It is, perhaps, unsurprising that a lesson in customer service was spotted on the Nene Valley Railway. It is also the case that there was little thought from me that there would be anything other than great service.
The weather was wonderful, the number of passengers was manageable, and the trains were on time. The general humour was excellent, and everyone was relaxed. Having said that, the approach of the ‘staff’ was fabulous. No questions were given anything other than a full and helpful answer, requests for payments were polite and irresistible, and there was a whole sense was of a time gone by. This was a snapshot of a past times which, through the lens of nostalgia, were better in every regard, including the manner people were served.
The ‘staff’ are all volunteers, unpaid and yet fully committed. They are generally older than the national average age, or more accurately, predominantly pensioners.
Is it true people who aren’t being paid are better at customer service than those on a salary? Why are some in retail and hospitality cynical? How do we change the mindset?
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