Inspiring? or Barking mad?
Written by Claire Boscq-Scott, Customer Service Guru | 4 minute read
I am certainly not a single case and I am certain lot of us, have been in the same situation, when you wake up one day and you actually realise that whatever you are doing isn’t working. You can’t keep thinking your marriage is working when you know you are moving in different directions, you can’t keep working for 10-12-14 hours per day for someone you are not sure if actually grateful, you can’t keep having your kids looked after by a young Au pair whilst you working silly hours. So, you wake up!
And boy, I woke up… I got divorced, I packed the job and sold my house to set up my new business, and working from home, so I could be a caring mum and a successful business woman.
A new chapter of my life - it was the best thing I ever did! I have always been in the hospitality industry. Born in Paris, I moved to the South of France aged seven with my parents when they opened their first restaurant. That was when I first started carrying plates and the passion for all things relating to hospitality and customer service began. When you grow up in that environment, you either love it or you hate it; fortunately, I absolutely loved it! I loved the interaction with the people, I loved witnessing them enjoying good food and wine and I loved welcoming them back time and time again. So off I went to catering school in Nice before embarking on my travels. I learned English and travelled the world and, after three seasons, I was accepted to join the French team in the EPCOT Centre in Florida. Anyone who has worked at Disney will tell you the same thing; working there is an experience we will never forget and THE very first time I understood what CX really was all about.
My journey took me to England, for a couple of years, where I married and had my beautiful boy, Luc, who is now much taller than I am. Later, in the new millennium, my travels took us back to Jersey where I was offered the job of manageress at the same hotel where I had worked as a receptionist when I first came to Jersey several years before. A coincidence, or was it? Six years later, following the birth of my gorgeous daughter, Gabrielle, I joined another hotel, which was undergoing a £30m refurbishment and eventually to the final hotel where it all started...
Whilst working at the hotel we had monthly mystery guest visits from a UK company and I realised there was a gap in the market for a similar service with local knowledge. This excited me and gave me the impetus to leave my secure job to pursue this idea. I sold my house and used the profit to set up on my own in 2009 to provide a service that filled this gap. And so, the next chapter of my life began. Starting a business during a recession was a notably bold move; a mad move perhaps, as some people suggested. However, it is often during such times of adversity that successful businesses rise; especially when they are devoted to helping enterprises to improve their customer service. Indeed, we were certain that it was perfect timing to establish a customer focus business during a period of time when, looking after and retaining your customers was especially vital and, frankly, more important than ever. The vision of the business has always been to help businesses to thrive and grow their profitability by providing an exceptional customer experience, and just like the bees who help the world eco-system, if the local businesses thrive, so will the local economy.
Today, I have had the incredible pleasure to work with businesses from all industries and have travelled across 20 countries to share my passion for CX & EX. For me, seeing businesses take care of their environment, their people and their customers after work we did together, or after listening to one of my talk, or even taking part of my training workshop, is the ultimate reward.
I love living in Jersey, we must be the luckiest people on earth, however it is still only 9 miles x 5miles and there is only so many businesses I can help here. So, I have a much bigger vision, and I want to help small business owners around the world to thrive by delivering exceptional customer experiences and being part of the Women in CX community is another way to increase the importance of CX & EX and help even more businesses…
So, inspiring or barking mad, I’d say barking mad, but I love it, it gets me buzzing everyday, and if I can do it, ladies, so can you!!
Claire is on a mission to inspire businesses to thrive by bringing more care into what they do, alluring the senses to connect with employees and customers on an emotional level; enhancing business environments, developing intrinsic motivation in their employees to increase engagement and customer loyalty, through sensorial experiences. Top 30 Global Customer Service Guru and UK Top 10 CX Influencer, Claire is an authority in the Customer Experience Industry, Caring in Business Specialist and Sensory Queen, she brings a more holistic approach to Employee and Customer Experience. She is a Keynote Speaker, Consultant and Trainer.