Nicholas Bate

Blast from the Past

originally posted December 2006
Wouldn't it be great; if these were strongly associated?

Pension advisers+clear confident understanding of their offering
Banks+clear product positioning
Schools+fantastic teaching
Book publishers+speed to market
Restaurants+clear tipping policy
Cinemas+audience silence when the film was on
Airport security+continuous simplification for them and us
Railways+clarity of pricing
Quiet carriage on the train+quietness
Week-end 'quality papers'+news

Wouldn't it be Great?

If these were strongly associated?

Pension advisers+clear confident understanding of their offering
Banks+clear product positioning
Schools+fantastic teaching
Book publishers+speed to market
Restaurants+clear tipping policy
Cinemas+audience silence when the film was on
Airport security+continuous simplification for them and us
Railways+clarity of pricing
Quiet carriage on the train+quietness
Week-end 'quality papers'+news

Wouldn't it be Great?

And sometimes it is! Brilliant service today from Stuart at Big Yellow storage. Incredibly helpful and patient with all the challenges I was throwing at him. And also brilliant service from Trailfinders who I am using more and more; incredible deals which seem so hard to find yourself for travel, accompanied by excellent service.

Try them both.

Wouldn't it be great?

If more people were brilliant at the basics such as:

Petrol stations had a fast-track so you could pay for your fuel and avoid those doing their weekly family shop.
More buses implemented the brilliant internal systems of telling you which stop is coming up next (so many people tell me they won't use the bus for worry of getting lost; how on Earth are we going to sell public transport...)
Hotels had better reading lights: by the bed and at the desk.
Supermarkets introduced bio-degradeable plastic bags AND charged us for them.
Train enquiry systems (both human and computerised) realised that the key criteria is not always lowest cost. Sometimes it's quickest journey or fewest changes or...
Travellers of all ages realised it really is bad manners to answer your phone in a public place where people cannot escape e.g. on a train....
W H Smith realised that we are really confused by what their purpose now is....

Wouldn't it be great?

If more people were brilliant at the basics such as:

Garages always re-filled the disposable glove dispensers at the pumps?
Supermarket supervisors stopped chatting and got on the tills at busy times?
Banks stopped 're-inventing' and really looked after you as if they wanted your business?
Hotels cleared your room of all those wretched leaflets everywhere and installed shower systems that allowed you to adjust the temperature without being scalded or chilled first?
Presenters started communicating instead of acting as if they got a royalty on every PowerPoint slide used?
Food critics realised that being a critic does allow you to say nice things, too?
Bookshops introduced us to new authors rather than trying to sell us the large-print version of Dan Brown?
Cinemas 'patrolled' for the first 10 minutes of a film to deal with the people who insist on discussing the plot over their mobile phone?

It actually doesn't take too much to get your customers to (1) choose you (2) talk about you (3) love you. What's a basic you need to re-fresh for your customers?