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Back in 1986 I was working for a company that repaired jet engines for the airline industry.

I was finance director and I was just beginning to gather an understanding of the importance of customer service.

One day I heard this quotation that really made me stop and think about first impressions and the way that we handle our customers.

"Coffee stains on the flip tray suggest to the customer that we do not service our engines properly."

The quotation came from Jan Carlzon who was a past president of Scandinavian Airlines and had rescued that company from financial collapse through his focus on customer service.

Jan wrote a little book called "Moments of Truth" in which he described his customer service philosophy. This little book was read by thousands of people around the world and became a foundation for customer service delivery.

Gita Gould wins The WOW! Awards for outstanding customer service.

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend a conference at the Runnymede Hotel and Spa at Egham in Surrey.

I arrived rather early and some time before the conference was due to start. Although I was one of the first people to arrive I was warmly greeted by one of the management team at the conference suite, a lady called Gita Gould.

Gita immediately realised that I was early for this event and made every effort to make me feel comfortable. She showed me where the meeting was going to be held. And also offered me a range of refreshments and light snacks.

I explained to Gita that I would really like to try and get some breakfast. And so she took me along to the restaurant area. From the very first moment, I really felt that Gita genuinely cared about looking after me. She could so easily have simply pointed me in the direction of the restaurant. But she insisted on escorting me and introducing me to the restaurant manager to be certain that I could enjoy a nice breakfast.

Gita's attention to detail continued throughout the day of the conference and there were a number of instances where I noticed her incredible attention to detail and how much personal attention she gave to each individual.

Nothing was too much trouble for Gita. She had a wonderful warm welcome for all the guests that day. And she literally ran around taking care of everyone.

I noticed how proudly Gita wore a little customer service badge from the hotel alongside the national flag of Denmark on her jacket lapel.

I just couldn't let the opportunity pass without thanking Gita for her superb service. And I felt that, given I was a genuine customer on this occasion, then I could nominate Gita for The WOW! Awards.

Yesterday afternoon I went back to the Runnymede Hotel and Spa to present Gita with her certificate from The WOW! Awards.

Gita was genuinely overcome with emotion and gave me a huge hug!

The marketing manager from the hotel, Andrew Duggan, came along to take some photographs. And that's where I thought the story would end.

Gita very kindly asked if I would like some refreshment before continuing on my journey. And the opportunity to enjoy a nice cup of tea seemed too good to miss.

As we stood there chatting, Gita's enthusiasm for her award was undiminished and she kept looking back at the framed certificate that I had given her.

Gita told me that her father would be incredibly proud of her. Her father is now 70 years old and used to be Station Manager at Heathrow airport for Scandinavian Airlines.

"Really!" I said. "Would he have been working for Scandinavian Airlines when Jan Carlzon was president?" I asked.

"Oh yes," replied Gita. "I learnt so much from my father when I was a child."

Derek Williams is creator of The WOW! Awards an International Professional Speaker and Chief Executive for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Europe.

For more information about Derek Williams visit http://www.MrWow.co.uk

For The WOW! Awards (including access to a FREE customer service newsletter) visit http://www.TheWowAwards.com.