The Great Classics of Customer Service

Professional Dimension Human

Dimension

Aesthetic Dimension

3 INGREDIENTS, 12 RECIPES TO TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS

THE GREAT CLASSICS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

1997

Two cordon bleu chefs, Erik Perey and Lionel Meyer, created

Luxury Attitude. Why? To help brands around the world to leave a

stronger emotional imprint on their Clients. Their view was that, all

too often, Clients asked about their service experience, ticked the

“satisfied” box, but no more. Their experience lacked savour, bouquet,

delight time... in a word, it was unmemorable! To make the difference,

it was time to add extra ingredients, whet the Client’s appetite with

mouth-watering ingredients and give them pleasure to remember…

Together, Erik Perey and Lionel Meyer conceived their service design

methodology and offered it to luxury hotels whose prime aspiration

was to make each Client experience unforgettable.

A few years later numerous luxury and premium brands, seeking

inspiration from the style-setting grand hotels, turned to Luxury

Attitude for our savoir-faire.

2010

By now, Luxury Attitude had established a reputation in the world

of luxury hotels, so it was time to create Customer Experience. Our

ambition? To help the leading brands to differentiate themselves in

highly competitive business areas, via simple, yet exquisite service.

Since 1997, we have accompanied our Clients in their quest for

service excellence. Today, we savour the opportunity to bring you our

‘Great Classics of Customer Service’.

Be bold: Delight your Clients

we have accompanied our Clients in their quest for service excellence. Today, we savour the opportunity to bring you our ‘Great Classics of Customer Service’.

In this book you will find twelve recipes based on three families of vital ingredients, the three dimensions of service: the professional dimension, the human dimension and the aesthetic dimension.

For each recipe our specialist consultant chefs take the lid off their personal ingredients (what?), the crispy details of the cooking instructions (how?) and the secrets you can use to turn up the heat (why?).

Whether you are a professional Chef or a passionate amateur, whether your job is to sell or advise, whether you work at the reception desk, the bar, the dining hall, the cloakroom, or the backroom… you now have everything you need to try out the first eleven recipes – matching them to your taste, of course – and provide daily, instant delight to all your Clients. Our book does not stop there! The final pages contain a nugget: recipe n° 12. This recipe is yours! It’s your own personal creation. It is the extra special je ne sais quoi that will make you a Master Chef, a creator of emotions. After the appetizer, we offer you the chance to invent your own recipe, bake, fry, toast or roast it, bring it to your Client’s table and add tasty new ideas to it each day.

So it’s time to don your toque and apron and set to work preparing these service recipes and delight your Client’s taste buds, every day of the week!

Hervé de Gouvion Saint CyrDirector, Customer Experience and Luxury Attitude

we have accompanied our Clients in their quest for service excellence. Today, we savour the opportunity to bring you our ‘Great Classics of Customer Service’.

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Coat your work top with precise expertise about your brand and awareness of your rivals. Sprinkle on a dose of continuous knowledge acquisition.

Add some detailed research on the Clients you are expecting to meet. Memorise their names, their taste, their habits…

Prepare the table, paying special attention to each detail. Mix some sizzling music with a scented bouquet, not to forget two spoonfuls of candlelight. Your goal: offer a potent sensorial experience.

Sprinkle a few touches of elegance on to your personal appearance: from the shine on your shoes to perfect nails and a spotless suit, each detail deserves painstaking care.

Prepare the moment you step into the room by projecting yourself positively into that first eye-to-eye contact with your first Client. Be set to succeed!

A few minutes before welcoming your guests, assemble your kitchen and dining room staff to remind everyone of your goals and, above all, highlight the team spirit shared by all.

Season the whole with enthusiasm and curiosity, so that when you step through the door, the impact will be sublime!

A zest of professional dimension:

• 50 g of care about keeping your working environment spotless and tidy• 50 g of knowing the competition• 75 g of knowing your own brand: its history, its products, its Clients• 100 g of knowing your Clients

A pinch of human dimension:

• 200 g of thinking Client: before they have even arrived• 250 g of team spirit and the quality of your relationships with your team mates

A few grains of aesthetic dimension:

• 150 g of elegance: your dress, hair, makeup…• 150 g of attention to detail in presentation, merchandising…

INGREDIENTS INSTRUCTIONS

Service temperature:excellence

Delight time:for ever

Preparation and cooking time:unlimited

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1

“Preparedness is all about being aware of what your Clients expect.

