The French are struggling.

After years of battling against English cultural invasions and Quarter Pounders a change is creeping in to their language. And it is one that I think should make us all pause for thought.

In most Latin based languages the word you can either take the formal version or informal version. Tu and vous in French. Du and sie in German.

The difference really is about how well you know the person. I remember (and it is a long time ago now) that one of the first things I was taught in German class was how to ask “May I call you du?” It was way to show your respect to a stranger, while still being friendly enough offer a formal conversation if they preferred.

The growth of internet communications, especially social media, has seen the death of formal language. A philosophy of equality amongst peers has seen use of sie and vous dwindle and the growth of informal du and tu rocket. It’s a bit like the death of dear in English and the standardisation of hi as a greeting.

This move has crept into our language (and I was a prime mover, which is why I am thinking about it). The question, however, is whether we should stand up against the demise of traditional greetings or move with the times and embrace it.

The move towards the ever-familiar seems to have sneaked in alongside the move towards a more counter-cultural way of doing things. Look at the number of companies that almost expect office staff, and even managers, to show up in jeans. It is met with raised eyebrows if an employee comes in wearing a tie!

The jeans movement of the 70’s was founded in the West Coast of America when engineers and developers in Silicon Valley took a stand against “the suits” of the East Coast. The only real advantage to their movement was that if you were going to stay awake for 2 days writing code or building the next amazing thing you only needed to change your t-shirt, wash and you were good to carry on.

The problem is now that the counter-culture has become the culture. Not only that, but when was the last time a member of this counter culture stayed up for 36 hours working on a particularly fascinating business problem? Exactly.

So what is the next move for counter culture? Pyjamas? Or will there be a counter to the counter culture which heralds the return of the suit and tie. I, for one, would prefer to do business in the latter.

Ian Hughes is the CEO of Consumer Intelligence, a market research company that is dedicated to helping its customers make intelligent decisions using the best possible insight.

On my way in to work today, I was trying to negotiate my way out of a difficult junction when a lorry stopped to let me go. The truck had the word “Palletways” written on the side. What a nice thing to do. What a nice company.

It got me to thinking about another time earlier in the summer. I had been in a taxi that was making its way through London when the driver had to brake sharply and take emergency measures to avoid hitting a van that had pulled out in front of us. The van, a prisoner transport van, had the words “Serco-Wincanton” written on the side of it. As my taxi driver pulled alongside to complain (pleasantly I might add), he was met with a tirade of foul-mouthed abuse.

Recently I travelled across the Atlantic with Virgin Atlantic, an airline that prides itself on being a little different. While washing my hands in the toilet, I noticed that the corners of the washroom were dirty and dusty, and looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for years.

It got me to thinking; what makes a brand?

It is different from what makes a successful company. To make a successful transport company you need to be able to get goods from A to B, on time, in one piece and at a fair price. That goes without saying. That’s what gets you in the game; it is the price of entrance.

But what makes a successful brand is found in the corners of the toilets and in having the courtesy to let people go in traffic. It is the little things that demonstrate the real opinion that companies have of their customers. The power is in motivating the person who could choose to do the little job or who could choose to just leave it. It’s also in motivating the people who check that those people have done their job, and make it possible for them to do that job in the first place.

It is in the corners and in the small details that the real drive of the business or a team to deliver its vision is demonstrated. The fact that those details are taken care of is indicative of the attitudes, not of the driver or the cleaner, but of the whole company, including the senior management.

It has been my thesis for a long time that these small details are the ones that should matter the most to management. They are the ones that are the most expensive. In the case of the “Serco-Wincanton” van, within seconds of the driver shouting foul-mouthed abuse at my driver, the prisoners that he was carrying in the back of his van started shouting and banging on walls, being abusive. The onward consequences of that probably would have been quite costly. Much more costly than the extra 30 seconds the van driver could have taken to just nudge his way out into the traffic, rather than simply pull out at full speed.

And the proof of my thesis was shown on the flight across the Atlantic. A flight delayed by 30 minutes. Why? Small details. The previous Captain had failed to log the fact that the plane had a huge dent on the front of it, and no one on the ground had bothered to log it either. So it was only noticed when the incoming Captain did his pre-flight inspection. He had to get engineering out to check it, and this all had to be relayed to the paying customers.

It didn’t make me very comfortable about the condition of the engines, I can assure you. The same attitude that couldn’t be bothered to clean the corners of the toilets, couldn’t be bothered to call in a dented plane.

Ian Hughes is the CEO of Consumer Intelligence, a market research company that is dedicated to helping its customers make intelligent decisions using the best possible insight.

Summer 2012 and the world has descended upon London.

It is our chance to show everyone what this country is made of – and I have to say so far, so good!

