Customer Service - how important is it to you?

2011-09-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

“We often miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”

Thomas Edison

2011-08-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve – the fear of failure”

Paulo Coelho - author

2011-08-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Amazing service from Crucial.com! Ordered Friday 19th 10.45am, delivered Saturday 10 30am:)

Why don't Utilities listen

2011-08-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

Appalling service from NPower over a couple of months - more details to come. No wonder we are leaving them. All they need to do is listen to their customers!

2011-07-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

More evidence of the ROI organisations can get from delivering excellent service at the Institute of Customer Service AGM today

Great service in Southampton!

2011-07-01T07:26:00.001-07:00

Well done Ken at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel Southampton - superb service throughout the day!

2011-06-24T04:46:00.001-07:00

Habitat announce major closures - what have you done TODAY to improve your customer's experience before it is too late?

2011-06-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

Quote from Angela Williams HR Director of British Gas BBC News 13.10hrs 15th June 2011 Question: “To get on apprenticeship schemes, what do people have to do to persuade people like you to give them this job?” Answer from Angela: “They have to have really good customer service skills and be able to communicate with our customers very easily - walk in customer’s shoes. We recruit for their ability to communicate effectively”

2011-06-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

In conversation with NPower about a series of customer service blunders - let's see how they redeem themselves! :)

2011-06-07T10:48:00.001-07:00

Great service and response from Timpson's, the shoe repair people

2011-06-06T13:39:00.001-07:00

Great PRP Director's Club meeting today at the Brentham club Ealing

2011-05-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

2011-05-24T23:38:00.001-07:00

People are STILL leaving managers not organisations. Management development makes economic sense at so many levels

2011-05-01T14:54:00.001-07:00

The sun is shining (in London!), the (extended) weekend is underway - enjoy :)

2011-04-28T03:52:00.000-07:00

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected”
Steve Jobs

2011-04-18T01:51:00.001-07:00

Monday thought - “Don’t find fault find remedy”
Henry Ford

2011-04-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

As promised during my talk at the CSTN event - two great videos!
http://ping.fm/7FNZg

http://ping.fm/Nnqgn

2011-04-01T01:26:00.001-07:00

“The mind is like a parachute – it works better when it is open”

2011-03-28T01:36:00.001-07:00

Service leaders John Lewis scrap it's 28 day refund limit - the never ending refund!

2011-03-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

We're alive - let's celebrate!

2011-03-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Ran 10k today in fabulous sunshine, and guess what http://ping.fm/6eQs1

2011-03-09T06:13:00.001-08:00

“Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action and purpose”
Lance Armstrong (1971 - ) cyclist, 7 time winner of the Tour de France and cancer survivor

2011-03-07T15:33:00.001-08:00

“Don’t find fault find remedy”
Henry Ford

2011-03-03T14:29:00.001-08:00

“Never stop because you are afraid, - you are never likely to be so wrong”
(Fridtgof Nansen (1861-1930) – Norwegian explorer and Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

2011-03-01T09:41:00.001-08:00

So yesterday, out of 20 people, 16 said hello back - and smiled! Today - 20 out of 23. Go on - encourage somebody smile today :)

2011-02-28T05:12:00.001-08:00

Whilst out for a run this morning, I smiled and said good morning to 20 people - how many do you think replied?

2011-02-26T03:55:00.001-08:00

Excellent response form GoCruise following complaint - well done! www.gocruise.co.uk/awilliams

2011-02-18T06:56:00.001-08:00

“It is wonderful what you can
do when you have to.”

2011-02-17T07:05:00.001-08:00

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

- Albert Einstein

2011-02-11T08:29:00.001-08:00

Cloud9 Brighton - great cafe, excellent cakes/ ice cream and lovely people - google and visit them!

2011-01-31T02:48:00.001-08:00

"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."
- Wayne Dyer

2011-01-11T15:05:00.001-08:00

“Things don't have to change the world to be important.”

Steve Jobs (1955 – )
co-founder and CEO of Apple

2011-01-06T11:34:00.001-08:00

If not now, when?
Hillel 30BC-10AD – Jewish Scholar

2011-01-01T12:06:00.001-08:00

A thought for 2011 - The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. (C.S. Lewis Irish writer and scholar 1898-1963)

2010-12-22T16:36:00.001-08:00

“If you’re going to help a man, you want to know something about him, don’t you?”
Joseph to Clarence – Angel second class – from the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

2010-12-16T15:28:00.001-08:00

The way to get started is to stop talking and get doing
Walt Disney 1901-1966

2010-12-13T09:37:00.001-08:00

We don’t know how it is possible,
We just know that it is possible.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

2010-11-19T08:00:00.001-08:00

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony"
Mahatma Ghandi
Have a great weekend!

2010-10-20T14:10:00.001-07:00

How will today's spending review affect YOUR level of service?

2010-10-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

Metro Bank's third branch opened in Fulham today - looking great!

2010-08-30T02:17:00.001-07:00

Three REALLY miserable faces at the Amex desk, HR terminal 3 today - still work to do on UK customer service!

2010-08-24T06:50:00.001-07:00

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945, 32nd President of the United States

2010-08-19T10:35:00.001-07:00

â€œThe greater the tension, the greater is the potential.â€

Carl Jung (1875â€“1961)
Swiss psychiatrist

2010-08-03T07:22:00.001-07:00

Metro Bank opened their first branch in Holborn last week - a customer focussed bank!

2010-07-15T13:24:00.001-07:00

4 inspirational speakers at the ICS AGM@ St Pauls today!

2010-06-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

Watch out for an Arizion Knowledge Peer video on customer service - coming soon!

