Tag Archives: customer service

Business Brands, Customer Service, Social Media, Uncategorized, Values

I’m having a passionate love affair ! Lessons about love !

October 13, 2016 Jenny White

I want to share a secret with you. I am “in love“- totally and passionately in love. I am proud to tell you that I am in love with our brand. The White Now brand is like a family member, a great neighbour or even a special friend who you can rely on or call on when needed. Other people genuinely love our brand too. What I love most though is that my team also are passionately in love with our brand as well and as a business owner, you really cannot ask for more.

The White Now brand is known throughout the industry as the most trusted brand in its field of recruitment, job boards and so much more. When we ask our clients what comes to mind regarding our brand, they come up with four things EVERY time:

Purple and Yellow
The exclamation mark
The wizard: and
Service that goes above and beyond.

With this in mind, we knew that we had to ensure that these four things were evident in everything we do – this is how we will live the brand. The brand is way more than a logo or an item, it’s our heart and soul and DEFINITELY our Values (Integrity; Respect; Innovation; Quality; and Excellence in Customer Service). Our brand is not just something we think, but it represents what our customers think of us too.

At the recent Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) in Sydney, we had a small stand. We didn’t spend a fortune on the fit out. We simply said … ‘It’s gotta be purple and yellow“… and so it was. Our team worked tirelessly to make the stand warm, fun and inviting – like our brand is. They succeeded and I genuinely love them for it.

Capturing our brand colours at the AGE !

As the owner of the WhiteNow brand for over 20 years, I had a ‘light bulb’ moment during this trade show. This was that my team and I LOVE what our brand stands for. My team suggested that they wear purple and yellow, they came up with the idea for purple and yellow miniature beach balls (called WizBalls) and they live and breathe the brand. There is not one thing that I can pinpoint that makes us love the brand, but we honestly do. It is fun, vibrant, a little bit crazy and out-there and most of all it represents who and what we are and what we deliver.

The next light bulb moment I had at the trade show was when everyone who walked past wanted one of our little purple and yellow WizBalls. By the end of each day, everywhere you walked, you saw our brand. We had so many customers take the WizBall back to their venues and take pics of it at their venue or out and about and send it to us to post on our social media. Everyone else seems to love our brand too. I had someone from The Star talk to me a couple of days after the AGE to tell me how funny it was to see so many of our balls at The Star each night after the AGE…. in the bars, on the tables, on couches and in the toilets …. everywhere. WizBalls ended up in Queensland, Melbourne, Hamilton Island and there is a WizBall in Paris as we speak.

Our team have such a love for the brand, that they also take a WizBall wherever they go (day, night or weekend) and take pics of the it to post on our social media platforms. You don’t get staff doing this unless they are passionate about their brand.

I am privileged to deliver a session each term at the Aristocrat/Leagues Clubs Australia GMDC (Gaming Management Development Course) in front of around 75+ students. Believe it or not, I wear a wizard outfit whilst I am presenting. Sound a little crazy to you ? It sort of is but I can tell you that the students seem to listen to what this ‘wizard’ has to say and they sure remember the brand when they walk away. You have to LIVE and BREATHE your brand !

"In a Wizard Outfit !" — Presenting at the GMDC – in a Wizard outfit

Do you want to love your brand too ? My advice is to make your brand have real meaning and bring it to life in any way you can. Give it a set of values that are real and tangible. Make your customers love your brand by doing something with it that makes them smile. Give it a way that it can be mobile. Let it be seen with other brands you love and respect. Make it ‘cool’ or ‘out there’. Make it a little fun or a little quirky. Make it consistent. Don’t be afraid of it. Believe in it and never every compromise its integrity.

Put your brand with other trusted brands ! Here is WizBall with a Hennessy Coffee !

I am really not afraid to share my love and passion with you all. It is true love and when you are truly in love, you simply want everyone to know about it.

I hope you continue to love our brand too ! Follow us on instagram to see WizBall out and about or check us out on Facebook as well !

