Medical professionals have years and years of training and often decades of experience. Their purpose is to restore patients to health and save lives. Their profession is learned and noble and can seem a little mismatched when paired with the hospitality industry. We can all agree that fluffing pillows and putting mints on beds is hardly the top priority in healthcare. But what about making patients feel comfortable? Healthcare—as well as hospitality—must pay close attention to the needs of their patients/customers. Front line staff should have the skills and support to interact with patients/customers and with each other. Dr. Kamal Sawan, Chief at Oklahoma University Physicians Plastic Surgery, recently spoke with The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center and pinpointed three key business practices that he learned from The Ritz-Carlton that have impacted his medical practice. Business Practice #1: Provide a Warm Welcome Dr. Sawan: Most people’s blood pressure goes up the moment they walk into a physician’s office because of the stress of the unknown. When you walk through the door at The Ritz-Carlton, there’s a comfort zone and literally people feel at home. And they’re made to feel at home. For you to walk into somewhere you’ve never been before and for you to feel completely at ease—that’s a remarkable achievement. If patients can walk into a hospital or a physician’s office and immediately feel at ease, their care will be much, much better their satisfaction will be much, much better. A lot of healthcare establishments hire people for the front desk and tell them that their job is to answer the phones. But there’s so much more to it than that. For me, the people at the front desk represent the clinic. They represent me. These people are the gatekeepers, and they set the tone for the patient experience. I let staff know what I expect from them beyond answering the phones, and I rely on my front line staff to create an atmosphere of comfort and responsiveness to patients. Business Practice #2: Meet Expressed and Unexpressed Needs Dr. Sawan: Twenty years ago, the approach to healthcare was patients first. Doctors were trained about bedside manner—how to approach and treat the patient was of primary importance. This focus on the patient has disappeared, and now the emphasis tends to be on scutwork and quotas. But with HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), lots of people in the healthcare industry are zoning more toward how can we provide better service for the patient so they are satisfied. The Ritz-Carlton has a great reputation for providing excellent service and shows how to pick up tiny little clues and non-verbal communication. After attending Legendary Service at The Ritz-Carlton and "Radar On-Antenna Up": The Ritz-Carlton’s Fulfillment of Unexpressed Wishes and Needs in 2008, I initiated "Service with a Smile." I meet with staff for 30 minutes every Friday to review customer care concepts. My staff is more engaged with patients, and now they remember details like birthdays. Patients often call and ask for staff assistants by name. More importantly, the staff knows their patients as more than just transactions, and we’re committed to providing more personalized service. Business Practice #3: Cultivate Culture Dr. Sawan: What we can learn from The Ritz-Carlton is how do they do it—how do they engage the customers and how do they engage their staff to provide that exceptional service that results in satisfied clients. I recently attended The Ritz-Carlton Executive Education Program, and I learned that changing a culture takes time. I’m a surgeon, and surgeons don’t have a lot of patience. We like to see results. But I’ve learned that if the whole culture is going to change, it does take a little time. Consistency is key, and change will happen. You have to look at the big picture and then downward to the details. But never forget the big picture. The big picture is always important. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center is offering a one day class called: "Legendary Service at The Ritz-Carlton—Best Practices for Service Excellence in Healthcare" on Monday, February 10 at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, VA. Learn the basics of how to create a service culture that not only improves your customer experience, but also plays a role in the foundation of your healthcare organization.

