The fact that luxury hotel chain Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with exemplary customer service speaks to their success in this arena. Looking at their efforts from an organizational standpoint, there is no mystery to that success. Beyond any formal customer service training that they have in place, consider these features of the Ritz-Carlton’s daily operating procedure to reinforce their customer service mission:
Setting the Priority
Each day at Ritz-Carlton properties around the world, employees from every department gather for a brief 15-minute meeting to recognize, discuss and foster excellence in customer service. Every day. Managers and employees alike. Can there be any doubt in the minds of Ritz-Carlton employees that customer service is a top priority?
Celebrate Success
A feature of these daily meetings is the sharing of “wow stories” – true stories of Ritz-Carlton employees exceeding customer expectations. This practice not only reinforces desired behavior, it provides daily peer recognition for excellence in customer service. Conspicuously absent from Ritz-Carlton’s daily meetings is criticism. If you want attention in the Ritz-Carlton organization, you’ll have to do something positive and exceptional to get it.
Set Clear Service Values
Every manager and customer-facing employee carries a laminated card with the company’s 12 service values – an ever-present reminder of the organization’s most coveted mission. Hats off to Ritz-Carlton for taking the time to articulate and document their service values – that practice alone sets them apart from the vast majority of business organizations in the world.
Engage Employees in the Effort
Each of the aforementioned activities is a means of actively engaging employees in the customer service effort. From the daily staff meetings to the sharing of customer service success stories, employees are not simply recipients of the customer service message; they are the owners of these lessons.
Legendary customer service is no accident. The behaviors that are reinforced are the behaviors that will continue. By virtue of their structure and procedures, Ritz-Carlton has guaranteed their customer service success.
Is your organization’s commitment to service excellence and customer satisfaction reflected in each and every member of your team? In each and every customer contact? Carew International recognizes the power of a focused, energized and synergized customer service organization. Help your entire team deliver legendary service, maximize customer retention and sustain the momentum of success with Carew International’s training for customer service.
As part of our ongoing commitment to professional development, Carew International publishes a regular blog to provide timely insights for optimal sales performance. To learn more about Carew’s incomparable sales training programs, sales leadership training and customer service training, visit our website at www.carew.com.
