Customer service...what's that?

During my working life I have always worked in client (or customer) service roles.  I like to think I excelled...after all, it's not hard to both do your job and give people a positive experience at the same time!

This past week I experienced both the best and worst customer service I've seen in a while.

Firstly, the good.  I recently changed hairdressers.  The old one was OK, but the salon was a bit noisy, a bit unprofessional...a bit "cheap" ie tacky.

My new hairdresser works for a trendy company with quite a few salons.  I will call him..."Sam".  He is an absolute joy.  Well presented, friendly, chatty but not overly so...makes a mean cup of coffee and gives a fantastic head & neck massage.  He is everything you want  hairdresser to be, with the possible exception of the blinding cost!

On the other hand, I have recently started getting my nails done at the local salon of a well known chain.  I go there as they do a good job and are substantially cheaper than their competitors.  The problem is the people skills of the staff...they have none!  As they don't introduce themselves I have nicknamed them all Surly, and they live up to it! 

I don't expect the world, but I do expect that staff in the businesses I visit have a basic level of customer service.  It's not hard to paste on a smile and be pleasant to your customers after all!

I know I sound old fashioned, some would say just plain old, but I remember a time when customer service was a priority for businesses, not a rarity.

Love Jo xxx

It's been too long!

I was going to say I have no idea where this year has gone, or how I can't believe that I haven't written a post since January, but the sad fact is I know exactly where it's gone and why it's happened.

I've had a hell of a year.

In no particular order, I've had a major surgery causing a dramatic lifestyle change, a serious bout of depression leading to a couple of months in hospital and another month visiting relatives and recovering.  Exhausting.

I need to learn to look after myself better, to recognise when I'm going into a decline before it gets to the point where I have to spend so long in hospital.

I accept that there will be occasions where hospital is necessary, it seems to be the nature of my particular brand of mental illness, but I need to learn to get help sooner, to try to shorten those admissions.  Hopefully I can limit my stays to medication changes only rather than extended stays. 

I have to keep myself busy, building new neural pathways, doing a range of new things (or old things I had stopped doing).

Part of my recovery includes writing, something I haven't been able to do for much of the last year.

So for better or worse, I'm back.

Love Jo xxx