Arabica my love, why hast thou deserted me?

My heart broke for real the day that i learnt my favourite cafe Arabica was closing down. it was one of the saddest news I heard that year. I almost cried!

Arabica was a beautiful cafe in GRA, Lagos right on top of Barcelos, it had comfy chairs and a very large window that i sat next to and watched whatever went on outside. Sitting there sometimes made me feel like l was in a different world.

Arabica was a home away from home, a place where you could relax when you wanted a break from the stress associated with life. It was just a pleasant and peaceful place to sit and meditate.

My favourite thing on the menu was their club sandwich, Oh Lord! it was amazing, amazing is actually an understatement, i ate it with so much passion and compassion and I simply forgot all my sorrows and worries.

I stopped there for tea, to chill, to sit, to think, to relax and

a few times I managed to doze off on their wonderful sofa.

God bless the owner of Arabica! That small cafe brought so much light to my life and a lot of ideas and thoughts were birthed there.

It was my special lounge, I used to invite people over for a cuppa, a chat or even just to look.
I had Arabica friends, people that whenever I saw there, we said hello and smiled though we never crossed paths except during Arabica visits. I guess its not surprising that their faces are still stuck in my head.

The waitresses were amazing and beautiful people. They always welcomed customers with a smile and didnt mind or act funny when we ordered just water but sat in the cafe for several hours without buying any other thing. They knew most of our names, they were nice people.

This was why I was very shocked when I heard the cafe was closing down. "Why Arabica!?"

A place that brought so much joy and peace to ones heart and soul should never have the right to close down!

No explanations no consolations just words from neighbouring shops explaining that the shop was closed and would not be opend again. what a heartbreak!!

Spur Lagos spun me around. WOW!

Yesterday afternoon i managed to blackmail my sister into taking me out for lunch, she agreed. we went to spurs at the ikeja mall. my friend told me about his experience at the place and promised to treat me to lunch there, unfortunately my sister beat him to it.

Meanwhile on one of my trips to London, my Lil cousin wouldn't let me rest until i finally took her to dinner at Spur, i loved it so much, i remember going back there several times after then, their steak and garlic bread were just too amazing. lovely!

So when i heard Spur opened in Lagos i was excited but then skeptical hoping that it wouldn't be another case of Nandos in Lagos.

Anyway my sister and i got to Spur this very day and were welcomed by two very eager and enthusiastic smiley faced waiters who led us to our table. The waiter brought us the menu, my sister and i studied it carefully and asked the waiter for help when we were stuck, he wasn't really that helpful at explaining what the meal was but his eagerness to please us didn't give us the chance to get frustrated. All we did was send him to the kitchen to ask about the menu when we saw that he was trying a bit too hard. He came back with the right answers and we placed our orders!

The restaurant felt a bit hot but before we could complain we were told by one of the waiters that an engineer was working on their air conditioning unit. He assured us that it wouldn't take more than a minute. Soon after, the restaurant started feeling and looking a bit smokey by this time a white lady who we presumed to be the manager came to meet us and explained to us that the engineers were working on their air conditioning unit but it was taking longer than usual. she assured us again that it wouldn't take much longer.

We were very dazzled by this customer service, it was just amazing,

though it looked like the place was about to get burnt, we still sat there smiling and waiting for our food

Two minutes later, a man with a South African accent came to us and introduced himself as the kitchen manager(i think) he explained to us that the power was out so our food hadn't been fully made but the food preparation would commence in three minutes when the power was scheduled to come back on.

We weren't still mad(amazingly), we smiled and thanked him. By this time my sister suggested we go and wait outside because of my nephew (who is only 6months) at least until the power came back on. On our way outside we told one of the waiters to call on us when everything was sorted. To our surprise about four minutes later, we were called in by a waiter and we went back straight to our former table as soon as we sat down, the manager came back to apologise to us( by this time we had received so many apologies we were practically swimming in them). Ten minutes later, the food was out. WOW!!!!!!!!