Clients have never been so demanding and well-informed. They

have never before had such a vast choice of products, services,

lifestyles and distribution channels. For many years it was more

than enough just to be there: conveniently available and competent

enough to provide a service. Those days are gone. Our job now is to

reinvent and deliver real added value so that Clients have no doubt

about what they prefer: it is better to be served by a human being

than by a machine or an algorithm.

Just like top Chefs, we, as service professionals, have to aim for

the highest possible standards in our Client relations. We have

to be ready at all times to create enchantment. Competition and

the demands of our business leave us no alternative. Fitness,

motivation, mindset, knowledge of the basics, practice, coaching…

there is no end to the parallel. Like top Chefs, we must “Stay sharp!”

As in gastronomy, the n° 1 service professional is the one who

has so fully mastered technique that he can go the extra mile into

making enthusiasm, commitment, generosity and attention to

others the values that count...

So, be prepared and driven by the ambition to offer each Client a

truly unforgettable experience!”

Erik Perey and Lionel MeyerCo-founders of

Luxury Attitude and Customer Experience

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TURN UP THE HEAT

...share their secrets!

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Turn “on” the burner as you enter the scene. The Chef recommends that you think “theatre”: use the lowering of the lights before the curtain rises as a sign to switch “on”.

Season your hospitality with a sincere smile, warm words of welcome, an open posture and frank eyes. Do you know the colour of your Client’s eyes?

Blend in generous signs of empathy and recognition: stand up, go to meet the Client, open the door, offer to take a coat.

As soon as you have access to your Client’s name, use it and you will delight your Client.

Leave the burner “on” , but adjust the flame according to your Client’s context and personality.

Sprinkle on a compliment in a touching, attentive but deliciously low-key way, your Client cannot fail to savour.

Allow the whole to simmer and you can be confident that you have established a strong bond with your Client!


• 200 g of validating each item on your checklist


• 100 g of good humour and enthusiasm• 100 g of energy• 100 g of open-mindedness• 200 g of thoughtfulness and acknowledgment


• 150 g of big smiles• 150 g of open gesture• 200 g of words with high emotional added value


2

Service temperature:human warmth


Preparation and cooking time:a few seconds

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“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”.

Coco Chanel

“Those first seconds, first minutes of a Client relation are crucial.

Our attitude, gestures, voice, words, dress, fragrance, makeup,

hair… Clients consciously or unconsciously record every detail as

they form the good or bad first impression they will never forget.

This is why it is vital to leave nothing to chance, firstly through

meticulous preparation, then by making sure to switch to ‘on’ mode.

Human beings have a natural tendency to adopt a closed, ‘off’

position (due to stress, shyness, routine, etc.). However, every

time professionals step on to the stage that is their work place, they

have to leave their moods behind them and ‘switch on’, in other

words adopt a posture and an attitude that are open and attentive

to others. By showing an open attitude, gestures and words, you

can, in turn, switch your Client to ‘on’ mode. This won’t guarantee

results but it is nonetheless your responsibility to do everything in

your power to establish a strong bond with your Client.”

To find out more, learn all the secrets of our “on/off” concept in our

publications, our training courses and our eMovie Learning.

Alexandra BonelliConsultant

Florence SignoretConsultant

Sophie NeumicheConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


?If you are expecting a busy service, coat your work top with anticipation: let the Client know that you may be less available than you would like.

Don’t succumb to the temptation to short-change the Client in order to shorten the queue. Don’t steal away the details that will contribute to the magic for the Client.

Face to face: season your attitude with signs of consideration towards each Client (a sincere smile, a warm look, elegant head gestures).

If you are interrupted – for example, by the phone ringing – sprinkle on a few grains of thoughtfulness. Apologise to the Client. Then greet the next Clients enthusiastically before inviting them to be patient. As far as possible, add a pinch of empathy, giving them an idea of how long they may have to wait. Thank the first Client for being so understanding and, as soon as the conversation is over, show that you are completely available to the next Clients and thank them for their patience.

Show generosity: turn your guests’ wait into a moment of pleasure by paying particular attention to their needs: offer them a drink, something to read, etc.

