Attendees at the Department of Tourism’s customer service workshop were encouraged by a guest speaker to visualise the place they most love to be, and imagine that their favourite person is there with them.
Mr. Hargett addresses the customer service workshop. Photo: Cliodhna McGowan |
This, the speaker said, is the feeling that Ritz-Carlton hotels tries to re-create for their customers each day. ‘People want to come back because it feels good,’ he said. ‘Walking in the door is like going into a different world.’
This was the opening of a presentation ‘What it takes to be the best in customer service’ from the twice winners of the Malcolm Baldridge award for Quality and Excellence, Jeff Hargett from the Ritz-Carlton Institute.
Mr. Hargett was a special speaker at a customer service workshop, entitled ‘Getting from Good to Great’, held on Friday at the Marriott Beach Resort by the Department of Tourism to improve customer service in Cayman Islands’ tourism.
Mr. Hargett is Corporate Director of the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Centre.
He explained that they want customers to leave two ways: broke (having spent lots of money) and thinking ‘When am I going to do this again?’
It is enlightened leadership and engaged employees that produce such a positive outcome from visitors’ experiences, he said.
He explained that it is the people providing the service who make the memories for customers that tie into their emotions to make people want to return and to continue spending money.
Mr. Hargett quoted from Price Pritchett’s The Ethics of Excellence, saying, ‘The organisation will never be what the people are not’.
He commented that apathy and the attitude ‘I don’t care’ is the one thing that could ruin businesses all over the world.
‘The customers are the ones keeping us in business. If we don’t look after them they’ll go somewhere else.’
Although it is by no means cheap to stay at a Ritz-Carlton, guests find the value they get is worth it, he said.
Some of the features that distinguish the Ritz-Carlton from other properties include The Gold Standards, one of which is The Credo (a mission statement carried in the pockets of every single employee every day).
The motto says, ‘We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’.
The three steps of service involve giving warm and sincere greetings, anticipation and compliance with guest needs and a fond farewell.
On the question of finding genuine caring employees, each applicant goes through five to seven interviews and the General Manager interviews everyone, even if only for a few minutes.
‘There is no substitute for talent,’ he commented, explaining that each person is best suited to a particular area, and has a talent that comes naturally to them, whether it is crunching numbers or taking care of people.
Early on in the job, employees are tested either in written or verbal form, as an assurance that when the manager steps away from them everything will keep functioning as normal.
Line-up happens every day at the beginning of every shift for every department, and during this time, good feedback from customers is discussed, in order to encourage staff members.
It is the Ritz-Carlton’s customers that do its advertising for it, he said.
‘Engaged customers can’t imagine a world without Ritz-Carlton,’ he said.
Director of Tourism Pilar Bush echoed Mr. Hargett’s views, but related them to the Cayman Islands, saying we want customers to spend lots of money, seek out new experiences and leave thinking about when they’ll come back.
Ms Bush also said that perhaps the public sector can step up more to the challenge of matching people to their jobs based on their natural talents.
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