Yours lovingly

Jenny White
Director and Owner
WhiteNow

Business Brands, Customer Service

The Crumbiest & Most Stupid Thing I have Done !

Image April 8, 2016 Jenny White

Are you ready to hear about one of the silliest things that we have ever done ? Talk about not thinking something through properly … geesh ………

White Now have all the new, wiz bang credit card facilities for customers to make payment for our services, but it’s just a fact that some still want to receive their paper invoice in the mail and we are just fine with that. When we mail invoices we often send little gifts inside the envelope as an added thank you. Here is where the stupidity begins !

We had lots of White Now branded, double pack bickies from the guys at ‘Bite Size Coffee Treats’ and I thought, “what a great little gift to send with our next lot of invoices”. It’s a little different to the jelly babies and similar things we often send.

Well it wasn’t until we had sent a ridiculous amount of these bickies out over many weeks that I received a very sweet email with this pic attached. There was no message, just this picture !

Here is a closer up pic of ‘the totally crushed bickies’ – WOOPS !

This is what I had done – I had sent out over 100 invoices with these delicious bickies inside NOT thinking at all that they would be crushed in the mail (D’oh). Trust me, this is NOT the bickie company’s fault, this is total stupidity from one individual (yes that would be me). I can also tell you that if it wasn’t for this one caring customer sending us a pic of what he received, that we would still be sending these gifts via mail with our invoices wasting lots of money and undoubtedly annoying the recipient each and every time and not knowing that they were arriving more like crumb bases ready to be made into cheesecake bases.

It’s funny that sometimes you have no idea that you are doing something wrong until some kind and thoughtful person points it out. It is only because this helpful Club Manager emailed us a picture of our special ‘gift’ that we realised that this little gift was not a gift that traveled well !

If you see your supplier or any colleague in fact doing something that doesn’t work for you, why don’t you find a way to let them know in a gentle and encouraging way. It will help them change the way that they do things …. and for the better!

Yours in stupidity

Jenny ‘Homer‘ White

CEO of www.whitenow.com.au

Business Brands, Customer Service, Food, Uncategorized

The Butcher Who Mustn’t Like Money

Quote February 22, 2016 Jenny White

At the start of this month I made a conscious effort to support small, local businesses. It was my month to give back to those

"The Butcher Who Must Not Like Money" — “The Butcher Who Must Not Like Money”

who are making a go of it, often on their own, and have fought many obstacles to try and succeed. I appreciate this having run my own business for almost 20 years. Business owners are dedicated and work so hard.

Often before work I stop at the local Lebanese bakery and pick up some ‘Leb bread’, hommous and garlic dip for the night’s dinner. I always have mince in the freezer and Lebanese ‘7 spice’ in the cupboard to make my own Kafta to go with dinner. Someone told me about the butcher that was two doors up from the bakery and said that his meat was nice. I always looked at that butcher and thought “gee he has hardly any meat on display – he must be struggling to make ends meet”. This morning I decided to support him by buying my week’s meat from him. I chose his ready made Kafta, some lovely looking rump steaks, a bunch of sausages, lamb chops and a small pork roast. The total of the purchase was $72 ish. I went to hand my card over and he said that he only takes cash. Upon questioning him as to why, he said that ‘Credit Cards are too much of a hassle and it’s not worth it to me’. I explained to him that I had no cash on me and I was about to make him my new butcher. His response was “oh well – it is not my fault you didn’t see my sign there that says cash only”. I gave the logic one more go and said “I’m not the best at maths but I’m pretty sure that if I buy this amount of meat from you every two weeks, then that’s about $1,800 a year you’re missing out on by not taking credit card”. He said, “oh well, it’s my policy“. I handed the meat back.

Imagine the lost revenue to this tiny business if just 10 people had the same experience as me, yup that’s about $18,000 pa going somewhere else but in his hand.

How many other customers had said the same to him ? How many times had he not listened ? As the world moves rapidly to a cashless world, how long will this butcher survive ?

Moving with the times and meeting the expectations of customers that truly want to give you business is the only way to do business.