Bring them on board, capture their interest by giving them a foretaste of what they are about to experience.

Blend (unhurried) dynamism, the impact of surprise and human warmth, so that waiting will not be a gap in the Client’s experience, but an intrinsic part of it!


• 100 g of proactivity and anticipation• 200 g of thorough care for Client comfort


• 100 g of courtesy• 100 g of enthusiasm• 200 g of thoughtfulness• 300 g of consideration


• 100 g of attention to detail• 100 g of elegant gestures• 200 g of smile and warmth in your eyes


3

Service temperature:simmering consideration

Delight time:enduring

Preparation and cooking time:a few seconds to a few minutes

“Waiting can be different things to different people and can depend

so much on circumstances. Do the personnel do everything

possible to make it enjoyable, or do they let it be dull or even painful

for the Client? It also depends on whether the Client is able to see

that it’s a busy day! When the relationship is established blind

– on the telephone or from a hotel room, for example – the Client

has no way of knowing whether you are suddenly overwhelmed by

a coach load of guests, and may become impatient. Alternatively,

Clients in situ – in a boutique or an agency, for example – can see

for themselves the time they can expect to wait, so will be more

amenable.

This means that any business must show empathy and

understanding towards Clients who have to wait, especially as this

is the n° 1 source of dissatisfaction in the services sector! Our job

is to do our utmost to reduce waiting to a minimum and make it

as pleasant as possible. It is our job here to create a connection

with Clients, to give them a clear perspective and generate positive

emotions. In a word, waiting should be a step towards delight. For

us it is a perfect opportunity to make Clients look forward with

positive impatience to what is coming next, to a fresh surprise,

an experience throughout which they are acknowledged and

considered. Make them impatient to confirm their initial intention…

‘I’ll be back!’”

TURN UP THE HEAT


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Mélaïd Ben DaoudManagement Assistant

Patricia Morier des Diguères Sales Development Manager, Luxury Attitude

Nathalie FrancoMajor Account

Development Manager,Customer Experience

Pour in your first ingredient: proactivity. Observe your Clients and identify those who have a lost look in their eyes.

Add a few grains of empathy: approach the Client and offer to help, guiding them to a place, introducing them to a colleague.

Show how much you enjoy showing hospitality: the pleasure you take in helping and creating connections. Your smile, the look in your eyes, and the warmth in your voice should convey your enthusiasm.

Sprinkle on gestures that indicate consideration: walk alongside your Client – rather than in front – adapt to his/her pace. The Client should be able to see part of your face at all times. If this isn’t the case, it means you are too far ahead and that the Client is following you, when he or she should be escorted!

Forget that you ever said “Follow me”. “Please, let me to take you through”, for example, is so much more inviting.

Blend in your desire to find out more about your Client: use the opportunity to enquire discretely about the reason for the visit.

When handing Clients over to a colleague, create the connection, present them and explain any requests they have made, to save them from repeating themselves.

Continue to stir gently and your Client will enjoy delicious moments!


• 100 g of knowledge of your work place• 100 g of very detailed knowledge of your team (everyone’s name, what they do)• 150 g of proactivity


• 150 g of consideration• 150 g of desire to find out about the Client• 150 of mobility and availability• 200 g of gift


• 150 g of smile and a fulsome voice• 150 of words with emotional impact• 200 g of delicacy


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Service temperature:keen enthusiasm


Preparation and cooking time:a few minutes

“In the service professions, when accompanying a Client, the last

thing you want to do is create an oppressive void. Think back to that

time when the hotel receptionist accompanied you to your room

on the eighth floor. Wordlessly, he indicated that you should follow

him to the lift. Still saying nothing, he pressed the button. Then

again, still without a word, he subjected you to his mute presence,

punctuated by glances up at the ceiling or down at his shoes. All the

way to the eighth floor. You felt so alone that you were desperate

to arrive.

Escorting a Client should be neither embarrassing nor painful.

Employees should not see it as an obligation, a waste of time or

a favour to the Client. This is not just a time-out in the Client

experience, it is an integral part!

To accompany means to be ‘in the company of’. This means that you

must provide a presence. True, accompanying a Client is a function,

but it is easy to add emotional value. Help a Client with armfuls of

shopping back to the car. Take an umbrella and share it to the taxi.

