World Class Service works with organisations across the UK and Ireland to help them deliver excellence.  But the past year has seen significant developments closer to home, which will shape the way we do business with all our clients.

2011 was a good year to be in business in Manchester.  It was a year where the eyes of the nation have been on the City- or rather the Cities – as this has been in no small part down to the developments in Salford. There are now upwards of 2,000 BBC staff based at MediaCity UK, as well as the massive volumes of freelance staff that the studio operation is employing directly.  The creation of this technological Goliath has placed Salford at the forefront of the media industry, and this has already led to announcements of further investment in the area, from the likes of SIS and ITV.

2011 was a good year to be in business in Manchester.  It was a year where the eyes of the nation have been on the City- or rather the Cities – as this has been in no small part down to the developments in Salford. There are now upwards of 2,000 BBC staff based at MediaCity UK, as well as the massive volumes of freelance staff that the studio operation is employing directly.  The creation of this technological Goliath has placed Salford at the forefront of the media industry, and this has already led to announcements of further investment in the area, from the likes of SIS and ITV.

At the start of the year, this relocation was working against the reputation of the region.  Major players at the BBC were refusing to make the move north, and talk of bus loads of London based staff being shuttled up to the region to have their stereotypes proved wrong, did nothing for the image.  However, 12 months on – the picture is completely different.  High volumes of the BBC’s content is now being made, and edited in Salford, and significant productions, such as December’s Sports Personality of the Year are bringing further investment to the region.

But the current buoyant position isn’t solely based on this one development.  2011 will also go down as the year when Manchester’s two best football teams rediscovered their competitive spirit.

It was also the year that when the Nation as a whole was in something of a slump, the I ♥ MCR campaign captured our imaginations, and truly proved, if we didn’t already know it, the fighting spirit of our neighbours and friends.

That campaign has left a legacy that we at World Class Service hope to build upon in 2012.  The very fact that the majority of readers will have just interpreted those digits as twenty-twelve, rather than two thousand and eleven that we left behind, shows the impact that the Olympic Brand, and everything that brings with it will have on the year ahead.  This impact will be nationwide, and unfortunately will not always be a positive one.  Last week, Andrew Lloyd Webber predicted a ‘blood-bath’ on London’s theatre scene – and his belief that tourist trade will suffer for all non-sport related activity- is likely to be a trend repeated across the nation.

So this year has to be a real call for arms for the City’s businesses.  The I ♥ MCR campaign was about people shouting about everything good in the region.  But businesses can’t rest on their laurels – and need to deserve this praise.  With no guarantee of the level of one off visitors to the region in 2012 – we really need to be making sure that everyone that comes through the door, wants to return.

This philosophy is at the heart of everything that World Class Service does – and the four fields of Customer Service are a simple set of guiding principles to ensure that every person: visitor, customer, staff member alike – gets the best possible experience.  Why not think of them as New Year’s Resolutions for your business:

 

 

1. Behaviours

Excellent customer service isn’t just about behaviour – but it is certainly helps.  Your customers might be feeling down during this blustery and chilly start to the new year – but your staff should be doing everything they can to make them feel like they got exactly what they wanted from their visit to you – and hopefully more besides.

 

 

2. Tangible Products

In 2012 we should be proud of everything we produce.  Whatever our business, whether it be cups of tea, concerts or bedrooms – bosses should always be confident that every single item is of the highest quality.

 

 

3. Physical Environment

Look around you as you are reading this? Does everything look as it did the day you opened your doors to the public? We can use these first few days of the year to do all of those tidying, DIY and maintenance jobs, that may have been neglected last month.

 

 

4. Processes

If keeping four resolutions seems just a bit too hard – then make sure you start with this one- as it is the secret to success of the others….  Spend a day thinking about all your systems.  Are they geared up to ensure the best possible experience for a customer? Processes can often evolve out of a particular requirement, and can forget the end user – and it is this lack of focus which can often lead to a compromise of quality of behaviours, product or environment.

We’ll be spending the next few weeks providing extra hints on how to keep each of these resolutions – but in the mean time, go to http://www.worldclassservice.co.uk/standard for some extra help.  Or get in touch…