I won’t spoil this article’s funny story about how The Broadmoor hotel protected Bob Hope and his wife. The article is really about all the things this independent resort (over a century old) does to earn five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide. (“No other hotel or resort has been so good for so long.”) This is a record-setting hotel …
Even Deming thought it was about empathy
“Toyota had problems when the white man took over.” I live near the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky.–the company’s largest plant in the world. Lots of folks work there, including folks hours away in Eastern Kentucky. They are in many ways about as un-Japanese as you can get. But these predominately white, Appalachian, rural workers are dead serious about TPS, …
How to prevent hiring deceivers
I have seen a lot of bad hires over the years. Managers will be really excited about a new recruit. Then slowly over the course of time, they will realize the person isn’t who they said they were. Or worse, they won’t realize it: The person was so good at faking it in the interview that they faked it on …
Customer service is nothing new under the sun
This morning I searched for websites and news articles about “serving customers.” And I had a stark reminder of what is at stake. I try to post two articles a week, one employee-oriented, the other customer-oriented. (And, of course, we post our podcast every Saturday, plus a song for #HornSectionsMakeRockBetter, just because I can.) It was time for this week’s …
Every team member can enhance the customer experience
A colleague shared with me this speech clip from Susan Salgado, director of culture and learning for Danny Meyer’s famous Union Square Hospitality Group. The group includes Shake Shack among many other brands. The clip is a short story about a hospital nurse who took some clever steps to ensure patients received quick and efficient care. What will impress you …
Good news: Loyalty is dead
In about a month, this website may disappear. I received an email that it is time to renew my domain. The link in the email doesn’t work. And the phone number leads me to believe I’ll need about an hour on the phone. They haven’t lost me as a customer yet. But they will. Assuming I figure out how to …
Great advice from an award-winning client
I’d like to congratulate Soft Shoe for yet again winning the Gold Medal Service Award from Footwear Insights. I’ve had the privilege of serving Soft Shoe for a few years now. They take serving the employee, and what they call Customer Service Mode for customers, extremely seriously. Here’s a list of customer service advice from Gold Medal winners, with Soft …
In case you need courage to keep your customer experience budget
CMS Wire had this straightforward article in response to The New York Times trumpeting that businesses were cutting customer service-oriented programs due to fears of inflation. I’m not that old, but I’ve already seen it happen maybe five times: Bubbles burst, and some companies get scared and cut. Other companies take advantage of the market and take care of customers. …
Podcast 75: Anticipating desires: lessons from a Mexican resort
Well, somebody told Mark this story … Mike swears it wasn’t him. … But once upon a time in Mexico, a resort put on a customer experience master class for a family with young kids. (There’s a topless woman, but don’t let that throw you–we put it here to get attention.) We would love your questions and comments for …
Customer fits: What is the employee responsible for?
I, like you, have witnessed bad customer behavior during the pandemic. Just this week, I heard a 10-minute phone call where a customer threatened to bring a gun to my client’s establishment and perhaps some gang members. I, like you, have found myself saying, “I’m just going to control what I can control.” We can’t control rogue customers throwing fits. …