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What did you learn from Claridges BBC programme?

Did you watch the start of the new BBC series about London super-hotel, Claridges?

writes Malcolm Gallagher, CEO of The Executive Boardroom

If you did, then you may have gasped at the per night costs of £5500 or more that guests were willing to pay for a room. But did you look for what you could learn for your business from the programme?

Don’t instantly dismiss me by saying your business and Claridges are not the same – there are similarities and things to learn. For example, it’s likely that excellence in customer service is at the heart of your mission, vision and values – or it better be! And you probably think about customer service a lot if you are a good leader.

The key ThinkLink (linking your own thinking to real world action) here is to appreciate that everything is relative. See what you can learn and adapt it to your business.

Now Claridges is all about attention to the minutest detail – and the lesson here is to never be satisfied because good is never good enough. There’s always a competitor willing to try harder than you.

A few years ago, I was presenting a big event for The British Food Trust at The Dorchester in London and a BBC TV crew was filming elements there for my BBC-produced video. We asked The Dorchester head of Guest Services about the hotel’s approach to customer service. The reply was that all staff, irrespective of nationality or education are taught that “if a guest has to ask then we’ve failed”. They are taught to anticipate guest or customer needs.

Is that a lesson you can easily translate into your business? What else can you learn from Claridges? How about don’t be afraid to charge your price if you are delivering exceptional value? There’s much more to learn and adapt from this excellent TV programme.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Malcolm Gallagher .