Oh well, I tried. The Kafta was nice though – lucky I had $20 on me !

Business Brands, Customer Service, Food, Social Media

Are You Getting Schnitty At Your Hospitality Venue?

November 30, 2015 Jenny White

It is time for me to share my thoughts about the almighty and much adored Chicken Schnitzel and it’s BFF, the deliciously smothered Chicken Parmigiana.

The question really does need to be discussed….. should your hospitality venue serve these well known items or not ?????

I want to share with you an experience that I had at a club that we did a lot of work for a couple of years back. I can name the club as it no longer trades; ‘Souths on Chalmers’ which was also known as South Sydney Rugby League Club in Chalmers Street, Redfern.

Firstly, let me say that I was oozing passion for this club, the brand, the cute little ‘resting rabbit’ logo and of course what the club was trying to achieve. We worked tirelessly and worked many unpaid hours to help this club try and realise it’s dream. Sadly, the club closed not much more than 12 months after it first opened. Why ? There were many, many reasons, too many to discuss, especially in a blog that is really about the infamous Chicken Schnitzel.

The club used the services of a Contract Caterer who was very well known as a restaurateur and function/events operator. They had not been involved with a club prior to this. Let me tell you that I thought that their food was pretty damn good. Some of the menu items that I loved were:

Grilled Croque Monsieur of Gypsy Ham & Gruyere Cheese with Dijon.
Salmon Fish Cakes with Remoulade and Salad
Roast Pumpkin and Beetroot Tart with Gorgonzola and Hazelnut Dressing.

The problem was that only a percentage of those members and visitors who came to visit the club enjoyed these types of dishes. They were dishes that you could have every so often, but perhaps not once, twice or three times a week.

I cannot tell you how many times that customers said “why don’t you have a chicken schnitty or a chicken parmy on the menu?” . On the club’s very active Facebook page there were many, many mentions about how nice the food was but they wanted to see a Chicken Schnitty and Chicken Parmy on the menu. People openly voiced their thoughts all over social media about the absence of the items. They said that they would come more often if these were on the menu. There were families that shared their thoughts about wanting to bring their family to the club for birthdays but their brother/father etc wanted to have a Chicken Schnitty and it was not on the menu so they were going to the pub around the corner who, coincidentally were smart enough to realise the absence of the Chicken Schnitty from the club’s menu spelled ‘O P P O R T U N I T Y’ for the pubs in the area …. and trust me, they vigorously marketed this to their prospects.

With all the feedback that came through and was passed on to the caterer, they unfortunately chose not to add this to their menu as it was seen as ‘club food’. My thoughts are that ‘if it looks like a duck, it smells like a duck, it quacks like a duck then it must be a duck’. This was a club. It was a hospitality venue that wanted families, groups, parties and more. . Unfortunately the item was not added to the menu. It may very well have been an item that on its own, did not offer huge profitability but if it was viewed as perhaps a ‘loss leader’ then maybe they would have seen their revenue double or triple just by adding what the customer wanted to the menu.

The club is now closed which makes me sad. There were good people working there and good intentions and big dreams. I wonder to this day though, if that Chicken Schnitty and its BFF the Chicken Parmy were part of the menu, how much of a difference this may have made to the ongoing viability of the Club. Who knows ! Does the world actually revolve around the Chicken Schnitty ?

There are some that think that having a Chicken Schnitty on their menu attracts the wrong clientele. I know that my family, my friends and so many of my colleagues enjoy fine dining at its best, new exciting and creative menus and radical taste combinations, but I also know that the majority of them really, really want to go somewhere where they can get a Chicken Schnitty in a relaxed environment as well. You will find me once a month at our local bowling club and guess what I order ? …… the Chicken Schnitty which comes with pepper sauce, yes the one and same Chicken Schnitty that you see in the picture. In fact, there are a bunch of us that meet at the club just because a few of the group love the Chicken Schnitty.

What do you think about having an item that many people want and ask for on a club and pub menu ? Should it be included ??