2010-06-23T03:44:00.001-07:00

â€œIf you stay ready, you ain't
gotta get ready.â€

Will Smith (1968 â€“ )
American producer, actor, music artist

â€œPassion persuades.â€

Anita Roddick (1942â€“2007)
English entrepreneur and activist
founder of The Body Shop

â€œWhen you stop taking chances
You'll stay where you sit
You won't live any longer
But it'll feel like itâ€

Bono (1960 â€“ )
Irish music artist and activist
from 'Summer Rain

Life is luck
Make it

Mother Teresa (1910â€“1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

â€œIf you stay ready, you ain't
gotta get ready.â€

Will Smith (1968 â€“ )
American producer, actor, music artist

Life is luck
Make it

Mother Teresa (1910â€“1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

2010-06-02T06:33:00.001-07:00

â€œHe who answers before listening - that is his folly
and his shame.â€
Proverbs 18:13

2010-06-01T12:17:00.001-07:00

Life is luck
Make it

Mother Teresa (1910â€“1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

2010-05-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."
--Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

2010-05-04T00:06:00.001-07:00

Excellent service recovery from the CEO of GBK - the burger outlet. A great way to create customer loyalty!

2010-04-30T09:58:00.001-07:00

"You already know the answers. You just don't want to hear them from yourself." --Sunny Vanderbeck, Cofounder, Data Return Corp

2010-04-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

"When I think about which services I want to offer on Virgin Atlantic, I try to imagine whether my family and I would like to buy them for ourselves. Quite often it's as simple as that. " Richard Branson

2010-04-21T00:38:00.001-07:00

“Nothing is impossible.”

Gertrude Elion (1918–1999)
American chemist
Nobel Prize winner

2010-04-11T15:04:00.001-07:00

Check out our latest newsletter by going to www.arizion.co.uk and clicking on news!

2010-04-08T14:53:00.001-07:00

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
Lao Tzu (604 BC – 531 BC)
Chinese philosopher

2010-04-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

“Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose.”

Lance Armstrong (1971 – )
American cyclist
7-time winner of the Tour de France
Cancer survivor

2010-04-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

What are some of the future trends in customer service - have a look here:
http://ping.fm/rMmBd

2010-03-23T12:44:00.001-07:00

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." --Mark Twain

2010-03-18T13:42:00.001-07:00

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

2010-03-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

Check out how Tesco TWIST at http://ping.fm/9UG90

2010-03-10T08:32:00.001-08:00

Come along to the Customer Service Training Association meeting at Lord's cricket ground on 11 March and learn from the experts including a talk by Geoff Langston

2010-03-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”

Sam Walton (1918–1992)
American retailer
founder of Wal-Mart

2010-02-26T01:34:00.001-08:00

What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible!

Theodore Roethke

2010-02-17T02:58:00.001-08:00

“The last of the human
freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”

Viktor Frankl (1905–1997)
Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist

2010-02-15T04:05:00.001-08:00

“How wonderful it is that
nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Anne Frank (1929–1945)
Dutch diarist

2010-02-12T01:48:00.001-08:00

Improve your business through exceptional service with the help of Richard Branson!
http://ping.fm/hb8Bm

2010-02-08T06:46:00.001-08:00

“Life is an adventure, dare it.”

Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Macedonian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

2010-02-03T04:13:00.001-08:00

John Lewis continue to impress - their service recovery on recent issue has been great - kept promises and excellent communication!

2009-12-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

As 2009 comes to an end and we prepare for 2010, what outcomes are YOU looking for in the New Year? Remember, we are much more likely to achieve if we are clear about what we are aiming for!

Maintaining The Edge

2009-12-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast is for heavy snow over the next 24 hours, with some areas already affected. This is likely to affect many businesses, whether it is because they are delivering products or services to customers, or whether they will be welcoming customers into their outlets.

What have YOU done to ensure that you maintain the highest level of service to your customers, for example keeping high levels of communication if the weather affects your ability to deliver, keeping your customers safe if there is ice and snow by having a supply of salt to keep paths and floors clear, taking a spade into work to clear paths if required, providing additional heating etc.

It will be interesting to see how things develop in the next 24 hours

Asda V Tesco

2009-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Tesco have always prided themselves on their level of customer service, investing large sums of money in their "Living Service" programme,however, my recent experiences of Tesco, where we have repeatedly been overcharged for "special offers" indicate that the programme is not working. Staff dealing with our complaints have frequently been unhelpful, and on occassions rude. They do not even reply to the comment forms they have in store even when we have asked for a reply.

Contrast that to Asda, where we were overcharged when they put a product in the wrong place in a promotional area. We were given the product at the promotional price immediately - no questions asked! This was after we were greeted at the front door and handed a basket by a genuinely helpful and pleasant greeter.

Service at Freshfields

2009-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Superb service from the team at Freshfields in Fleet Street - fulfilled all promises and more!

Saracens Head Towcester

2009-10-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well done the team at the Saracens Head in Towcester for the excellent service they provided, especially the kitchen team who provided a vegetarian option without notice!

Talk in Towcester

2009-10-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

Geoff Langston, Managing Director of Arizion is giving a talk in Towcester this evening - follow him on Twitter!

Breakfast Workshop 22nd September

2009-09-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Arizion is hosting a breakfast seminar on 22nd September 2009 in association with Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce and The Institute of Customer Service, sponsored by Harben House, Newport Pagnell.

This free event will provide an insight into current trends in customer service and a workshop on advanced communication. For more details and to book a place at this event, contact us at info@arizion.co.uk, or via our website www.arizion.co.uk

in conversation with Arizion

2009-08-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

Watch out for the latest edition of "In Conversation With Arizion" for tips and hints on how to improve your bottom line through great customer service! Contact info@arizion.co.uk for your copy!

Geoff Langston
Managing Director - Arizion Ltd