Customer service roles cover every possible industry, from local authorities to the energy sector.
But regardless of which area of the business you work in, the chances are you could learn a thing or two from an organisation based at 12 Rue Cambon in Paris.
Home to the original Channel store, Rue Cambon sits just around the corner from the fashionable Rue Faubourg Saint-Honore, in the heart of the French capital’s shopping district.
And if you’re looking to get hold of the latest haute couture look before it’s even had a showing on the catwalk, the chances are someone at No 12 would know how to get it.
The reason? This posh address is the headquarters of Les Clefs D’Or, the organisation to which concierges at all of the world’s greatest hotels belong.
Concierges are a very special breed of customer service agent, capable of delivering on even the seemingly impossible request.
In everything they do they have only one focus: to provide gold-standard customer service.
They do it by being resourceful, educated (an ability to speak five languages is not uncommon) and most of all by being formidably well-connected.
Theirs is a tight network that links up all the movers and shakers on their patch, from the maitre d’s in the best restaurants to the front-of-house managers in the theatres.
Want tickets to a sold-out show or to organise dinner at the hottest restaurant in town, one with a two-month waiting list? Then book yourself a room at the very best hotel and avail yourself of the services of the concierge.
To do this job you have to be friendly, discreet, able to maintain a cool head under pressure and have an ability to maintain a very extensive network of contacts and acquaintances who can help you deliver on even the most outlandish address.
Having a good memory for a face and name is also essential – regular guests like nothing better than to be greeted like old friends.
You can spot members of Les Clefs D’Or by the gold badge featuring cross keys that they wear on their collars, but what really marks them out is their commitment to delivering an unrivalled level of customer service.
They prove that, with the right contacts and a can-do attitude, in customer service even the impossible is within reach.
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