Yours Crumbingly

Jenny White (Owner of White Now and Chicken Schnitzel Activist).

Customer Service, giving, Life Experiences, Uncategorized, Values

Service with a Smile

January 6, 2015 Toby Kennett

In the hectic lead up to Christmas, we missed getting our hands on one of the Aldi “Three Bird Roasts” and so in a mad panic, I called Jenny and asked her if she had any bright ideas. Her response in an understandably matter-of-fact style was along the lines of “DERRRR, have you called Tanya and Paul at RPT Promotions?”.

“Ummm….. No”, I replied somewhat flatly as my brain clicked in to gear and asked itself ‘now why didn’t I think of that in the first place, EJIT?’, (followed by a couple of expletives).

Anyhow, a call was placed to Tanya and was met with Tanya’s message bank, where I explained my predicament and went back to work. Not even 15 minutes later, the lovely Tanya was calling me back with Season’s Greetings and instructions for how to get a hold of Paul. Two minutes later I was dialing Paul’s number which was answered with Paul’s always happy & bubbly English accent. Once again I explained my stupidity and with a wry laugh and an eagerness you had to hear to believe, Paul was making arrangements for one of his Turduckens to be delivered to Gladesville RSL (in close proximity to my home) for me to collect.

I thanked Paul profusely and he promised to call me back to confirm when the delivery would occur and off he went. 24 hours later he was back on the phone, as promised, to let me know that the Turducken was en-route to the RSL Club as planned. He couldn’t have been any more obliging if he had tried. What I didn’t realise at the time was that Paul and Tanya were in the middle of one of their BIGGEST Christmas’ ever! They had orders stacked up to the rafters and were right in the thick of the logistical-challenge of getting everything delivered to the right place at the right time before Christmas Day!

The reason that I didn’t know just how crazy things were for P&T was because Paul made me feel like I was the only customer that he had, even though I was only after one item and it was probably (if I’m totally honest) a bit of an inconvenience. But Paul went out of his way to ensure that I would get my Turducken with a short lead-time, so that my family could enjoy their Christmas Dinner and BOY, OH BOY did we ENJOY IT!!!…

The pictures speak for themselves, so let me just add that we all thoroughly enjoyed the Turducken, so much so that we will be placing our order with Paul and Tanya EARLY next year for Christmas 2015!

And let me also add that we are all extremely grateful to them both for being such a pleasure to deal with and for making our Christmas Dinner so very special this year. Thank you both so, so much…

Business Brands, Life Experiences, Uncategorized, Values

Listening to Customers

May 4, 2011 SarahWatts

I recently purchased the NEW Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste that has been advertised widely. Having sensitive teeth, the ad totally hooked me and the next time I was looking for toothpaste I decided to give it a go!

When I first went to use the product I was unable to open the ‘tamper-proof’ cap, so went to my husband for help. In the end, we had to take to it with a knife and cut the secure cap off! Rather extreme for toothpaste!

I thought that this was so dangerous and ridiculous that I decided to contact Colgate and let them know. If we had this much trouble, how would someone like my 84 year old mother in law, with arthritic hands and living on her own, ever get the cap off?! I went onto their website and found the ‘contact us’ section and sent them a polite email describing the problems I experienced. I quickly received back an equally polite email that essentially ‘fobbed’ me off. Oh well, I thought, I won’t be buying that product again, regardless how good the toothpaste maybe, it’s just too hard to get to.

I forgot all about it and returned to another brand of toothpaste with any easy-access cap. This week I received a parcel in the post from Colgate. Seems I must not have been the only one to comment on the cap and they have redesigned it and sent me a tube to trial plus a questionnaire to answer.

Well today I tried the new cap which is still ‘tamper-proof’ but I am pleased to say VERY easy to open and access the toothpaste inside!