We were super impressed, so so so impressed. Now, this is what i call GOOD customer service! i almost wanted to give all the people who worked there a hug. it was fantastic service. The food was lovely, i enjoyed every bit of it and every single minute we were there was pleasant. My sister gave the waiter a good tip, he was very thankful.
Our experience here was so lovely, i almost forgot i was in Lagos!

Lister Hospital... The hospital that listens

Lister hospital is a small hospital at Adeniyi Jones, a sort of place you would call "a small friendly family hospital". I love this hospital so much because of their passionate and caring attitude. The hospital is a very good example of a service organization with good customer service. Right from the security guy at the gate to the receptionist, nurses who take your vitals to the doctor himself.

Here is a blue print of one my visits to the hospital

On getting to the hospital that morning the security helped us find a parking space , greeted me very warmly and asked after my parents with a big smile. I entered into the hospital and was welcomed with a warm smile from the receptionist (though i wasn't feeling well I had no choice but to return the smile".

The receptionist invited me to take a seat in front of her asked after my entire family then went to got our family hospital file, not wanting to ask for my name, she asked if I was my sister and I told her my name, she apologized and quickly opened the file and took it to the nurse.I brought out a book while waiting; another nurse walked into the reception and greeted everyone waiting warmly and familiarly. I looked up and she recognized me and greeted me too asking after my parents, she assured me that it would soon be my turn to take my vitals.

A few minutes later I was called into the room where my vitals were taken (i wasn't very familiar with the nurses who took my vitals but they were still very nice to me). I was treated with respect and dignity right until I went in to see the doctor. Like always, the doctor was very kind and compassionate though I wasn’t in the best of health, I managed to smile a couple of times. I left the office, got my drugs, paid my bill and went outside with a cheerful farewell. On getting outside, the security helped us with the traffic and I just couldn’t leave without giving him a tip. He prayed that God blessed me and I said a good “Amen” to that.

I left thinking of the benefits a business can derive from having staff who possess wonderful attitude and a good customer service background. Though this lovely hospital does not have a unit where ultrasounds are done but has a relationship with another center(where scans etc are done) but that does not discourage me from going there. i love this hospital because I always feel at home and comfortable while I am there. most times i don't mind being referred to another center to get an ultrasound done.

Nandos Lagos Dozing Away?

I am a huge fan of Nandos (UK). I love their chicken, corn, garlic bread, their perinaise and the restaurant as a whole. Since the day I started a relationship with Nandos (UK) I have fallen in love with it over and over again and the love hasn’t failed, though sometimes I would have to wait several minutes to get a free table at the restaurant even that never affected my relationship with Nandos. This was why when Nandos opened in Lagos, Nigeria I was over the moon. Unfortunately, there was something about the Nandos in Lagos that wasn’t right, though I couldn’t place my finger on what it was, it was certain that the Nandos in the UK was far better than the one over here. I don’t know if it had something to do with the food being too expensive or the chicken served being too skinny, something wasn’t right and it wasn’t only me that noticed this because soon after they opened they started losing customers and the restaurants became scanty and scantier as we the customers were being served with not too fresh bun(I don’t want to call it stale). One day I saw metal chains on the front door of the branch that I visited the most, it was locked up for a long time until it finally closed down. Whenever I remember that branch I always wonder what happened there. Another branch closed down, then another branch.
About a month ago, I went to the cinema and was too early for my movie so I decided to give Nando’s a try. I walked in, ordered my food and was about to find myself a seat but everywhere was dirty and all the tables that were vacant still had used plates, cups and tissues on them. The cleaner saw me looking confused because I didn’t know where exactly I was to sit, he decided to wipe a table clean for me, I sat down and was irritated by the sight of the somewhat wet table in front of me in disgust I got up and went to another table. The same cleaner again came to wipe the table, this time it was manageable not clean but manageable (I still couldn’t stand it, I got some tissue and wiped it clean myself. I caught the cleaner looking at me with the corner of his eyes but i didn't really care). A few minutes later my brother brought to my attention that the same cleaner was the waiter, so at that branch and at the time we were there, the guy who was cleaning the table worked as the cleaner and waiter. As he cleared a table, he hurried to bring a customer’s order and before he could clean another table another customer’s order needed to be served. At a point, the man looked very exhausted. it was ridiculous that he was doing all that work by himself, no wonder the place was filthy.
I left the place not knowing what to think… is this a way to cut down on cost or are they trying to cut down on customers?

