We all know of businesses that we admire. Everything they do, they do well. Just as it's a good idea to visit your competitors' businesses, it's also useful for your staff to visit a business that you really admire, regardless of what industry it's in.
I often find that businesses become a little stereotyped by their peers. Innovative ideas are confined to what the competitors do. While I believe that it's important to compare your business with your opposition, there are many other excellent ideas out there that can be adapted and used in your business.
If you go to a beauty salon and they have a great promotional idea, with a little smart thinking you can usually change a few details and use the same promotion in a lawyer's office or a restaurant or a mechanics workshop.
When taking your staff on a field trip to a business that you admire, talk to them to observe. Have a good debrief after the visit and see what points they have picked up that you may have missed.
I am always on the lookout for businesses that offer exceptional customer service. Sadly, they are few and far between, but when you do find one of the best, think of it as a university for you and your staff to learn from.