All of this really impressed on me how important it is to listen AND respond to customers. I felt great that my comments had been heard and acted on and my further opinion was then sought. I am sure I was one of many people who made comments about the cap, but if no one had said anything and had just never bought the product again, Colgate would have been left wondering what the problem was – the toothpaste? the taste? packaging – WHAT?! By receiving and acting on the feedback they have been able to make a small change and thererfore, hopefully retain customers and gain new customers, when they spread the word.

So, the moral of the story is to firstly let companies/organisations know if you find a problem with their product or service so they can take action – its then up to them. Secondly, if you are that company/organisation receiving that comment, WELCOME it with open arms and see at as the opportunity that it is to make your service or product even better! I will now continue to buy Sensitive Pro-Relief Colgate!

Uncategorized, Values

It takes HEAPS of Courage to be a Visionary Leader !

September 3, 2010 Jenny White

With the world in turmoil with the global financial crisis, climate change and environmental disasters, humans wreaking devastating harm on one another in various parts of the world, as a species we are facing some of the biggest challenges in history. Do you have the courage to lead confidently in these uncertain times? If you can see these challenges as opportunity, you will be one of the survivors. As leaders, we must be pioneers in forging new relationships, new ways of doing business, new ways of being in the world. It requires comfort with ambiguity, confidence in uncertainty, and a willingness to celebrate diversity. It takes Visionary leadership.

Visionary leadership is an art. Unlike the managerial tools of policy, procedures, techniques and measures, it comes directly from knowing and understanding Self. A visionary leader is one who serves through being Trustworthy, Inspirational and Passionate. The emphasis on serving through being is the essence of our work with values and energy. There is no recipe; there are no seven steps or ten tips. It requires the courage to abandon what we “know to be so” and embrace the mystery and complexity of what it is to be human.

A visionary leader is clear about who he or she is, and exudes genuine SELF-confidence. Visionary Leaders have a confidence in who they are and what they stand for which is accompanied by trust that they can face whatever situations come their way. A visionary leader knows and trusts in their ability to be infinitely creative, and also trusts that capacity in those he or she leads.

Why Visionary Leadership?
The prevailing model of the authoritarian leader is under-performing and failing, and in too many cases failing in spectacular yet sad circumstances. We only have to look at the Business section of daily press for numerous examples of this. If I was to ask you “who is the source of your greatest frustration in your current business climate” and you find yourself pointing the accusatory finger of blame, then there are also the three fingers pointing back to YOU, giving you the answer to the question! Your profitability and success is a direct result of the quality of your leadership. No exceptions! The good news is that you are also the solution. The question is: Do you have the courage to liberate the visionary leader within?

What are the characteristics and skills of the visionary leader?
Authoritarian leaders focus on protecting what they’ve been in the past while Visionary leaders focus on what they are becoming in the present and future.

Key differences are illustrated in the table below:

Authoritarian	Visionary
Is very competitive.	Is very cooperative.
Is focused on the shareholder.	Is focused on the stakeholders.
Is risk averse.	Encourages innovation.
Is uncomfortable with uncertainty.	Revels in uncertainty.
Is a creator of teams that ‘follow’.	Creates leaders at all levels.
Operates within a tangible framework.	Operates intuitively.
Seeks to control the enterprise.	Realises the enterprise is ‘self-organising’.
Tells people what to do.	Listens by asking questions.
Talks of what the problem is.	Talks about possible solutions.
Is reactive	Is Creative
Is focused on “What’s in it for me?”	Is focused on “What will benefit US?”
Debates	Dialogues and values storytelling
Strong masculine energy	Strong feminine energy

How are these visionary behaviours developed?
It is important to note that these behaviours are not mutually exclusive. Today’s leaders will benefit from being able to consciously operate along a continuum encompassing both styles as varying circumstances require.

The guidelines for learning the visionary behaviours above are rarely found in any current management texts, courses or training programs, let alone when you were at school.

Your choices to develop these behaviours are to:
• Engage a mentor or coach to assist you to unfold and develop these behaviours
• Read quality books and publications in this field
• Take regular time out for reflection – to listen to your inner voice and practice recognizing your intuition.
• Understand your values, and write your purpose, visions and strategies to reflect the most important priorities in your life.

