Going the Extra Mile....

.... is crucial in customer service. Customers want to be wowed..... we as customers want to be wowed too. So why would you not go the extra mile for your customers. That extra mile is not a crowded place and you won't find many of your competitors or colleagues in that space.

I have to admit, I am not a person that likes to just settle for good enough - or as I said a few weeks ago... average. Going the extra mile makes the end result of the more worthwhile when you achieve the outcome you wanted to.

So many people are just willing to do enough. When does that ever get noticed by the customer and management? Because customers are not just external to you, they are your colleagues and managers too.

I never understand why people are not willing to get tenacious, go above and beyond and be the best.

I read a book a few years ago called 'Winners'. It has the stories of people across the world who had achieved in their field so people from the world of sports, politics and retail. It was interesting to read how they got to the top and what drove them.

There were three insights that I took from that book and three common threads from the people featured

1 - Work hard - do more than just the norm. This has served me well throughout my life. I was brought up with the mantra, if you work hard and perform you will succeed and be rewarded. Working hard means going the extra mile, doing more than the 9-5 when needed, being proactive and showing up even when not asked because you know there is a big event that needs all hands on deck. People notice these things.

2 - Be tenacious or in my case driven, passionate, positive and proactive. I was driven to want to make something of myself and to succeed in my career. I also love helping people and I get my energy from happy customers, tenacious teams and staff, positivity and passionate people and their energy... but lets be fair - don't we all. Who wants to deal with someone constantly moaning and constantly being negative, not pulling their weight so the team has to constantly pitch in so that a plate is not dropped? People buy from people.... so positivity, team work and being passionate about what you do is key.

3 - Finally everyone in the book had an extra 10% to give. Now this is a headspace thing. I am a big believer in the saying 'You are your only limit'. If you mind gives up your body will. However if you mind is focused, driven, positive and on it, so will you body. You body is programmed to carry on and carry on. It's your mind that stops you. I am very well aware of these when I start on a new physical adventure. I have to give my mind a talking to and be positive and see the goal. Don't let you mind let you down!

It boils down to resilience and key Power Skill - more on these next week!

With these three winning aspects in place, you can go the extra mile, you can achieve that dream and you can bring amazing customer service and experience to the world.

Great customer experience whether to colleagues or customers is not hard and it costs nothing.... so go the extra mile - I promise you its worth it!