For those of you that are reading my blog for the first time, you probably don’t know that when I see something wrong, I point it out. I try to do so constructively, but it is pointless walking through life and simply accepting stupidity.

But on this occasion I have to give us a slap on the back.

The other day I flew into Heathrow’s Terminal 5. This place has been a constant source of pain for me since it opened in 2008. In fact, I was one of those people who took 2 hours to clearthrough from a flight before.

This week however, the busiest week Heathrow has ever seen, it took me 20 minutes from the second the door of the plane opened until I walked out of the baggage hall. It was astonishing. Everything worked like clockwork. A great first impression for those arriving in London.

In fact, working like clockwork seems to be the order of the week. An extra 200,000 people worked their way through the capital today and got through in good time.

However, lots of London businesses have been saying that the city is like a ghost town, with tourists not going to the big event opting to spend their money elsewhere, fearing the predicted transport meltdown.

That could be a reason for the only negative in my experience; it almost felt a little over-staffed. But that is nothing for me to complain about, as everyone seemed to be willing to leap into action, eager to help.

I guess, as the summer progresses and we see an even greater impact of sports on the national psyche, things might start to unravel into chaos, but not yet. Not for me. London is ready to welcome to world.

Ian Hughes is the CEO of Consumer Intelligence, a market research company that is dedicated to helping its customers make intelligent decisions using the best possible insight.

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen,
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

Since 1744 that song has been at the heart of the English/British nation as an anthem – which is nearly 300 years.

Already this summer I have heard the strains of the National Anthem many times and British Olympic hopes mean that I hope to hear it many times more.

To some extent I can’t get tired of hearing it. There is something about its monotonous repetition that is soothing.

What I don’t understand is why the customer service industry hasn’t learned that lesson. The anthem stays constant across the decades and it is that constancy that gives a sense of national strength and pride. Why can’t we deliver customer service with the same sense of monotonous repetition?

Some of you will already be trying to pick a hole in my argument. You might say, but the anthem has changed! It last changed 60 years ago. It changed from “God Save the King” to “God Save the Queen”. My response would be, you are missing my point.

The gradual evolution of the anthem, the fact that I know what it will be tomorrow, regardless of who is on the throne, in the same way that generations have, is what makes it familiar.

How many companies can claim the same thing? How many companies can GUARANTEE that the service experience that you will receive tomorrow will be the same as it was yesterday?

People used to ask me why I flew across the Atlantic with American Airlines. They would complain about the service being terrible and the food being bad etc etc. My response would be that at least it was consistent. Sometimes when I flew Virgin it would be amazing, sometimes it would be terrible. I just want it to be the same. Monotonously Repetitive.

Often, customer experience teams are looking to create something amazing, a wonderful experience. Just creating something monotonously mediocre is an amazing achievement. Something that is so good that it will be replicated for years, maybe decades to come.

Is the British national anthem the best in the world? I don’t know, I am not a musician. Is it the oldest? I don’t know. Has it been around for nearly 300 years? Yup. That’s good enough for me.

So the next time you are thinking about building a customer service experience, don’t think great, think OK, but repeatable. Trust me, it isn’t easy to do.

Ian Hughes is the CEO of Consumer Intelligence, a market research company that is dedicated to helping its customers make intelligent decisions using the best possible insight.

Just a quick word of thanks to Zoe (you know who you are) for reading my iLint blog and passing back her compliments. Sometimes I write this stuff and have no clue if anyone every reads it.

When was the last time someone thanked you or you thanked someone? I don’t mean when someone gives you back your change in a shop and you say thanks.

Stop and think about it. Was it in the last 7 days?

Now ask yourself the question when was the last time someone thanked you?

I ask the question because we have recently run an employee engagement survey in the office. One of the questions in the standard question set is around “In the last week have you received thanks or recognition?”

In general we scored well for engagement, but on this question I must admit I had to mull for a minute or two (yup, I am an employee too so I need to stay engaged).

My problem is this, and I would welcome your feedback on it. What would you really have to do in order to be recognised or praised by someone every week of the year? What would it take for that to happen across a whole organisation? Would it be amazing or would it feel a little disingenuous after a while?

In honesty I can say I really don’t know which is what makes me ask the question. They didn’t teach me about this stuff at Harvard Business School; we didn’t do it for my Business Studies Degree and I don’t know of a company where it happens now.

It is also possible (even probable) that I am a cynical Brit and that I really should get into the swing of seeking out things to recognise…which would be pretty tiring, I would imagine.

If you work in a high recognition culture I would love to hear from you.

Ian Hughes is the CEO of Consumer Intelligence, a market research company that is dedicated to helping its customers make intelligent decisions using the best possible insight.