The Language of Values
There is also a new language to be learnt, to understand the nature and role of values. Values, defined as our unconscious motivators, underpin every action we take. Everyone has values. Visionary leaders are people who have revisited and clarified their core values to consciously choose which values will be expressed in their lives. Visionary leaders pay attention to honouring and dissolving those values that are no longer useful to their future as a visionary leader and releasing the energy from values that keep them“stuck in the past” to values that energise them to create a compelling future.

Examples of this skill include:
• dissolving a lack of ‘self worth*’ and relocate the energy into ‘being self*’
• dissolving the value of ‘independence*’ and relocating the energy into ‘interdependence*’
• dissolving the need to be ‘competitive*’ and relocate the energy to being ‘cooperative*’
* from an Australian model of 128 universally researched values ( New Wisdom 11 by Colins and Chippendale)

Now ask yourself, when did you last reflect on and review your:
• Personal work practices, e.g. reading, time management, paper management?
• Management skills, e.g. communications, project management, technical competencies?
• Leadership abilities, e.g. visioning, creating, listening, mentoring, thinking/concentrating?

May I suggest that the reality is that these skills and abilities continue to be essential and need to be under continuing formal review if you seek to be a leader of change and innovation?

The quantum leap forward for you as a Visionary leader, way beyond the above, is to become aware of your inner levels of consciousness, offering access to abilities that are infinite.

This inner level of consciousness within each of us is often experienced as a ‘flash of insight’, an instant solution to a complex situation, an entirely new idea, and in each instant you will express amazement and wonder ‘how did I do that?” and ‘where do they come from?’

The process of accessing the visionary leader within engages a wide range of innate abilities and will include:
• Being present with oneself.
• Being present with another
• Dissolving negative judgment of oneself and others
• Listening empathetically
• Detaching and transcending the senses
• Detaching and transcending the human constructs of time.
• Listening to your feelings
• Looking for patterns in the complexity of the issue at hand.

Now as you can see, to engage these deeper levels of consciousness calls for changes to your traditional work practices and the emphasis on rushing around getting things done to being at-one-within, thinking and concentrating.

Key questions for courageous leaders
1. Who is your mentor and your protégé?
2. What is your next formal learning project?
3. When will you formally refresh your purpose – for your Self, for your business and for the people you lead?
4. What must you, as a leader, be willing to give up or let go of in order for your business to be more flexible and responsive to change?
5. Reflect on three core principles which determine how your business currently operates. How are these helping or harming the business’s ability to achieve its Vision?
6. What barriers will have to be removed in order for your business to be stronger, more profitable and exist 5 years from now?
7. What are your top 9 values that you orient your life around?

Our planet needs visionary leaders, your country, your organisations and communities need visionary leaders. Our children need new role models for leadership in the 21st century. I urge you to rise to the challenges and be courageous enough to discover the visionary leader that resides within every one of you.

This AMAZING piece was written by our AMAZING guest blogger Karynne Courts from Values Connection. Ph +61 2 9983 0755

The 'Read & Recover' Initiative - Helping sick kids!, Values

Making a special guy’s day at Australia Post

February 2, 2010 Jenny White

It’s not every day that you walk into a Post Office and tell the guy behind the counter that you are not there to buy stamps, but you would like to buy 1600 kids books from him. This is the story of Stuart from Australia Post.

I first went into the post office a couple of weeks back to simply look at the shelves to see what was available and decided that, after all our hunting for the perfect books to give to 100 hospitals that this was it ! I lined up in that all too familiar post office line that always seems to go out the door (why is that ? – that is a service/operations question for another conversation I think) and 10 minutes later arrived at the counter in front of Stuart.

