not us], just before they go on stage in the main arena.
I’ve written before about the *Experience* of a KISS Meet and Greet ticket.
One of my friends recently commented that he has attended many concerts from many artists on a Meet and Greet ticket, and that the KISS Meet and Greet Experience is still the *Gold Standard* that others must be judged against.
And this Experience last week was no exception. Here’s what happened:
Paul Stanley stopped and chatted with us about Australia during the autograph signing, asking where in Australia we lived.
Tommy Thayer chatted with us about golf, having spotted a golf logo on the shirt I was wearing, while Eric Singer admired my wife’s watch and also spoke with us about drum kits for our son.
And when Gene found out that we were Australian, he discussed international variances in language such as the terms “witches hats” and “fairy floss”. Gene also shared some photos on his phone with Jayne.
Some three hours later, in the photo session, which is a real precision timing event, Paul remembered us from the earlier afternoon events and greeted us with a cordial
“G’day mate”
as we posed briefly with them for the money-shot photos.
Everybody loves recognition.
It’s easy to be exceptional at Customer Service, if you put your mind to it, recognise your customers for who they are, and make them feel important.
All three of these examples fulfil that standard.
But these examples just didn’t happen by accident.
It is attention to detail, and attention to excellence, that allowed each of these organisations to stand head and shoulders above their competitors, when it comes to looking after their guests.
What are you doing, consistently, in your business, that affords you the title of “Excellence in Customer Service”?
Are you simply “hoping” that things go right for you and your customers?
Or do you have simple to implement, easily duplicatable customer service systems operating in your business?
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My next public speaking presentation showing Dentists how to grow their Dental practices will be in Chicago, USA on Friday 2nd June 2017.
For more information and to secure your seat click this link here.
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Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.
You can order your copy here: Click Link To Order
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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