In 1976, while I was a 20-year-old student at Santa Clara University, CA, I became a part-time charter associate of Marriott’s Great America Theme Park. After graduating from college two years later, I joined Marriott Hotels and until 2021, I’ve been in full-service and luxury hotels and resorts. There was no such thing as CX, but I was doing more than serving to satisfy guests. I wanted them to have a “better than the average” experience that guests expected. So I served to WOW them. I served to CARE (Communicate. Acknowledge. Respond. Enrich). Big difference. As a general manager/managing ..read more

QUI QUOTE: You know you have customer CARE right when your customers don’t tell others what they bought. They tell others who they bought it from. Don’t be just good. Be GREAT out there! #customerservice #customerexperience #custserv #custexp #cx ..read more

QUI TAKEAWAY: Customers pay for their experience, not your product or service. The customer’s best value in their experience is one that is “just perfect.” Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect … for your customers. Don’t be just good. Be GREAT out there! #customerservice #customerexperience #custserv #custexp #cx ..read more

On July 4, Americans celebrate Independence Day. In part, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it … and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. With that in mind, we, as customers, proclaim our independence from the tyranny of “Profits over People” retailers who care more about revenue dollars, market share, stock prices, bottom-line profits, and even their competitors, than people – us, the cus ..read more

The “World’s Best” experience is not as “the world” sees it, but as one customer personally FEELS it. Customers pay for their experience. And they seek the best value in their experience for the price you are asking them to pay. So, a person living in Detroit, MI who has a five-figure salary feels the best value isn’t a luxury plane to the Alps, but rather a four-hour drive UpNorth to Boyne Mountain. Instead of skiing through mountainous terrain for the week, sipping on Malbec wine from Argentina, and savoring Swiss cheese fondue, he skis up and down, again and again, on  Boyne Mountain ..read more

The Rule of Three Steps for CX Success: Select for passion. Educate with CARE. Empower for excellence. Select for passion. Serving customers because you HAVE TO is a job. Serving customers because you WANT TO is a passion. Find that passion. Don’t hire an employee. Soon, employees will see for themselves and tell each other that their “profits over people” bosses care about topline revenue, bottom-line profits, stock price, market share, and even their competitors more than they do the people, their subservient employees. Bosses don’t care much about their employees and their employees c ..read more

Mission statements don’t enthuse people to engage and WOW customers. Passion statements do. In the spirit of paying it forward, I offer you this   OUR PASSION STATEMENT First, we will be best for our customers. Then we will be first among our competitors.   Let’s not serve to satisfy our customers. Satisfied customers feel that their experience is good, not better, just average. Nobody raves about average. And satisfied customers will not return when they find something better or less expensive. Instead, let’s serve to WOW our customers! Let’s serve to CARE. COMMUNICATE w ..read more

Corporate executives and CX influencers have traditionally advocated their business jargon, and their employees and customers have subserviently understood and followed them. For example, business leaders have defined contact centers when customers “contact” them to ask a question or have a problem with a product or service. The leaders then analyze their agents’ FCR metrics for First Contact Resolution. Concurrently, business leaders and CX influencers dub customer service representatives as the frontline. But frontline? Really? They may logically say that customer service is the frontline b ..read more

Your brand is not a result of your marketing actions. Your brand is the result of customers’ perceptions of your customer service actions.  On social media, customers are talking about you whether you like it or not know it or not. World-class or no class. And if they’re not talking world-class or no class, they’re simply not talking about it all. So, when it comes to your customers and customer service, don’t be just good. Be GREAT out there! #customerservice #customerexperience #custserv #custexp #cx #marketing  ..read more

The customer is not always right. But the customer is ALWAYS YOUR customer. Listen intently, respond empathetically, apologize, and do whatever it takes to resolve the problem, even if it means having to go with your customer to your competitor. Contrary to popular customer service mantras, when all alternatives don’t work, DON’T fire the customer. Simply ask him to resign. “I’m sorry but I’m not able to resolve your problems. Could I recommend Company X for your experience? I could contact them if you like.” Both the customer and your competitor are happy. The customer will remember you and ..read more