Recently, I was lucky enough to partake in mock interviews during work where we interview Year 10 students in a school to give them interview practise. I was asked to spend sometime talking about my career at the start but I know that my career journey was a long time ago and spans 30 years of Higher Education and ten jobs. So I decided to focus on the attributes that got me to where I am today. There are two I surmised to each mock interview candidate. 1 - Work hard and go t

In today's world, we celebrate winners and losers, rankings and achievements, results are pass or fail, competition has become deeply ingrained in how we define success. From schools and universities to workplaces and businesses, we are frequently encouraged to perform in order to get ahead and that usually means we are pitted against each other to do so. Whilst healthy competition can inspire growth and ambition, an overemphasis on it can create barriers, limit innovation an

As we begin the summer holidays in education, I thought I would use my blog to divert a little from customer service and consider other areas weekly. I have been reflecting on a few questions recently focusing on workplace development. I have always been a get my head down person, work hard and that will drive you to success, but the advent of social media is all about visibility. How do we balance doing a good job and being authentic in our visibility especially on Linked In

In today's competitive business landscape, customer experience has become a key differentiator. Whilst organisations invest heavily in product quality, technology and marketing, one often-overlooked factor can significantly influence customer perception: language. The words employees use when interacting with customers can either build trust and loyalty or create frustration and dissatisfaction. Negative language, in particular, can have a lasting impact on customer relations

In today's fast-paced digital world, customers expect prompt responses, swift resolutions, and seamless experiences. Businesses that master the art of urgency in customer service gain a significant competitive advantage. However, urgency is not simply about responding more quickly—it is about making customers (internal and external) feel valued, understood, and prioritised throughout their journey. Urgency in customer service refers to the ability to recognise customer needs

Think. Do. Be. Positive! I am a big believer in being positive. I think, do and be positive as much as possible. I am a glass half full person and get excited and energised over the littlest of things! Do you know that you can do this in sales too? People love it! They love positive, passionate and pro-active people. All the time in fact. You can turn even the grumpiest person around with all of that! You never have to use the word no...... don't believe me - well here goes..

Legendary Customer Service Google defines legendary as based on legends and remarkable enough to be famous; very well known. The companies that deliver that extraordinary/legendary level of service don't have to tell customers in their voicemails and emails, quite honestly; they just do it! You know - we all know them. But what is that makes them legendary? When I was studying for my CIM Marketing Diploma nearly 25 years ago now, I learnt about customer delight. I remember at

Creating an excellent first impression Every so often we all have to have some time off and enjoy a break away from work, so here are some tips to be able to be email free for your half term holiday (what incredible weather!) and give great customer service at the same time as no-one should need to be checking their emails during their annual leave, even people in leadership positions (as I was told I had to in a previous role!) People are paid higher wages for additional res

There’s a story of success nobody talks about enough: the ability to stay teachable after you’ve become good at something. Because the moment you stop learning, you start defending. And the moment you start defending, growth quietly leaves the room. As we started GCSE exams last week at work, I saw this image come up on Pinterest. It really struck me as something to consider whatever age and in both our personal or professional lives. Be humble, be teachable and always keep l

The power of thank you is incredible. In fact the power of words like, 'please', 'sorry', 'hello', and 'goodbye' is amazing. So hello to you this week! I noticed this on a walk this weekend. I stepped off the path to let some people use the path as it was single track and there was a nice little bit for me to get in to, and not one of the group said thank you, which balanced out with an earlier similar event where all of the walkers thanked me for doing the same thing. (Anoth

As we return from a bank holiday weekend during which I hope you had time to enjoy life, sunshine and enjoy the things you love doing with the people you love, it got me thinking. Time is the one resource we all share equally, yet spend so differently. Unlike money, it cannot be earned back, saved for later, or borrowed in times of need. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. That simple truth makes time the most precious currency in both business and personal life—and how we respect it

I was reminded of this quote yesterday whilst at an event. I remember when I read this a few years ago on Pinterest it struck me as being so obvious, so why don't we all practise it? It's like that other wonderful sales quote, "Sell an experience, not a product". But what does it all mean? Customers go online or to shop to find a product in response to a need. Sometimes that product need is easy to fix, but not always. For instance, you want to find an implement for eating so

So in a world where first impressions often happen online, your personal brand is more important than ever. It’s not just for influencers or entrepreneurs—everyone has a personal brand, whether they shape it intentionally or not. I was talking with my husband earlier this week about brands and then personal brand following watching an advert which I thought was rubbish and did not match their brand ... as I cannot remember the brand, potentially shows how much dissonance with

I returned a few days ago from a ten day van holiday with a few hotel stops in the west country visiting friends, family and old haunts. Two experiences spring to mind in the form of two hotels that were the exact same price but were totally different experiences. Let me give you a short overview of each hotel and then the differences to guess which one was a great experience which I would return to and the other not such a great experience. Hotel 1 - Family-run Grade 1 liste

What does real Customer Service Look like? If anyone every wanted to know what real customer service looks like then you don't have to go far. It's Disney. I often make reference to them in my blogs and am always wowed at their values and training programmes for their 'cast' members. You can always tell a brand is good and that their customer service is going to be at red carpet levels (I think) when the the business elevates their people from the name 'staff' to something s

... And I am One of The 82% People really don’t realise the importance of customer service within the purchase experience. I was once told that I was neurotic by a former colleague when making the point that I refused to return to an organisation after poor customer service. Why do people decide to move their custom elsewhere? It’s a pain and time consuming, so for someone to do this, it is a big deal. But people do it for a smooth purchase process and good value for money.

Sales with Empathy One of my favourite quotes is from Maya Angelou who said, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Empathy is key to ensuring you make a customer feel engaged and valued. I was speaking to a former associate in the independent school sector recently and she was talking about how crucial this is within the sales process. Part of the sales process, for example in schools, is the

I am currently reflecting on my four year anniversary at work which has just passed and looking at happiness at work. I have always been a career girl and have had a number of roles over the years in retail, politics, fundraising and marketing across corporate organisations, charities and education organisations both locally, nationally and internationally. I am a full believer that your brand on the outside is only as strong as your brand on the inside. If you are happy in y

Hello Reader! Right from my first job as a babysitter as a 16 year old where I prided myself on turning up on time, listening to the needs of the parents, ensuring the 'baby's' had what they needed and getting them to bed on time to giving the parents a warm and reassuring welcome back to working at Harrods, then in fundraising roles and latterly school / college marketing and admissions roles, I have enjoyed helping people and making people feel happy. For me it is the most

Last week, was incredible. Not only did my place of work celebrate its 10th anniversary on Friday night with a celebratory event and awards - more about that later in the blog - but we had an all staff development day on the Wednesday which allowed the full team of marketing and learner recruitment the chance to get together. This is so rare as my team look after our receptions and visitors, students and prospective students and we are all about customer first. We took the