# Will Tarrant on Service: Closing the gap between brand promise and reality

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411/will-tarrant-on-service-closing-the-gap-between-brand-promise-and-reality
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411/will-tarrant-on-service-closing-the-gap-between-brand-promise-and-reality.md
Podcast: [The Human Risk Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411)
Published: 2026-05-08T09:00:56+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/will-tarrant-on-service-closing-the-gap-between-brand-promise-and-reality--71905682
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71905682/will_tarrant_on_service.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-human-risk-podcast-1190411/episodes/will-tarrant-on-service-closing-the-gap-between-brand-promise-and-reality
Duration seconds: 3659

## Resource

What makes great service? It’s one of those things we instantly recognise when we experience it, but struggle to define. And while organisations spend huge amounts of time trying to design seamless customer experiences, the reality is that service doesn’t happen in strategy documents or training manuals. It happens in real time, between real people, in messy and unpredictable situations where eventually the playbook runs out. Episode Overview In this episode, Christian is joined by Will Tarrant, CEO of Freeman Group , who focus on helping organisations close the gap between what they promise customers and what actually gets delivered in reality. Drawing on decades of experience across hospitality, aviation, healthcare and destinations, Will explains why compliance-based training can sometimes increase hidden risk, why empowerment without judgment can quickly become chaos, and why the real differentiator in service is rarely the process itself — it’s the human response when something unexpected happens. Along the way, the conversation explores: Why “making people feel a certain way” is the real job in hospitality The hidden risks created by over-reliance on scripts and SOPs Why organisations often confuse solving problems with compensating customers The psychology of customer perception and expectation How hotels, airports and even destinations manage emotional experiences Why breakfast might be the best indicator of a hotel’s quality The tension between automation and human interaction Why good service recovery is about judgment, not generosity As Will puts it: “ Compliance-based training reduces visible risk, but it increases hidden risk. ” Although framed around hospitality and customer service, this episode is really about something much broader: how humans make dec…

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## Transcript

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