I REALLY enjoy the lifestyle that Wanganui has to offer and am a really big fan of the way in which we, as a business community, provide really great service and develop customer value. However, every now and then I find myself away from home and experience service that both exceeds expectations and sets the bar higher for those businesses which I will deal with in the future.
One such experience occurred last Thursday after a hard day of work in Auckland. I went out for a meal and to catch up with a company director who is working on an opportunity to partner with us and provide our clients with specialist advice in a technical area (watch this space). We had planned to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant called Cafe Hanoi, but decided at a late stage to go in another direction - choosing Woodpecker Hill in Parnell. It was my first time visiting this restaurant, which came with rave reviews both from the all-important "word of mouth" network and also from some of the myriad of lifestyle magazines that miraculously appear in our lounge. Also important to appreciate is that I am a food wimp of the highest order. So "fusion" restaurants are an adventure for me rather than the norm and unfortunately hamburgers at Wendy's was never going to cut it on this night.
When trying out something for the first time, there is frequently a feeling of trepidation, although the immense popularity of the venue (which crystallised as a challenge to even secure a table) did make me more comfortable. The delivery of the waiting time information was a great example of "under-promise and over-deliver" because we were seated in half the time, so that was a good start. However, the true excellence of this restaurant began when we were introduced to our waiter.
After an introduction to the restaurant and what it was all about, we agreed to place ourselves in the waitress' care and instructed her to bring out the best dishes. What followed was one of the best dining experiences - ever. Not only was the quality of the food superb, but the care and attention to detail of our host ensured that our experience was first class. The dishes served all complemented one another and each was described in terms of ingredients and what would best accompany them. It is from service like this that reputations are created and from which word of mouth creates a buzz that has customers beating down your door. I went from nervous food wimp to spending the next morning plotting my next visit to Auckland so that I can go there again.
And all this was assisted by a waitress who paid attention to our table and orchestrated an outstanding experience that we are still talking about today. And, really, what she did is not earth-shattering stuff and quite easily transferred to other business situations.