Offer to take the Client’s coat, gloves and hat as you enter the dining

room … These key moments offer thousands of opportunities to

make an impact on the Client. What better reward can there be than

to hear a surprised, reassured and charmed Client say quite simply

‘Thank you’?”

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Marie JolyProject Manager

Jenny PoiretOffice Manager

TURN UP THE HEAT


Be generous: enter your Client’s world with a desire to understand, get to know them better – without being intrusive – … and not to change their words into products.

Develop the Client’s thirst to be understood and recognised as an individual: offer the opportunity for complete self-expression by asking open questions – “How”, “Where”, “Which”, “Why”. If your Client wants to buy a recipe book, find out more about their taste, how well their kitchen is equipped, the time they enjoy spending there every day, etc.

Savour at heart an attentive and generous ability to listen, one that will reveal the person you are talking to in their full human dimension, not just as purchasing power. Consider their feelings and needs.

Take off the filter, all judgement, interpretation of what they are saying, and avoid proceeding by elimination.

Bring a visual touch to show that you are actively listening: nod the head, keep eye-to-eye contact, smile, take notes…

Mix in signs of agreement, reword, ask new questions and offer encouragement to find out more.

Stir well and your dish will start to take shape as the magic works. You will be sure that, having got to know your Client, you will be able to offer the best advice. Your Client will feel more important and will be confident of having found THE person to give advice, a person who understands and recognises their personality!


• 10 g of closed questions• 100 g of a calm place• 150 g of open questions• 150 g of rewording


• 100 g of sincere interest and generosity• 100 g of humility• 100 g of positive non-verbal expression• 150 g of questions about the person as a person and not about their reason for being there


• 100 g of clear, slow elocution• 150 g of smiles• 150 g of delicacy in the choice of words


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5

Service temperature:the highest degree of empathy



“It’s all a question of intention:

Are we listening because we want to understand …

or just to answer?

Are we really being attentive to what the Client is saying

or are we too focused on our own choice of words?

Are we going in the Client’s direction

or enforcing our own?

30% to 50% of what is said is not heard. The result is

misunderstanding, misinterpretation and missed opportunities.

Yet a Client who has been listened to, understood and acknowledged

is a Client who will open up and trust us.

Our ability and willingness to listen in order to understand and to

perceive another person’s feelings, is one of our finest qualities. In

a word it is what we call ‘empathy’.”

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Caroline GrimaudProject Manager

Myriam VallelianConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


First and foremost, when meeting new Clients, find out what your brand triggers for each of them. Enrich their knowledge of the brand by letting them in on some secrets of your brand’s history.

Make your Client’s mouth water: describe your offering – product or service – taking care to use words with high emotional added value. Do you feel the same about offering “coffee”, “Ethiopian coffee” or “Premium blend Ethiopian coffee”?

Link your presentation to your Client’s tastes, preferences and expectations.

Add elegant gesture when you are talking about or presenting a product: show it with the palm of the hand open, take it between your fingertips, place it on a tray with the logo facing the Client…

Remember to keep eye contact with the Client, and not look at the product.

Invite the Client to taste, touch or feel the product in order to trigger a wealth of sensorial emotions.

Whip up the sense of enchantment by imagining the ways the product will be used in a variety of situations.

Treat Clients by revealing one or two personal tips that might help them in practice.

Don’t forget the key ingredient: if a Client asks you the price outright, never answer before having first enhanced the image of the product or service and making it really desirable!


• 150 g of knowledge of your own brand• 150 g of knowledge of your products and those of the competition• 200 g of observation and curiosity


• 200 g of enthusiasm• 200 g of empathy• 250 g of desire to share


• 300 g of elegant, subtle and enhancing action• 300 g of words with high emotional added value


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6

Service temperature:delicate

Delight time:years and years


“Everyone in the team must be a channel connecting a Client to a

product or service. Their job is to drive home the added value by

enhancing the brand’s offering, ensuring that the article or service

perfectly matches the Client’s expectations. “That’s exactly what

I’m looking for…” If the product or service we are selling is a classic,

our mission is to make it just a little more extraordinary. However, if

it is exceptional, our job is not just to emphasise its uniqueness but

to sublimate it still further through words with emotional impact

and elegant gestures.

