Escort guests rather than pointing out directions…Never say “it’s not my job”…Answer the phone with a smile…These are all examples of service standards. Companies use them to train their staff. Even while having service standards, for service to become truly a way of life, such standards must be embraced by
When building a strong service culture, it is important to have an inspiring vision and mission statement; but they only provide the context. Company service standards, on the other hand, are the “nuts and bolts” of how you serve. They are the specific behaviors that you expect from yourself and
One of my previous articles was about “5-star leaders”, and those types of leaders are committed to only one standard: Excellence. They expect nothing less from themselves or from their team. While it is important to describe excellent leadership, it is also important to describe another key piece of the
Recently, I called a well-known hotel and asked for the concierge desk. Although I was not a guest at the time, I previously stayed at this particular hotel chain several times prior and considered myself to be a loyal customer. The reason I called was to merely get some quick
In two previous articles, I wrote about the influence that 5-star employees have on their guests, their team, and their company. These 5-star employees take immense pride in their jobs and refuse to settle for anything less than giving exceptional service. In part 1 of this series, I reviewed four
“The trouble with having employees is that eventually you have to pay them.” Wow! I heard a manager make that comment not too long ago, and I had to look at him to see if he was serious. Unfortunately, he was. Recently, I wrote an article entitled Work like you
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