Last week The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. announced the debut of Ritz Kids, a fun and engaging program for children. Through an expanded partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, The Ritz-Carlton has crafted experiences that appeal to children’s innate love of discovery and sense of curiosity. Childhood is a wonderful time of learning, and these early years of development often provide lessons that stay with us for a lifetime. Many of these first lessons come through children’s books where our favorite characters serve as role models. Our fictional friends teach us about everything from adventure to friendship—and even how to be a leader. Of course, not every character approaches leadership in the same way. "IT IS NOT OUR ABILITIES THAT SHOW WHAT WE TRULY ARE. IT IS OUR CHOICES." - ALBUS DUMBLEDORE Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series, could best be described as a paternalistic leader. He takes care of everyone and ushers Harry through needed life lessons. Dumbledore is wise, talented and respected, but he remains humble. Whether Dumbledore is tackling an administrative challenge—such as arguing with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic—or addressing an external threat—such as battling with Voldemort, the Dark Lord—Dumbledore never loses his integrity. He stays calm and levelheaded in every situation. He demonstrates that leaders must use grace, diplomacy, perseverance and strength to overcome obstacles. "NEVER HURRY AND NEVER WORRY." - CHARLOTTE Charlotte A. Cavatica, the spider from the book Charlotte’s Web, is more of an authoritarian leader. To be fair, she’s working under enormous deadlines— her short life span and the possible demise of Wilbur, her best friend. Also, she doesn’t have the strongest team. Wilbur is a panicky pig, and Templeton is a rat. Anyone who’s worked with a rat understands that close supervision is necessary. Charlotte is a consummate strategist. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of her team, and she assigns them tasks based on their unique skill set. She also understands her audience—the humans, and she knows how to create a plan that is executable and achieves the desired results—Wilbur’s life is saved. Despite her autocratic nature, Charlotte has a great deal of compassion. She dedicates herself to saving Wilbur’s life, and she treasures his friendship. "YOU ARE BRAVER THAN YOU BELIEVE, STRONGER THAN YOU SEEM, AND SMARTER THAN YOU THINK." - CHRISTOPHER ROBIN Christopher Robin, from the Winnie-the-Pooh books, is a democratic leader. His "team"—Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl—can function without him. However, when there are big problems—like Winnie-the-Pooh getting stuck in the honey tree—he’s there to lend wisdom and a helping hand. He’s also willing to consider others’ solutions and ideas. Christopher Robin is a caring leader. He repeatedly puts Eeyore’s tail back on and helps Winnie-the-Pooh with his schemes to acquire honey. He also recognizes and celebrates the successes of his team. When Winnie-the-Pooh seems to rescue Piglet, Christopher Robin suggests throwing him a hero party. "AGE IS FOOLISH AND FORGETFUL WHEN IT UNDERESTIMATES YOUTH." - ALBUS DUMBLEDORE Dumbledore, Charlotte, and Christopher Robin are just a few of the leadership examples in children’s literature. We’d love to hear from you. What childhood books or characters inspired you? Who are some of your favorite fictional leaders from your youth? ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a course called: "It’s All About Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton." This class focuses on 12 principles from The Ritz-Carlton designed to inspire leaders to further engage and inspire their employees who in turn will further engage your customers. The class is available as a keynote or as an on-site presentation.  

There’s been a lot of focus on customer service this past year. We enjoy seeing organizations become more customer/client/patient-centric and applaud this progress. However, according to recent research, there’s still room for improvement. Here are our top five customer service phrases or practices that we’d like to see exiled from use: 1) "I can’t help you. There’s nothing I can do. You’ll have to call customer service." Customer service should not be considered a department with boundaries. Every employee in your company is in customer service, and each employee should be committed to owning and resolving issues. Your customers/clients/patients shouldn’t have to jump through hoops and play phone tag in order to get help. Solution: Make sure your organization’s culture is focused on meeting the needs of customer/clients/patients, and empower your employees to handle issues right away. 2) "Call during our business hours." or "Call back Monday. We don’t work on the weekends." It may be challenging and expensive for your organization to help customers after normal business hours, but the fact remains that customer issues happen 24/7. Forcing customers to communicate in your time frame tells the customers that their needs are not your top priority. When customers have to work harder to communicate with you, they become more frustrated with your organization and your service. Solution: Offer multiple ways for your customers to contact you. Make sure there’s at least an email address clients can use to contact you after hours. Show your customers that you value and support them. 3) "Please stay on the line, and your call will be answered in the order that it was received. Your call is very important to us." And then music, music, music—followed by a click and a dial tone. It’s very frustrating to wait on hold for 15 minutes only to be hung up on. It happens. There’s going to be human error, and we should recognize that. On the other hand, if you’ve told me repeatedly that I’m "important," and then left me waiting in a black hole—with no idea of when I might receive help—and then you hang up on me—you should also understand that you’ve just lost my trust. I did everything you asked, and you abandoned me in my time of need. Solution: Be careful about what expectations you set with clients. You can’t just claim to care. Your actions have to show you care. 4) "They made me do it." or "It’s the computer’s fault." or "It’s company policy." It’s not easy to be on the front lines and face upset customers each day. It’s a tough job. Your computer may fail daily, or you might have to follow a company policy that doesn’t seem entirely fair to you. It’s human nature to feel defensive but that’s not going to solve the problem. Telling customers that their problem is, "not your fault" doesn’t make the customers’ problem any better. Solution: Keep the focus on problem resolution. Tell the customer what you’re doing to fix the problem and don’t participate in "the blame game." 5) Forgetting to say, "I’m sorry." Your customer is upset. There’s a problem. Most likely, you had nothing to do with it. In fact, it may even be the customer’s fault. Regardless of what has happened or why it happened, you’re now faced with a disappointed client and possibly a client that has lost some faith in your organization. Even if it’s not your fault, it won’t hurt you to accept responsibility by saying you’re sorry. Most likely, it will help your customer calm down and focus on next steps. Solution: Saying, "I’m sorry" is about expressing empathy. It shows customers that you recognize and relate to their difficulty. At The Ritz-Carlton, we’re continuing to look for improved and better methods to meet our customers’ needs. We encourage you to join us in this endeavor. Spend December identifying any shortcomings in your organization, and let’s make 2014 a memorable year of legendary service for all of our customers.  ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a one-day class called: "Legendary Service at The Ritz-Carlton." Learn the basics of how to create a service culture that not only improves your customer experience, but also plays a role in the foundation of your company.