Who do we leave in charge of our business?

In our desperation to save cost on the amount of money we spend on wages, we employ the wrong people to mind our businesses. With no experience, lack of training or lack of good supervision we expect these employees to generate good income and build lasting relationships while encouraging re-purchase on our behalf.

Unfortunately we do not have a clue what goes on in our various businesses when we are not there physically or when we do not have a reasonable person supervising. A lot of insensitive employers do not see the need to make little efforts in order to leave customers with lasting impressions or the need to keep their attitude in place. Some of them  simply do not understand what it means to be polite at the least. All they are concerned with; is to be physically present at work in order to get paid at the end of the month. In order words, paying attention to a customer and ensuring they are satisfied will mean going extra miles that they aren’t willing to travel.  

I have visited numerous shops and experienced many services that made me wonder where the supervisors were and who hired these people that have been left in charge.

On my way to the airport in London¸ I was in a taxi that I had booked 24hrs before which arrived to pick me an hour late with a driver who had a head warmer on and a muffler around his neck and looked just like a criminal that just escaped prison. Usually the drivers this taxi company sent were always formally dressed and on time but not on this particular day.

After attempting to lift my suitcases into the car trunk a couple of times by myself, no one advised me to shout out for the driver when i almost landed on the floor with the suitcases on top of me. He apologised for not assisting me and helped me put the rest of my luggage in the trunk. Exhausted, I climbed in the seat right behind him (earlier that day I had watched a show on TV about taxi drivers who assaulted their passengers, the show host advised viewers to be very alert and if possible sit directly behind the driver). 

He started the ignition and began to fiddle with the navigating system. The car started moving; he drove like a maniac and kept swearing at other drivers on the road. I was scared! Though he tried to be friendly, we chatted for a few seconds but I was very uncomfortable with him. He seemed so unsure of the way to the airport and at some point turned off the navigator, he then got on a long phone conversation with a girl whose voice I could hear where I was sitting at the back. He laughed out loudly speaking in a foreign language and almost hit two cars. All I wanted to do was get to my destination in one piece and still be alive.

The surprising thing was that I had been using  this company for several years and during those years I had never had a bad encounter with any of their drivers until this particular day. I told myself over and over that if I got to my destination safe I would never use the taxi company again. The Taxi driver made me feel so unsecure and I was panicked from the pickup point to my destination.

Thank God I got to the airport in one piece! As I pushed my trolley into the airport terminal, I thought to myself ” who do we leave in charge of our businesses?”  I was a loyal customer to that taxi company until one driver ruined it all.

Do we attract bad customer service(s) to ourselves?

I have this friend; going out with her when we were in University was always a nightmare because she virtually complained about everything. When we went to Mc Donalds, she would return her burger plus fries complaining that the bun didn’t taste fresh and the fries were not hot enough.  When we went for tea, she would complain that she only asked for one sugar but could taste two. She was a serial complainer but it favoured her most times because every instance she complained, she always got exactly what she wanted or her money back.  Though my friend’s complaints were always a bit excessive and compulsive but thinking about it now, she just didn’t want to accept any value less than her money was worth (apart from her being a troublemaker).  

I noticed that unconsciously we accept and attract bad attitude and customer service to ourselves. The standards we set are those which influence how we are being treated by others. If we indirectly send out signals that we tolerate rubbish then rubbish will be dished out to us abundantly.

Something I also noticed amongst most of us Nigerians  is this; our minds are inclined and immune to bad attitude and bad customer service. It has become part of our lives to accept it (by “it” I mean bad customer service), manage it, live with it and then keep complaining forever, which is totally wrong. We make excuses that we do not have other choices so we embrace and “manage” whatever is being shoved at us with our lips sealed. In this way we indirectly send out signals saying “its OK, you can treat me as you like”. Voluntarily we settle for less and embrace the things that we clearly do not deserve or even want .We are not waste-bins; we shouldn’t allow people to dumb things that don’t match our standards on us.

