I like Nutella, but my waistline doesn't, so imagine how happy I was in Sainsburys the other day when I saw on the newly re-marketed (I presume) jar, the following words:

• Each 15g portion contains 2 hazelnuts, some skimmed milk and a little cocoa

1.    TAKE THE TIME TO GET IT RIGHT

        a.    Train everyone WHY it’s important         b.    Ask everyone their views         c.    Distil into sensible statement

2.    Gain senior management commitment 3.    Agree budget to make it work
4.    Present back and refresh to teams 5.    Publish prominently

Here's a great example of someone who sells cars for a living and is a true role model for anyone else in the Industry (and in my opinion worth her weight in gold!) 

A couple of years ago my wife bought a Mitsubishi from Livery Dole : we were served by Sam Veitch, who was truly excellent in all respects. She asked us about our needs, listened carefully, told us all the bad points as well as the good points: just gave us a fantastic level of confidence and a great experience.

(You may be interested that we also went to Honda  (2 out of 10), Skoda (8 out of 10: good people there), Seat (waited 12 minutes before someone even spoke to us!), Audi (OK but not great)).

Here's my nomination for absolutely outstanding service in 2011: Victorinox (those people who make those fab Swiss Army Penknives). Here's the story: it's short and sweet.

I was given a Victorinox penknife on my 16th birthday.

Some 30 years later, the tiny metal ring that attaches it to a keyring wore through from over use (everything else was still working 100%). I emailed Victorinox in Switzerland to see if it could be repaired.

Here's a simple paragraph on John Lewis from the Guardian in 2010

In the depths of what everyone keeps telling us is the deepest financial and economic crisis since the second world war, John Lewis plainly has not done badly (operating profit up 20%, if you didn't read the business pages last week). That's partly because it stacks its shelves with goods of a certain quality, and sells them to a certain kind of customer with a certain standard of service. After all, Middle England loves John Lewis: if a product is on sale in one of its stores, you know you can trust it. Plus you can be sure you'll be served by someone who really knows what they're talking about and, most unusually of all, is eager to help.

I am fed up with seeing courses and ideas about ‘Social Media’ touted around trying to persuade businesses that it’s a universal panacea, and, if you come on this course, new customers will come flooding to you.     

  Bo***cks

Social media is just new technology that can be used effectively or ineffectively.

Southwest Airlines are the most successful domestic airline in the US: why is this, and how do they stay profitable in such a competitive and turbulent marketplace?

Here are a few ideas:

If you make a complaint or have a question about any Southwest policy or flight delay on Twitter, chances are high that you’re going to get a quick Tweet back from a Southwest customer service person with an answer or an apology.