Harrods – a lesson in how to give great customer service
It was such a simple thing but it made a deep impression.
Saturday saw the 13th anniversary of my son’s birth. After watching Harry Enfield’s ‘Kevin Turns 13’ (compulsory viewing for all early teens), we spent the day in London – shopping, eating and watching giant Dwarves and a supersize Hobbit at the IMAX.
We experienced many examples of customer service throughout the day – from friendly efficiency (Top Man) to bored disinterest (IMAX) but the prize has to go to Harrods.
We were enjoying a brief break from window shopping, sat in the Galvin bistro when a waitress commented we looked like we were having a lovely day (which was true). I mentioned it was his birthday and she appeared with a petit four, complete with gold leaf and a candle. Nice touch.
This was shortly followed by a personalised hot chocolate for my son.
And at the very moment I was considering ordering a coffee, the perfect cappuccino appeared – flatteringly inscribed in cocoa.
Now, you may think, ‘well, that’s Harrods, they can afford gestures of largesse’. And, maybe you’d be right. The cake and drinks could be seen as a cynical ploy to gather customer service points.
Except that our lovely waitress then went on to talk to my son in warm tones of inspiring life advice. She wasn’t intrusive, she wasn’t preaching. She was engaging, congruent and empathetic.
The thing that really struck home was the way the staff were given the autonomy to look after their customers and actively engage with us as people – not just patrons. It was all delivered with charm and humanity.
One of the Harrods brand values is SERVICE, described as:
Making every customer feel special
Service of the past and service for the future
Service that is both expected and unexpected
Service products to indulge, entertain, or make life simpler
Service that is intuitive, personalised and bespoke
Above all, service that is authentic and delivered with integrity
That waitress? She achieved it. With gilded knobs on.
Henrietta Smart
What do you think? Got another example of a company living up to its values? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you…
