So let’s give you an insight to what some of these companies did. Pret-a-Manger told us about absolute struggle they go through to make sure that all ingredients in their sandwiches are additive free so as to enhance taste of sandwiches. This involves a great deal of searching to determine best supplier, as well as extensive tasting. The time and money they spend on this activity is phenomenal and costs a great deal. But this is part of their attention to detail.

Liam Lambert, Director of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel told us of his “attention to detail”. He wanted his doorman to stand out as “beacon’s” to help promote hotel - as it is on less busy side of street. He saw other hotel doormen who were all dressed in “grey” overcoats. This colour made them blend into their hotel buildings and act as great camouflage! Liam decided to dress his doorman in red! Truly a beacon! It worked! More people noticed than ever before.

By Colin Shaw, Founding Partner, Beyond Philosophy -- May 2004

Over last month, I have come to hate emails and answer phones; not because I get 100 emails every day but because emails and answer phones are fast becoming tool of coward. At Beyond Philosophy we worked with a client a while ago whose account managers and sales teams never used to speak to anyone! They just used to send emails. If customer called in they were greeted by answerphones which were kept on all day. You see sales teams were all busy doing “real” work. The customers were just interrupting them. Surely this must be height of “inside out” behaviour.

But why do people do this? Primarily, it is because we all feel we can say things in emails that we would never say face to face. In my experience this never works how people would expect. No matter how hard you try, you think you have written one thing and person reads something else. Before you know it you have lost a customer or lost a friend. We seem to forget that that all important ‘relationship’ with customer is built on human contact, not emails!