This means that each team member has immense power: to

enhance the image of the offering, or, on the contrary deflate it

completely. By making the ordinary extraordinary, by sublimating

the sublime, each team member can usher the Client into a

wonderland of dream and delight!”

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Fabienne FarnetiConsultant

Eric Van de ValleConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Because surprises only hit the sweet spot when they come with a personal touch, pay special attention to the Client’s tastes, from the word go, listing the favourite spices that will really make his day.

Coat your worktop with boldness and creativity, and even add a handful of grains of madness.

Blend in the essential ingredient: the personalised touch. Even the most delicious tiramisu will not please a diner who is not fond of coffee.

Add a large dose of empathy. All you want to do is please.

Mix the whole and the result will be a made-to-measure surprise.

Turn down the oven and bake at a low heat, taking care to remove only when done to a turn.

When the time is right, whet your Client’s appetite by bringing a subtle touch of elegance and emotion to your gift. Your words, your actions and your attentiveness will open his appetite.

Coat the dish with energy, naturalness and humour and let the magic work: your Client will be definitively delighted.


• 150 g of observation• 150 g of anticipation• 200 g of thorough knowledge of the Client


• 150 g of consideration• 200 g of empathy• 250 g of desire to please• 300 g of willingness to personalise even more


• 200 g of the beauty of the gesture• 250 g of honeysweet words flavoured with human warmth


7

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Service temperature:the high point of an attentive relationship

Delight time:memorable for such a quick preparation

Preparation and cooking time:enough to be creative

“A surprise is a supreme form of consideration. In fact, a Client

may be more moved by your intention to give pleasure than by the

surprise itself!

To touch Clients, you must take an interest and be creative. It is

always easier to just buy a gift off the shelf than to find the idea

of an extra touch that will truly charm. However, to be sure that a

surprise does not become a given, you must make maximum use of

the intangible. So how do we go about being creative? Quite simply

by drawing on the sources of inspiration all around us to give life

to that special, new, and personal extra touch. This means neither

falling into the mould by copying existing ideas, nor stopping at

the first bright idea. No. It means being ambitious and constantly

asking ourselves the right questions, so that today’s surprise does

not become tomorrow’s bore!”

To take your culinary skills still further and find out the secrets

of the immaterial gift, explore our gift vs. debt concept in our

publications, our training courses and our eMovie Learning.

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Pierre CousineauConsultant

Veerle RaemdonckConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Pre-heat your oven, identifying all the Client requests that you will not be able to satisfy. Nearly 95% of situations leading to a negative response on your part can be anticipated.

Prepare your basic ingredients – your response scenarios – to avoid being caught off-guard.

Line each dish with a fine layer of anticipation. Be proactive when an unexpected situation arises by pre-empting a potential “no” answer to an awkward request. “I must apologise but, before we go any further, I must tell you that the three-chocolate muffin has been so successful that we’re out of stock…”

Blend in your ability to listen. When Clients have made a request that you cannot satisfy, invite them to go into more detail.

Add a proposal for a personalised alternative solution, insisting on what can be done rather than the opposite. Banish the word “no” from your vocabulary! Think about what you CAN do: “… I seem to recall that you have a soft spot for raspberries,... our Chef has just created…”

Connect your suggestions to the Client’s tastes.

Cook on a low heat and your Client will leave delighted, because you will have done everything possible to help!


• 75 g of sense of responsibility• 100 g of sense of observation• 150 g of anticipation and proactivity• 200 g of courage


• 100 g of ability to listen, so as to understand, not answer• 100 g of open questions• 150 g of enthusiasm and positivity


• 100 g of calm voice and gestures• 100 g of reassuring and confident attitude• 150 g of positive words with powerful emotional value


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8

Service temperature:subtle

Delight time:enduring

Preparation and cooking time:several minutes

“As a matter of principle, you should always avoid saying ‘no’ in a

Client relationship. To say ‘no’, is to insist on the fact that you cannot

fulfil the Client’s request, for whatever reason: unavailability, an

unrealistic demand, a momentary technical hitch…

There is no benefit to be gained from emphasising what you cannot

do. On the contrary, there is much to be gained from highlighting

possible alternatives. Let’s take an example. We are contacted by

a Client looking for a cake tin in the shape of a medieval castle. We

know it’s out of stock, but how will he respond if we just say that it’s

impossible? Clearly, he will go away frustrated and disappointed…

However, if we ask about the background to his request, we may

find, for example, that he wants to offer his son a birthday surprise.