“Hi Stuart, I’m Jenny and I am hoping to chat to you about buying a few books”. Stuart in his happy, willing tone said “of course – what would you like”. I informed him that I was looking at buying 1600 books and a heap of packaging and postage as well. This was a sale that was worth thousands of dollars to the local post office and Stuart must have worked that out in his head pretty quickly as he then stepped out from behind the counter to come out and have a chat to me with no barriers like counters or tills. From that point on, Stuart was focused on my needs. Stuart was not a manager, he was a postal service officer, but for some reason, he seemed to take ownership of this with the skills of a manager. I knew that Stuart was going to really help me from this point onwards. I was looking forward to dealing with Stuart and secretly hoped that I did not get tipped to a manager instead.

I planned to go back once or twice more before sealing the deal. I just had to confirm this spend with the key stakeholders in the initiative. A week later, I went back into the post office expecting that Stuart would have been moved from the job and the manager of the business would take over the sale. I was so pleased to see that when I went to the counter, Stuart was called to meet me “Stuart, that lady for all those books is here to see you”. This was the manager calling for Stuart. She had generously and rightly empowered Stuart to carry out the sale to its end. So many times I witness a manager taking over from an employee thinking that they can do a better job. An employee never learns how to do a great job unless they are empowered to do so. I could tell that the manager had coached him a little by the questions that he came back to me with and that was great! Stuart was on a roll. He organized the order to a tee and promised to call me when it was ready so I could come in and pay! I got the call as promised and went down to see him with credit card in hand. What I had also done was put that special touch to the transaction, I had made a plate of Anzac biscuits for his team.

After the transaction was complete, Stuart’s manager came out to thank us and of course, I spoke so highly of the efforts that Stuart had made in sealing the deal. The manager then offered to personally deliver the books to the venue where we will pack them which I of course accepted. We had made Stuart’s day and he had made ours….. I don’t know what was more rewarding for him; knowing he played some part in giving books to hospitals; making such a big transaction; or being the person whose customer brought him a plate of Anzacs.

The moral of this is that in everything that you do, try and make someone else’s day and you will walk away with a smile on your own face every single time. Empower your staff to be great and they will come through with greatness !

PS: When it is time to send the books, the only person I want to deal with is Stuart !

Life Experiences

It’s All About the Coffee

January 27, 2010 Toby Kennett 3 Comments

I’m sharing this experience with you for what it was worth to me personally ! The experience was pretty

normal in many ways, but the process of blogging it was where the benefit arose. You see by thinking about what to write and then drafting the story below, it has forced me to revisit our business to make sure that we are “making good coffee”. Read on and hopefully it will all make sense………….

My three year old was due back to Daycare this week, so my wife and I promised him a brekky outing on the weekend as he had been “requesting” pancakes on an almost daily basis of late…………there are afterall priorities in a little boy’s life and pancakes just so happens to be one of them ! 🙂

We set-off to a well-known Pancake House in town and my wife and I ordered a cup of coffee each. Now whilst I have been criticised by friends for being a bit of a coffee snob (I refuse to drink instant), having spent years in hospitality I am partial to a good cuppa. And so, I waited patiently for my coffee to appear and when it did I just knew it wasn’t going to be a good experience. Firstly, I had ordered a mug only to be delivered a cup. There was this tiny bit of tatty floating white stuff amongst what looked like very dirty dishwater and smelt like burnt coffee. Lifting the cup to my lips, I could feel the heat of the beverage and was prepared for the fact that I was going to blister my tongue and unfortunately I was right, the milk had been burnt so the coffee was dangerously hot !

It’s funny because the rest of the meal was quite passable – nothing fantastic, but certainly nothing terrible either. The service was satisfactory through the meal process and became good at the end when we were asked if everything was to our liking and I commented that the coffees were not at all good and explained very politely why. The waiter apologised and whisked the full cups away asking if we would like another, which we declined. He then came back to our table and informed us that he had removed the items from our bill, which I thanked him for and we went to pay the bill.

In the car on the way home my wife and I commented to each other that we would likely not rush back in main due to the coffee, which got me to thinking about the number of establishments that I visit where the coffee is poor and how I usually make a mental note not to go back unless something else about the visit is particularly special. What it means is that everything/everyone else has to work that much harder to win my custom as they couldn’t get the little thing (making the coffee) right in the first place.

