During a torrential downpour, I took shelter in a shop doorway.
As well as key cutting and shoe repairs, the shop also sold umbrellas.
Lucky me I thought – until I discovered that I’d left my wallet at the office 🙁
The shop manager who’s seen me search my pockets whilst looking at the umbrellas took one from the display and with a big smile said, “I’ve got ya, pay me next time you’re passing”.
Since then, I’ve had half a dozen other remarkable experiences with ‘Timpsons’.
Particularly remarkable because each experience was at a different branch.
So, I got to wondering: ‘how does a business with over 2,000 shops systematically deliver a remarkable customer experience?’.
I spoke to some of the shop managers to see if I could discover the secret.
Turns out the ‘secret’ is hiding in plain sight.
The CEO James Timpson simply hires great people and then lets them get on with it.
It even says that above the door of each shop: ‘Great Service by Great People’.
And on their website, they explain their philosophy …
“At Timpson, all of our colleagues have total authority to do whatever they need to do to amaze our customers. We call this ‘upside down’ management and everybody else who works in the business is there to support our branch colleagues to best serve our customers. We trust our colleagues to run our business as they see fit.”
Sure, customer service can be trained.
But to amaze your customers, you’ll probably need to hire for that.
Which, as you can see from their website, is exactly what they do …
“Timpson is a true equal opportunities employer with a simple and transparent recruitment model – we look for great personalities! We will consider anyone and everyone for a role within our business, regardless of their background or history. This includes ex-offenders and other marginalized groups.”