His son, Mathieu, who is also crazy about cars. With anticipation

and empathy we can offer several alternatives liable to satisfy him.

We can order the first tin and have it delivered to his doorstep,

or offer a different design… in the shape of a car and available

immediately.

Always remember that not saying ‘no’ is also a way of exploring

new avenues your Clients would not have thought of, and offering

yourself an opportunity to discover a new way of enchanting them

and cultivating their loyalty!”

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Yvan FerrerConsultant

Alexandra Van Haerens

Consultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Remain attentive to the Client’s preferences until the moment you part company, making this as personal as possible.

When it is time for the Client to depart, ensure that you maintain an attentive attitude: neither off-hand nor precipitated.

Light up your face with a sincere smile and a warm look.

Accompany your Client to the exit and even further: savour the last minutes walking by his side and chatting informally.

Treat your Client by using his or her name with discretion and surprising him with truly personal attention.

Avoid using automatic formulae, preferring some rich words of gratitude.

If you can’t be there for the last few moments, invite your colleague to convey your gratitude orally, or send a delicious hand-written letter.

Coat your dish generously with human dimension: wait till Clients are out of sight before returning indoors. Aware that you are still there, literally seeing them off, the Client’s only wish will be to return!


• 100 g of observation• 150 g of anticipation• 200 g of loyalty


• 150 g of generosity• 150 g of gentleness• 200 g of attention dedicated to the Client and nobody else• 250 g of personalisation


• 150 g of smile and a warm look• 150 g of open posture


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9

Service temperature:the highest level of consideration

Delight time:unlimited


“The moment you part company is the extension of the Client’s

experience. It must be done in harmony, with the human warmth

and consideration that we have been showing since the moment

the Client arrived.

In fact, it should never be thought of as an ending, but rather as

the moment when the relationship moves on to the next stage:

an opportunity to meet again, to take part in an event… Parting

company is also a chance to invite a Client to join us in a new

experience.

Aware as we are that, by coming into contact with our brand, the

Client has offered us a gift, we must make every effort – including

when we part company – to make sure that when he leaves, he has a

feeling of being indebted towards us. Delighted and completely won

over, he will feel he owes us something and will offer us complete

loyalty. This is what we call the gift vs. debt concept!”

To take your culinary skills still further and find out the secrets of

the gift vs. debt concept, check out our publications, our training

courses and our eMovie Learning.

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Nathalie PaldacciConsultant

Patrick TaffignonConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Prepare the key ingredients needed for a personal follow-up by identifying the Client’s preferences from the word go.

Make a list of your observations. Write them down, be sure that you will remember them and use the tools available to you to transmit the information to your colleagues.

When you part company, remember to tell your Client about a probable relevant opportunity to be in touch again soon.

Leave your relationship to settle for a few days after the Client has left. Then be proactive by making a non-intrusive contact to get news of the Client. Did he manage to make the raspberry meringue spirals for his daughter’s birthday? Make sure that you have the right reason, ideally two reasons, to call or write.

Add a drop of curiosity to find out the Client’s level of satisfaction, after his experience – something you will already have enquired about several times during his visit. Show that you are open to any answer or suggestion that he might make.

Keep the link that you have established with your customer warm by keeping personal contact: celebrate important moments in the Client’s life, pick up on the private passions. Take the time to write by hand or make a phone call...

Keep on adding to what you already know about the Client as you go, enriching your capacity to surprise.

Stir regularly, but remember that “regular” does not mean heavy-handed and dull. This way you will secure your Client’s loyalty!


• 100 g of thoroughness, organisation and computer skills• 200 g of proactivity• 300 g of availability• 350 g of keeping commitments


• 100 g of humility• 100 g of curiosity• 250 g of sincere interest• 250 g of personalisation


• 150 g of slow, clear elocution• 200 g of warmth in the voice• 200 g of words with strong emotional value• 250 g of delicate and attentive words


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10

Service temperature:a simmering desire to keep the Client warm

Delight time:renewed

Preparation and cooking time:a few minutes to a few years

“Our responsibility as members of a team is to do everything in our

power to create an enduring relational link with our Clients. From

the very first moments of the Client experience, we take great care

to express our generosity, each time going a step further than their

expectations.

