A perfect three-step customer service plan

Let’s set the scene of my most recent blog…We are in Cusco, Peru. Imagine a dusty back alley, intricate stone walls, the most vibrant coloured printed fabrics, alpacas roaming around and me exhausted after completing a 46 kilometre trek (the Inca Trail) in three days instead of the usual four, going up to 4,200 metres in altitude, all the while pregnant.

So of course, I needed a little pampering after my adventure and after a huge breakfast at Jacks Café, I booked myself in for a manicure/pedicure. Near comatose during the manicure, I snapped back to reality at its conclusion when my manicurist followed a near perfect customer service plan without batting an eyelid.

Firstly, she offered more than was promised and up-sold. I was offered a small shoulder and foot massage at no extra cost and then told about the amount it would cost me to get a full hour-long massage.

Secondly, she asked me if I was happy with her work on my nails. This may sound like such a small thing, but when was the last time you asked your customers if they were happy with your work?

Thirdly, after finding out I was happy, she asked for referrals. As I left she gave me a handful of her business cards “for my friends”.

All this was done in mere minutes, in a dusty back alley with an alpaca guarding the door (well almost!)

If a Cusco manicurist can do this as second nature, what’s stopping you?