We work with words for a living, so its no surprise that there are a number that we consider ‘no-no’s’ when it comes to succinct communication. In fact we have a hit list of such words, and where ever possible try not to use the growing number in our presentations, copy or day-to-day banter.

One that we feel is starting to become hackneyed, therefore prompting this warning, is the word boutique.

Now lets get something straight right from the get-go. Boutique is a French word meaning shop, better known for one that specialises in high-end fashion, so if this means you then you can toddle off and make a cup of tea.

However if your an accountant, law firm, investment bank, corporate adviser, business broker, or even PR firm, then listen up – please don’t refer to yourself as boutique. You’ll look silly.

We can see where the attraction for the use of the word started, boutique as in one-off, niche and original, but because of its proliferation in everyday communications it has now become very cliche.

For example take a look at these company descriptions taken from a random sample of web sites:

• We are a boutique mid tier quality advice law firm…
• As a “Boutique Accounting Firm”, our service is prompt and of the highest quality…
• A boutique lifestyle marketing agency, offering you collaborative PR, design and direction to creatively build and enhance your brand…

In fact PR agencies are the worst offenders – just do an online search for ’boutique PR’ and you’ll see what we mean.

Does it all come down to the issue that no one wants to use the word ’small’?

C’mon people, lets talk about to ourselves in reference to what we are and what we we can do for our clients instead of using terms that mean nothing and demonstrate our lack of imagination.

In our fast-paced information overloaded world, we often forget about the small things that can really make a difference between average and outstanding, especially when it comes to public perception.

Take good customer service for example. Now if you’re in any form of retail this should be a no brainer (although we are constantly reminded that brains are not always necessary to run a retail business, which is why so many go bust) with customer service a priority to really be a success.

However customer service in the online world, because of its nature, is not as front of mind as in its mass consumer counterpart, and the need for frontline customer service in this space could be argued to be redundant. However what businesses need to remember is that no matter what channel of sales, good customer service is always good PR.

Take a recent encounter Zakazukha had with an online supplier that went awry, but through good old fashioned customer service, turned out to be a memorable experience and a reminder about the power of service excellence.

You see we were in need of some new office furniture, and spent many an hour trawling through numerous online furniture sites before we settled on what we needed. Once we decided on a supplier the ordering process was easy enough, and as it was all online there was never the need to speak with, or enter into a sales relationship with a real person. For some this is a preferable way to shop.

So what happens when things go wrong?

Ten days later (well after the website assured us we’d have our furniture) we became somewhat concerned because we hadn’t received the ordered goods, and called to see what the problem was. To be honest we were expecting some form of automated process, or even a referral to contact them only by email as seems to be the de rigueur these days, but to our surprise we got to speak to someone.

It seems we were the last order in an order book before they started a new book (strange process you may say for an online furniture company) and the order was lost in between. The problem was identified quickly and apologies profusely offered, and we were assured the order would be shipped the next day (which it was).

But it didn’t stop there – we were also offered a free piece of furniture for the inconvenience.

Now they didn’t have to do that. The apology and rectifying the problem quickly would probably have sufficed. But as an act of good faith they offered a gift, and it was accepted with gratitude.

Now thats good customer service and great PR.