Yet as soon as the Client has gone, we often become obsessed with

winning new ones, and this can soon leave the Client with a sense

of disillusionment or mistrust.

This means that our biggest challenge is to sustainably preserve

the relationship that we have created. Remember that a Client’s

loyalty is always there to lose. After all, a Client can always be led

to discover other brands and be welcomed and served with just

as much human warmth. This means that it is our role to take the

time to keep the contact alive, to listen, to perceive new aspirations

and new habits. Brands change and so do people. Only by proper

follow-up can we discover this.

This means that follow-up must be personal: ‘just for you’. It is our

job to show Clients that they are important to us, and that we take

an interest in them as individuals. This is our only way to surprise

them again with delicate consideration and subtle gifts. Year after

year, a Client’s long-term loyalty becomes our biggest success.”

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Christine DautricheManagement Assistant

Kimberley TabiSales and Marketing

Assistant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Before you go any further, prepare your work top by identifying the scenarios that will help you to best deal with the 10% of sources of dissatisfaction that lead to 90% of complaints.

Take a whisk and whip up your sense of responsibility. Remember that you are not personally responsible for the causes of the dissatisfaction, but you are responsible for dealing with it.

Add a large dash of self-control so that you can respond appropriately in both form and content.

Melt down your temptation to focus on the problem. Take care of the Client instead. Be capable of putting your professional reflexes on hold and develop your human dimension. If someone cuts themselves preparing a vegetable julienne, do you worry first about the bloodstains on the carrots?

Blend in your empathy, ability to listen and talent for rewording. Give priority to identifying the direct and indirect consequences of the problem that caused the dissatisfaction, not the origin. Be bold enough to ask the Client what you can do to alleviate the situation.

Finalise the recipe by offering a tangible, personal solution and the problem will evaporate: the Client is human enough to understand all kinds of problems, including a mistake, a malfunction or a machine breaking down.


• 200 g of sense of responsibility• 250 g of proactivity: identify solutions and possible scenarios in advance• 250 g of courage and self-confidence


• 100 g of calm and serenity• 200 g of ability to listen and reword• 350 g of empathy


• 200 g of words with positive emotional value• 250 g of human warmth and dynamism in the voice


?

11

Service temperature:the highest level of understanding

Delight time:memorable

Preparation and cooking time:a few moments

“Even though some functions are more exposed than others, skilful

management of a difficult situation is part of the responsibility of

each professional in a Client relationship.

A Client who honours us by sharing his dissatisfaction is offering us

the opportunity to at least transform it into satisfaction. Thus, any

difficult situation paradoxically represents a fantastic opportunity

to make a positive mark on a Client. In fact we all know that, one

day or another, many Clients who have become unconditional fans

of a brand, initially experienced a dissatisfaction that was handled

perfectly.

So how do you deal with dissatisfaction? The key to success lies,

above all, in real and sincere empathy. However, you should make

sure not to confuse empathy – that stems from understanding

feelings – with compassion – which means making those feelings

your own. By showing empathy through personalised solutions, we

make a gift to the Client, and this has an even stronger impact than

any financial or material compensation!”

To take your culinary skills still further and find out the secrets of

the gift vs. debt concept, check out our publications, our training

courses and our eMovie Learning.

?

Eddy BlanchetConsultant

Déborah WelleConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


Before starting your recipe, lay out all the ingredients, pots, pans and utensils that you will need to enchant your Clients’ taste buds.

You are perhaps about to make the step up from simple cookery to cordon bleu cuisine:- Love what you do so that you can share your passion better.- Appropriate existing recipes before adding your own grain of salt.- Practice: repeat, recite, and when you get it wrong, start again and you will soon attain excellence.- Draw inspiration from great Chefs to create your own recipes and, in turn, become a source of inspiration!

It’s time to start preparing dinner, so don your toque, and remember that service quality is only as good as the people who bring it!

MY RECIPE : ………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………....


• 100 g of .................................................• 200 g of .................................................


• 100 g of .................................................• 200 g of .................................................


• 100 g of .................................................• 200 g of .................................................