Am I being a bit harsh ?

Possibly ! But I don’t think that I would be alone in thinking this way. I am not for a moment suggesting that I cannot be won over simply because of a bad cup of coffee. There are certainly places that we frequent where the coffee is only just passable, but everything else is brilliant ! But it is JUST THAT point that I am making……..everything else has to be way above par, when in reality all they needed to do was get the small stuff right.

We are spoilt for choice here in Australia and in general we are well informed about the way food & beverages should be served, not to mention how a venue should present; the cleanliness of toilets and food facilties and a myriad of other “small” things that add up in the “big scheme” of things !!! So, metaphorically speaking it made me think about the “quality of OUR coffee” and made me retrace some of our practices with the view to considering if any of our services are working harder to make up for some of the others…………….

……….when was the last time you checked on your coffee ???

Life Experiences, Values

Working for Dough !

January 21, 2010 Toby Kennett 2 Comments

Isn’t it funny how your perception of a business can change ?

When we moved in to our new home two years ago, the process of unpacking the multitude of boxes made the hunger pains start however the fridge had not been plugged in and the food boxes contained nothing that appealed to the appetite ! Fortunately we had relocated to the Inner West and two minute’s walk from our place is a run of shops.

I grabbed my wallet and my then 18 month old and I walked (he got carried) up to our very local shops. Within quite literally ten metres of each other there are two bakeries. I strolled in to the slightly closer one and was met by 3 smiling faces and a big “can I help you ?”. We were off to a great start ! The lady serving me was very helpful whilst the other two ladies were very taken with my little boy. They clucked and cooed and after I spent my $20 or thereabouts and was about to leave they gave my little boy a cookie and said, “see you soon”.

Needless to say we started going back on an almost daily basis and would easily spend on average $30 a week, which I would suggest should have made us a “regular customer”.

The service remained reasonably consistent for about 12 months and we could not have been happier – buying bread became a bit of an outing/event and my son was always the first one at the door, champing at the bit to buy bread (and maybe score a free cookie……………he was only two and a half afterall !!!).

Both my wife and I enjoy a nice chunky sandwich and so we have always bought our bread UNsliced – the added benefit being the bread seems to remain fresher for longer. Upon arriving at the bakery every second day, if not every day we would ask if they had an UNcut loaf or if there was anything fresh out of the oven ? (There is NOTHING better than warm/fresh bread with a chunk of butter on it).

Now, for the purpose of this post I am going to ignore the fact that we had to request an uncut loaf each and every time, which in itself is frustrating. What we both began to notice was that we were gradually being treated with more and more disdain until eventually we were almost ignored and then one day the owner’s wife came out and informed my wife that the cut loaves were fresh each morning and why couldn’t we just take one of those ? Shocked, my wife left the bakery without purchasing anything and she came home to tell me the story.

Interestingly enough and against my usual mode of doing things; rather than speak directly to the owner or his wife about loyalty and customer service, we “voted with our feet” and now we buy all of our bread from either the bakery two doors up OR we go to the less expensive and much friendlier again bakery that is a car trip away !!!

All of this got me to thinking………………

All of the hard work that these people did at first to gain our repeat business was undone over a period of time by making us FEEL like we were being difficult ! And then, it came to a head when they then confirmed our feelings by confronting us. Would it not have been much easier to just keep a loaf aside for us each day ? Worst case scenario is that someone else would have bought it later on. As os often happens with this sort of experience, I shared it with local friends and family and they too have stopped using the bakery as my experience was echoed (if not to the same degree) by them. Overnight, their business is potentially $2000-$3000 a year less profitable due to the loss of “our” business.

Will this send them broke ? I sincerely hope not ! It is a family owned business and they have a small family to feed.

Someone once said to me “there is plenty of dough in dough” !!! Unfortunately, no matter how much money there is in a product/service without CUSTOMER SERVICE it can be worthless…..

Bloggin' White Now !……….