• Act, don’t tell. Promise whatever you want, but what you do makes the difference.
• Be a brand about it. If you are a brand, take your responsibility anytime, anywhere.
• Get the basics right. It is easier to do things right, than to screw them up.

In retrospect, these were three simple truths about running a business that were illustrated during a trip from Sofia to Budapest, with a stop in Vienna. This is the final part.

In a series of four blog posts, I tell the story of these adventures, from the little conversations we had about brands over the big experiences we had with companies to the little stuff that happened in between. In the first post, our office manager Myriam beat no less than three car rental companies in actually getting us a car. In the second post, you find out how finding a car was just one thing – actually getting the car was a completely different story. In the third post, you read how a deal offered by the car rental company turned out to be less advantageous than it seemed. In this final post, the magic of getting a mojito right shows a last valuable lesson for companies and the truth about this whole story is revealed…

Get it right
Budapest. Finally we had reached our final destination, arriving after sunset with a magnificent view on the Danube lit by the city’s yellow lights. Over a Whopper we discussed how the Suzuki Swift, because of its sportier engine, was more charming than the KIA Venga, which however still had the advantage in terms of name, because of the images of Brazilian carnival it evoked. The Whopper was one of the two things that we had been craving since the start of our holiday. But the most satisfying moment was later that night, when our quest for a decent mojito finally ended at the terrace of a wine bar, under strings of coloured lights. From Sofia over Linz to Salzburg and Vienna (and of course VögelnHäfen!) we had been ordering mojitos but none of them had done the trick. Too sweet, too sour, too much mint, too little lime. All of them had been a minor to a huge disappointment. However, the recipe for a mojito is not that complicated. It is really easy to get it right. It is more than likely that the mojito we had in Budapest was by no means an extraordinary mojito. But they got it right and made it the happy ending of a holiday that left a lot of stories to tell, with or without brands.

Getting things right to start with sometimes is easier than it seems. You follow the recipe and deliver what is expected. It allows your customers to actually enjoy something that matters even more than the product: the experience. A mojito that finally tasted like it is supposed to, made us notice the coloured lights on the terrace and feel the breeze cooling down the evening warmth. It even made us forgive the waiters for being so eager to wrap up and close the place. Not messing up the basics creates the room for exceeding expectations and credit for some little mistakes. Get it wrong and you will find yourself being bashed in conversations over and over again, no matter what. The first act you need to show rather than tell, the key to being a brand and the best conversation starter is… to get it right.

The full story
I must admit that I have not told you the full story. In fact, I left out three things that will probably shed another light on the shortcomings in customer service that I have pointed out in my tale of car rentals, banks and mojitos. Three things that are likely to tip the scale of responsibility at least somewhat to my side rather than that of the companies featured in this story. Here is my confession.

• When flying from Sofia to Vienna, we actually missed our first flight. The time difference between Austria and Bulgaria seemed a minor detail to us upon our arrival, but turned out to be rather crucial to take into account when you are trying to catch a plane. On the upside, we enjoyed the excellent service of Hotel Mercure, which spoiled us with a very welcome late night room service.
• When arriving at Vienna airport, we sat down to have a beer to celebrate our arrival in the Austrian capital. Between ordering and receiving the beers, I realized that I did not bring my driving license with me. On the upside, the city services of Gent for once proved that city services sometimes are quick and delivered me a replacing document within a day.
• When trying to pay for the rental car with our credit cards, I already knew that it was not going to work. We had not taken into account that we would also need to pay a deposit and had happily been using our credit card for most of our expenses. On the upside, well… at least we still had some cash for beers in between different attempts to make the payment.

Not even so long ago, these revelations of us being slightly chaotic travellers would have been sufficient to put the blame for all the inconvenience on ourselves: missing the flight resulted in dealing with everything on a last-minute basis, the document replacing my driving license raised some suspicion from the Hertz people on both occasions and the credit card problem could have been avoided with some forward thinking. Not even to mention the fact that we could have rented the car upfront. I am happy to admit that we did not have all the details of our holidays planned out and that neither myself nor my girlfriend excel in organisational talents when it comes to stuff like this.

However, the fact of the matter is that we are the new consumer. Not because of our age or our generation, but because the context has changed drastically. In a world of real-life feedback through social media and a growing consciousness of the empowered consumer, all of us feel entitled to have higher expectations towards brands. Yes, we might cause some of our own problems, but we are looking to brands to help us solve these problems. All of the companies mentioned in the story had an opportunity to make us happy, to become part of our enthusiastic conversations of our trip from Sofia to Budapest. The truth is: few of them did. They left the eternal fame to Myriam. In September I am going to Spain and I need a rental car. This time I am getting it upfront and from a local company, Victoria Cars, that my mom recommended. Unless they suggest me to take the train.