The holidays are a wonderful time to share joy and goodwill. Although this is something The Ritz-Carlton strives to do throughout the year, these gestures of kindness are often times appreciated more during the holiday season. We hope that you will enjoy these stories of Christmas cheer, and we wish all of our readers a happy holiday season. A Second Home Discovered Over Holidays An American guest was staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen over the Christmas season. The Ladies and Gentlemen of the hotel knew the guest was disappointed that he couldn’t celebrate Christmas with his family, and the hotel staff did not want the guest to feel homesick during his stay in China. The Duty Manager worked with the Guest Relations Manager and the Guest Relations Department to create a personalized Christmas card for the guest. The Duty Manager took pictures of Ladies and Gentlemen from each department holding letters of the alphabet. Then he glued all the letters into a large Christmas card that spelled out the guest’s name and "Merry Christmas." All the Ladies and Gentlemen wrote a personalized Fond Farewell and Christmas message in the card, and it was placed in the guest’s room the night before his departure. A few days later, the General Manager received the following email from the guest: "I am returning to the U.S. to spend New Year’s Day with my sons and daughters, but The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen is now my second home. I will never forget the Ladies and Gentlemen at The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen. Your warmth and general care touched my heart deeply, and you are forever my family in China!"   The Lost Luggage Christmas Crisis An In-Room Dining Gentleman at The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago was dropping off an early breakfast, when he heard an upset guest. The guest had just learned that her suitcase—containing all of her hygienic products and clothes—was lost by the airline. The guest was devastated because not only were her clothes gone, but it would be nearly impossible to buy new clothes on Christmas Day since all stores nationwide were closed by law. The In-Room Dining Gentleman decided to go out and try to find an open store. He visited nearby malls and outlets but only met with disappointment. So he spent two hours traveling to the downtown parts of the city in hopes of finding a small store. When all hope seemed lost, he found two stores that were closing up. He told the story of what had happened and pleaded with one of the business owners. The business owner had a big heart and agreed to let the In-Room Dining staff person in the store. He bought the hotel guest pajamas, socks and most of the items that were important to her. Then he returned to the hotel, had the hotel gift store wrap all the items and left them in her room with a handwritten note that said: "On behalf of The Ritz-Carlton, we apologize for the inconvenience you have undergone with your luggage, but we are happy to give you these articles of clothing. We hope it is to your liking, and if there is absolutely anything else that we can assist you with, please let us know. We will be more than happy to help out. We wish you a very merry Christmas on behalf of our in-room dining team."   It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas An Australian couple stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas during a business trip over a Christmas weekend. The couple was especially taken with The Club Lounge and its beautiful Christmas tree. The couple told the Club Lounge Manager that their frequent business travels usually deprived them of the opportunity to enjoy the holidays with family and to enjoy a Christmas tree at home. The husband joked that he might need to sneak back into the lounge late at night and drag the Christmas tree to their room. Shortly after this conversation, the couple went out to dinner. When they returned to The Ritz-Carlton and entered their room, they were stunned to see that a full-size Christmas tree had been set up—complete with decorations and sparkling lights. Beneath the tree were gifts for the couple from the hotel, including handwritten cards from The Ritz-Carlton "family." Their room was filled with the true spirit of Christmas! After his stay, the husband sent a heartfelt email to the hotel. Here is an excerpt: "The happiness that The Club Manager brought to us cannot be expressed in words. This letter is a testimonial to the exceptional degree of care and customer service offered by both The Club Manager and other hotel staff members. "As background, my professional career has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and be directly involved in running major customer service organizations. I am often asked to comment and consult on customer service issues. Unfortunately, the majority of this involves advising organizations on deficiencies and ways to improve. This is often the case with so-called "five star" hotels. "I am now delighted and at the same time inspired to be able to write to you to highlight the truly exceptional examples of service that your staff demonstrated. I have never experienced such intuitive, genuine customer service in over 25 years of travel and business. What your staff did for us over this Christmas period will remain forever in our memory. "I hope that you will share this story with your staff, and I am happy for you to use my testimonial as you choose as an example of the world’s best service that two of your "Ritz-Carlton family" provided. Thank you once more for making this Christmas the most memorable ever."   