What do you need to do to have 80% of your customers tell
you that they were “extremely satisfied” with all aspects of your
service?
In an independent survey, ninety-nine percent of guests
said they were satisfied with their Ritz-Carlton experience; more than eighty
percent were "extremely satisfied." Ritz-Carlton management works hard to make
employees feel valued so that they will provide the quality service that earns
them their reputation.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company's training managers and senior hotel executives
give personal, two-day demonstrations of "Gold Standards" to all new
employees. Three weeks later, the orientation units reconvene for follow-up
sessions, after which the employees are considered "Ladies or Gentlemen at The
Ritz-Carlton."
To cultivate customer loyalty, Ritz-Carlton Hotels has a rule: "Any employee
who receives a guest complaint owns the complaint." The hotel chain makes a
commitment to teaching employees HOW to provide world-class service.
First-year managers and employees receive 250 to 310 hours of training.
After they have completed initial training, first-line employees such as
housekeeping, busboys, etc., have the authority to spend up to $2,000 to
immediately correct a problem or handle a complaint. Managers can spend up to
$5,000. Now that's empowerment.
At every level, The Ritz-Carlton is detail-oriented. Steps for all
quality-improvement and problem-solving procedures are documented, through
data collection and analysis.
For example, to meet its goal of total elimination of problems, The
Ritz-Carlton has determined that there are 970 potential instances for a
problem to arise during inter-actions with overnight guests and 1,071 such
instances during interactions with meeting event planners.
Customer service standards have been established for every instance and every
employee has been trained and empowered to uphold those standards.
Ritz-Carlton officials know this will create a win-win-win situation. The
employee feels good about himself, the guest is happy, and the company will
keep the business.
Customer loyalty is the responsibility of every employee within an
organization. It is earned by building positive relationships, one customer at
a time, every time!
Loyalty-focused companies outperform their competitors
two to one. Loyal customers are more pleasant; they purchase more products,
refer new customers and are more forgiving when problems occur.
So you’re probably saying, “Well, yeah, but we’re not the
Ritz and don’t have the budget of the Ritz!”
The Ritz didn’t get to where they are over night. It has
been a process for them as well.
Break down the steps that have contributed to their
success, or of others that you respect.
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Managers and senior executives “Walk Their Talk” both in formal
presentations and daily interactions
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Define your service standards
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Make a commitment and train EVERYONE to provide the service you
desire and uphold your standards
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Empower your staff to resolve problems – make it clear how much
authority you will entrust to them
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Identify specific steps and provide documentation for improving
your service and problem solving procedures
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Measure, measure, measure . . . collect data and analyze to
support documentation and problem solving procedures . . . pay attention to
the details
Empowered employees make a significant difference in your
customer’s interactions. Empower them to do the right thing for the customer
. . . define your standards and train them to deliver that standard! Before
you know it, the red carpet will be rolling out and your customers will be
delighted!
