On a recent trip to an upscale hotel, I had dinner with the restaurant manager. He explained to me that one of the restaurant’s main goals was for guests to rate the restaurant a “5”, as measured by their guest satisfaction survey. The survey asks guests a series of questions,
It’s amazing who some business owners and managers allow to represent their company. On a recent trip, I stopped at a sandwich shop to order some lunch. After the employee told me they were out of the sandwich that I ordered, I asked for her menu recommendation; to which she
A few years ago, I saw some statistics that showed the top reasons why customers stop using companies: 9% of customers leave because of competitors 14% of customers leave because of dissatisfaction with the product 67% of customers leave because of an attitude of indifference on the part of a
Championship winning coaches have a habit of demanding excellence from everyone on their team. They never tolerate mediocrity from anyone. Incredibly high standards are discussed everyday (yes, everyday). This article, however, is not about sports. Nor is it about AAA ratings, Forbes ratings, or Michelin Guide ratings. It is about
Whenever I deliver a keynote, training workshop, or explain my company’s service philosophy, I begin with an in-depth discussion on the three service rules. They are the Golden Rule, Platinum Rule, and Double Platinum Rule. Surely, you’ve heard of the Golden Rule, which basically states that you should treat others
Engaging your customers is not rocket science. With all of the articles, books, blogs, videos and conferences that are available, it can seem that creating an engaging service experience requires a lifetime worth of training. Not true. If you asked me, “how can we improve our service tomorrow?”, I would
Five-star leaders share many of the same qualities. One such quality is they believe that their team CAN be great. And that greatness is tied to the leaders’ high expectations. Low expectations promote average and low performance, while high expectations promote high performance. Period. Blaming staff I’ve heard many managers
Employees often feel constrained by their job titles. Doormen should mainly open doors, massage therapists should mainly give massage treatments, and room attendants should mainly clean rooms. This type of constraint can inhibit the potential creativity and zeal that employees experience in their jobs. I’ve held close to 20 different
Appreciate where you are, but imagine where you could be. That is the mantra of continuous improvement. World-class hotels, restaurants, and spas are never content with the status-quo. Good is not good enough. They believe that running an exceptional operation is like studying for a 100% on a test; they
When I was hired over a decade ago to join a hotel, the general manager told me that if in 6-months the team was not better as a result of me being hired, then I’ve failed. Wow, what pressure! He explained that, just like on a sports team, the primary
What is the difference between the doorman opening the hotel’s door and the doorman providing a welcoming experience? Or what is the difference between the housekeeper changing the bed sheets and the housekeeper ensuring that the guest has a clean, comfortable bed to sleep in? Some people may say they
A few years ago, I wrote an article entitled Engage every customer, one touchpoint at a time. The basic message was that the entire customer experience is comprised of several touchpoints. A touchpoint is any interaction between a customer and your business. For each touchpoint, you could either make a