12

Service temperature:ardent creativity



“Just like the best cuisine, the great classics of Customer service

are timeless. Yet, to remain contemporary, each recipe needs to be

readapted and reinvented. The challenge of creativity and sincerity

is in your hands. When it comes to Client relations, each one of us

can bring something special to the table. What a Client is looking

for is precisely the added value that you express. In fact, Clients

are less and less willing to live with a banal experience, made up

of standardised words and gestures. So, be bold. Express your

personality! Imagine, create, conceive the recipe that you will use

to delight your Client.

Start by finding a source of inspiration. Remember your

grandmother’s recipes. Wasn’t she a great cook? In fact, by adding

your own personal touch, you have made one of her recipes your

own. The cherry on the cake is that your friends have named the

recipe after you. You will also gain extra recognition when you

showcase your own service recipe. Your colleagues and managers

will see you as a leader, a reference, an example to follow…

Your recipe may be inspired by the specialities of great Chefs that

you idolise, taking something from each of them, or maybe you just

invented it out of the blue! No matter, because in either case it will

reflect the deepest inspirations or intentions that lie dormant deep

inside you. It will express your most delicious secret. Because the

secret of a successful recipe is you!”

Erick FischerConsultant

Eric GuérinConsultant

TURN UP THE HEAT


We work with many businesses and brands in a wide range of sectors:

SoPHiE’S TiPSEvery month, we share Sophie’s Tips hot from the oven! Our tongue-in-cheek drawings reveal the keys of how to ensure excellence in service. Get her Tips free. Mail us at: [email protected]

oUR SoCiAL NETWoRKSRead the tasty news of Client experience on our social networks!

oUR BooKFrom grand hotels to luxurious houses, from boutiques to restaurants, we bring you a unique view of the world of service.Via concrete examples picked up over years of global experience, Erik Perey and Lionel Meyer, joint founders of Luxury Attitude and Customer Experience, share their unique viewpoint on the world of service: brand promise, Client perception, co-worker perception… They bring businesses’ ambitions into sharp focus, face to face with the real lives of Clients.

YoU MAKE LUXURY CoME TRUEThe first online training to boost your performance and career in the world of luxury.academy.luxury-attitude.com

We’ve whetted your appetite and now you want to find out more about our

recipes and the secrets of the Client experience.

We work with many businesses and brands in a wide range of sectors:

71, rue Chardon-Lagache 75016 ParisTel. : +33 (0)1 34 94 96 83 Fax : +33 (0)1 34 94 91 56www.luxury-attitude.com - www.la-customerexperience.com

PARIS – BORDEAUX – GENEVA - MONACO – LONDON – BRUSSELS - SAN-FRANCISCO - SEOUL - SHANGHAI

HoSPiTALiTY

Cheval BlancClub Méditerranée

Conrad Hotels Disney’s Newport Bay Club

Four Seasons George V ParisGroupe Hôtels & Casinos

BarrièreGroupe Mercure

Groupe Waldorf AstoriaHilton

Hôtel Bel Ami Paris Hôtel de Crillon

Hôtel de Paris Monte-CarloLa Mamounia Marrakech

La Réserve GenèveLe Byblos

Le Métropole Monte-CarloLe Meurice

Le Plaza Athénée ParisLe Royal Mansour Marrakech

Les Airelles Courchevel

RETAiL

Aelia DutyFreeBlancpain

Breguet BreitlingBoucheronCarrefourChristofle

Columbus CaféDelvaux

DiorEric Bompard

EssentielFauchon

Franck & FilsFred

Galeries LafayetteKrys Group

LancelL’Oréal Produits de Luxe

Lenôtre Traiteur Leroy MerlinLouis Vuitton

LVMHNespresso

Paule KaPrintemps

TRANSPoRT

Air FranceADP

Aéroports de la Côte d’AzurAéroports de Paris

Thalys

BANKiNG AND iNSURANCE

Axa Gestion PrivéeBanque de Luxembourg

CFM Indosuez Wealth ManagementCrédit Agricole

HSBCLCL

AUToMoBiLE

AudiBMW

DSMercedes

ENTERTAiNMENT

Burgess YachtsLagardère Active

La Prairie-AsieRoland-Garros (F.F.T.)

Documents

The Great Classics of Customer Service