Quality vs Service

As I sat munching my way through a quite frankly delicious Sunday roast over the weekend in a gorgeous country pub, beside a roaring fire I thought – this is what it’s all about – quality location, quality grub, quality company…. and then…. one rude waiter with what would appear to be a rather large chip on his shoulder and the whole experience was totally ruined. 

Quality and service MUST go hand in hand. It all comes down to brand promise and the setting of expectations for your customers/clients. If you’re going to offer top notch quality then first rate service must be a given. However, as the discount retailers have successfully demonstrated if your brand promise is all about value for money then you can offer a service that matches that promise. Take Primarkfor example with their ‘Look good, pay less’ strap line. Their fast fashion and rock bottom prices means that you never see their customers complaining about ridiculously long queues and overcrowded changing rooms, but if you got that in Harvey Nichols you’d walk out with a sour taste in your mouth. 

So what’s the moral of the story here? 

Understand your brand. Quality and service are directly linked and whatever level you offer they must reflect your brand values.