I'm a big fan of Nandos, it's comfort food that's a little better on your arteries than KFC, what else could you ask for? A few weeks ago my wife as accidentally charged twice for our meal. She only discovered this after reviewing her bank statements which happened to be a week later. She promptly called up the store and asked what had happened. They responded that they would need proof and if it was possible to fax a copy of the statement so they can investigate further. So, the next day the statement was faxed and she received a call a short time after asking how she would like to receive the refund. Since we go there every so often, my wife suggested we get a voucher that we can redeem. They agreed. On our next visit we went to the restaurant, the queue had at least 30 people in it and the wait time was 30 minutes. We decided to skip the meal but pick up the voucher and use it another time. My wife was allowed in to speak to the manager and in an instant we were given a table and ordering.
I was amazed at this entire scenario. Not many fast food companies have such excellent customer service. I rate it as excellent, not because we skipped a 30 minute queue but the fact that from top to bottom everyone was helpful. The finance department was more than accommodating to my wife's wishes (allowing her to use the voucher instead of a refund to her credit card), the manager at the restaurant was friendly, courteous and was the one who suggested we stay and eat, and the staff at the counter was just as friendly when they were presented with the voucher. Everyone was professional, friendly and made me want to write a blog post about it!
This is what every organisation should aim for in every customer service instance. There are times when you get customers who are not so easy to deal with but a little creative thinking, friendly attitude, compassion and patience can go a long way in making your business customer friendly. And, well, every business loves customers!
