How good are the ‘moments of truth’ in your business – i.e. that critical first contact that a customer has with your company and its employees?  

As an experienced business strategist and executive coach I’m only too aware that first impressions continue to exert a powerful influence over future relationships.

A great example of this is my recent encounter with a part-time shelf packer of Sainsburys while I was on holiday in Whitby.

This employee, a potential future chief executive, fully embraced the ‘moment of truth’ concept from the second I enquired where I could find a certain item.

She immediately stopped what she was doing and, in a friendly and helpful manner, asked me to follow her. As we walked amongst the aisles, she not only asked me questions and suggested items that would complement what I was looking for, but also went beyond the extra mile by taking several items off the shelf and offering to put them in my basket.

The experience I received was second to none and I returned to the store several times to make further purchases. I didn’t meet that part-time employee again, but she is on my ‘talent spotted’ list.

Contrast that with the failure on two occasions of staff at a five start restaurant to get our initial orders correct first time. Or with the unclean smell in the gents toilet of a supposed top local hotel which prompted both me and my son-in-law to opt against staying for a family meal. These may be relatively small issues – but they are nevertheless moments of truth that have shaped our future relations with both establishments.

Answer honestly the questions below

When did you last check out your moments of truth?

Are your employees delivering your moments of truth to the standard you expect?

When did you last walk the four corners of your business to check out all the little things that make up your moments of truth?

For more details on how I can help you improve your ‘moments of truth’ and take your business forward contact me for full details of the What If? Business Health Check on richard.bosworth@whatifspecialist.com or go to @richardwhatif on Twitter and Richard Bosworth on LinkedIn.