Great customer service happens frequently in the U.K….or does it? Research tells us that, in fact, the U.K. languishes in 13th or 14th place in the world when it comes to our customer service standards. I was thinking about this the other day and wondered if anything was being done to improve our customer service standards before the 2012 Olympics. 

 The good news is that People 1st., the Sector Skills Council for Hospitality has decided to do something to change this, and plans are afoot to train at least 200,000 people in the U.K. in Customer Service skills prior to the Olympics. I hope that People 1st. will be overwhelmed with requests for this training, as I believe that improved customer service standards in the U.K. will help to pull us out of recession.

How many people will be visiting the U.K. for major sporting events over the next ten years, and how many of them will come back and see us again if their first impressions of us are positive, they are looked after by helpful, friendly people, and we put things right quickly when they go wrong?