These services we receive, we pay for, thus we deserve to be given quality and good attitude in value for our money.  I have heard a couple of people who sell things say ” why are they making so much force when they paid so little for the service” my friend, if the money we are paying for that service isn’t good enough for you, increase your price or close down your store.

I believe that each individual should stand up for his /her right, if you go somewhere and you are treated unfairly, like my friend hairmadness for instance who walked out on those silly hair stylists when they were wasting her time and didn’t have the decency to apologise for delaying her hair appointment. if you cannot walk out because you cannot get an alternative elsewhere, then you should speak up. ask for the manager (I know sometimes those managers even have worse attitudes) if the manager acts like a fish and doesn’t not see sense in what you are complaining about, then ask to see a higher authority, if they have none, tell who ever is in charge and if they don’t do anything about it, at least you have registered your complaint and as long as everyone keeps doing that there would be progress. The bottom line is that each of us must take action in order to be heard. Imagine if you complained, and I complained, and then my sister, her husband and a whole lot of us complained (about the same service) somehow these service provider would do something about the situation. Even if it’s not a huge or immediate change, it would be a stepping stone for them and since it’s our money, let’s teach them how to treat us. 

If you don’t like the way you are being treated, you gotta do something about it. Speak out! Or you know what? Come and talk about it here, I’ll speak out on your behalf.

Enough is enough!

Filling Station Saga

On Saturday my cousin stopped by to help install a new anti-virus software on my laptop. As we got discussing he asked if I still wrote on my blog, to which I answered “yes”. His facial expression changed from the jolly one to a more serious one (more like an irritated facial expression) as he started narrating his experience at a filling station he stopped by during the week to buy some petrol. Here is his story...

On this particular occasion (this had happened to him before) when he stopped at the filling station to buy some petrol, he told the fuel attendant how much petrol he wanted and looked away for a few seconds to bring out some money from his pocket, unconsciously  he looked at the meter right before the sale began.(The meter at that point read N500 which meant that the previous buyer, bought N500 worth of petrol) he saw the attendant reset the meter (which usually means that the meter would start reading from N0).

By the time he looked back, what he saw amazed him. The meter had run so fast,it already read N500. This felt like trick to my cousin because he only looked away for about 3 seconds. He ordered the attendant to stop and asked why the meter already read N500 when he only started running it about 3secoonds ago. The attendant who already knew that he had been busted cheating, immediately started to apologise and beg(apparently immediately my cousin looked away to get some money, the attendant quickly reset the meter to the previous sale and was just about to continue selling from that amount when he got caught. This will mean that for instance if my cousin wanted to buy N2000 worth of petrol, the attendant would have sold him N1500 and kept the remaining N500 in his pocket, the meter would have showed N2000 as the amount purchased and my dear cousin would have left thinking he had N2000 worth of petrol in his tank).

He was not ready to listen to the attendants plea so he jumped into his car, drove straight to their manager’s office and reported the incident to him .
The manager who understood the gravity of what his staff had done, he sincerly apologised, sent for the attendant, confirmed what had happened and asked him to take off his uniform which of course meant he was sacked.

My cousin went back to the same filling station several times after but with his eyes on the meter from the start to the end of his purchase. After this incident, he began to understand why his fuel never lasted the length of time it usually did. Unfortunately, he began to think there was something wrong with the fuel tank in his car not knowing that some filling station attendants were having drinks on him.

Apparently this sort of fraudulent act happens mostly at filling stations that are still in use of the old type of meter and not the new computerised one.

Business owners must emphasise (to their employees) the danger behind cheating or stealing from customers. In plain English, stealing, cheating or ripping off your customers (whether this offense is committed by an employer or employee) can leave your business stuck with a horrible stigma which will eventually bring about the downfall of that business. 

Why not do this: deliver the best service....Over Deliver ( a discussion for another post)