Service: this time it’s personal
Six nights, three venues, two adults, one dog – it’s surprising what you can learn about service on a short break
For those reading this from far afield, you may not know that Wales is a country of 3.6 million people, to the west of England in the United Kingdom. It is a glorious place, full of history, its own language, ancient traditions, mountains (there are many, many Welsh words for hills and peaks), art, music, castles, and unpredictable weather. But, as it happens, it is also my home country
– the country I grew up in, the language I struggled to learn (you need a lot of spit and determination) and a culture that I am still in love with to this day.
Also, Henry VII, the first Tudor King, was born in Wales: the Tudors were kinda Welsh! Who knew?
This past week, Sarah and I – along with Rufus, our ever-faithful, ever-crazy, studio dog – grabbed an opportunity of a few nights away to enjoy some of what South Wales had to offer.
So, there we were: six nights, three locations, two adults, one dog, maybe just a little wine and some long, wet, windy walks. Perfect.
We walked, ate, talked, drank, ate some more and soaked up the iconic scenery and the friendliest people you could ever imagine.
If I had to be picky, this beautiful bit of the world does have a fondness for mobile home parks that I frankly don’t share. Everywhere you look along the coastline? Trailer parks. Row upon row of beige boxes. I assume the South Wales planning committees prefer caravans to permanent buildings.
Anyway, irrespective of poor planning choices, how does any of this apply to setting up a photography business?
Well, we stayed in three different locations – a small self-catering cottage on the top of a mountain, a cheaper hotel on the threshold of a (very, very windy) beach and an expensive restaurant/hotel high on the hills overlooking a glittering bay. Each was different, each was handpicked, and each was dog-friendly.
Service with a smile
A week later, as we returned home, the cobwebs blown away, we spent hours reminiscing about our trip; it may sound obvious, but it was the service we received that was always the focus.
Yes, okay, each venue, each pub and each restaurant gave a first (not consistently favourable) impression: the paintwork on the door, the signage (if any), the parking lot, the smell of the room, the dog bowl and treats left ready for Rufus, the soap dispensers and how far away the nearest pub is. Admittedly, that last one may not be at the top of your requirements list, but hey, we all have our little quirks.
But our interactions are always with people, not buildings and decor.
And it is a point worth remembering: no matter what type of business you run, you interact with humans.
Everywhere we went, the human element stuck in our minds. And when we asked ourselves the usual question, “Would we go back there again?” It was always the people we’d interacted with that made the difference.
Did the expensive hotel come top of the list? No, not really, it didn’t. The booking process had been flawless, and we had been excited about our visit. But, sadly, the front-of-house service didn’t have the same lustre (though I have to credit the single, solitary waitress who ran a perfect breakfast service with enthusiasm and verve). The thing is, this pricey hotel should have come out on top, but no amount of posh paint, flickering candles or Gothic windows can make up for average service.
It’s not that the service wasn’t good
– it was. It’s just that we had better service in cheaper locations and, if you’re going to charge hefty prices, it’s the service that holds the key.
Conversely, the cheapest hotel – a hotel that clearly had a staffing shortage as there were ‘staff wanted’ posters everywhere – managed to be enthusiastic, friendly, authentic and genuinely caring in everything they did.
I have no way of knowing if the outstanding service was due to an effective training regime or if it was down to careful recruiting, but either way, they could not have made us
– all three of us – more welcome.
It’s about faces not facilities; personalities not places; people not pricing; authenticity not advertising; friendliness not frills… At which point I have run out of alliteration, but I’m sure you get the idea.
Every photographer worries about their images and pricing, but those do not create brand loyalty: service is everything.
Every photographer worries about their images and pricing, but those do not create brand loyalty: service is everything