A Christmas Tree Surprise & Delight A week before Christmas, a family arrived at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common. A few of The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen noticed that their six-year-old daughter seemed sad as she quietly looked at other children who were having their picture taken in front of the Christmas tree. The Ladies and Gentlemen learned that the little girl had been ill and that the purpose of their visit was to take her to The Children’s Hospital for further treatment. One of the Gentlemen immediately befriended the six-year-old and found out that she loved big Christmas trees. He told her all about a beautiful 40-foot tree at Faneuil Hall. The little girl was exhausted from all the tests and checkups but that did not stop her from rushing out with her parents to see the tree at Faneuil Hall. While they were out, the Ladies and Gentlemen got to work! They ran to a nearby store and bought several presents; they wrapped them and placed them in the guests’ room. But something was still missing. Within a few minutes the Ladies and Gentlemen set up a 7-foot tree in their room as well. One hour later, the little girl and her parents returned to the hotel. When they opened the door to their room, a bright and gleaming Christmas tree appeared before them. The little girl screamed out of joy! She opened her presents and a personal Christmas card signed by all The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common Ladies and Gentlemen. The parents came to the lobby to express their sincerest gratitude. They said that they had not seen their daughter smile in days and that she had not stopped smiling since she saw the tree. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a one-day class called: "Radar On-Antenna Up: The Ritz-Carlton Method for Fulfilling Unexpressed Wishes and Needs." There is no greater experience in service delivery than to surprise and delight a customer, and this program shows how the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton take service excellence to the highest levels every day.

What skills would you like to learn or refine in 2014? Now is a great time to set professional development goals, and reading is a great way to discover new ideas, tools and strategies. We’ve compiled a list of 10 books that offer good advice on communications, customer service, employee engagement, leadership development and organizational culture. 1) "Leading Through Uncertainty" by Ray Davis with Peter Economy Discover how Umpqua Bank emerged from the great recession better and stronger than ever. For those who want to make a difference in their organization, this is a must-read. 2) "The Truth About Getting The Best From People" by Martha I. Finney If you’re looking for ways to boost employee engagement in 2014, you’ll find dozens of practical ideas in this book. The second edition includes tips for managing virtual and multi-generational teams. Go team! 3) "The Exceptional Presenter" by Timothy Koegel Even world-class presenters can pick up new techniques to ‘better their best’ from this material on how to enthrall audiences. 4) "Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler Every leader should have this book handy as a resource. It provides the tools for addressing issues in a manner that’s safe and productive. 5) "Managing Transitions" by William Bridges This book is especially helpful for mergers, acquisitions and re-organizations, but it’s also helpful for any organization looking for ways to help staff embrace workplace changes in general. 6) "Drive" by Daniel H. Pink This book reveals what really motivates people and provides tools for leaders on how to engage their employees. 7) "The Why of Work" by Dave Ulrich and Wendy Ulrich This book explores how important it is for people to have meaning in their lives. Employees who understand the purpose of their work—not just how to do their jobs—tend to volunteer their best every day. 8) "Switch" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath The goal of this book is to provide the tools to overcome instinctual resistance to change. By managing both your rational and emotional systems, the authors stress that you can make changes more easily and quickly. 9) "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M. R. Covey Trust is an integral part of a successful organization, and this book shares examples and tips for inspiring trust in all of your relationships. 10) "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job" by Patrick Lencioni Employees continue to look for connection, relevance and purpose, and this story shows how the approach used by a manager can impact a team and an organization. What business books have impacted you the most? Are there any books published within the last year that you feel are destined to become business classics? Let us know what books you recommend to your colleagues. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a three-day Executive Education Program. This program is designed for senior executives who wish to lead sustainable positive change in their organization. Participants return to their organization with an action plan to implement their key learning from the session.

How many people in your company work in sales? How many people at your business work in marketing? How many people in your organization work in customer service? (Hint: The answer is the same for all of these questions.) Everyone in your company—no matter their specific job title—can help with sales, marketing and customer service. Even if you never see a customer, you’re still able to promote and represent your company. Sharing positive feedback with vendors, colleagues and friends will help market through word-of-mouth. But how can you help with customer service if your interactions with clients are limited? Here are three ways in which everyone has the chance to contribute to customer service: 1) Improve a Process No matter what your job is, try to view your organization through the eyes of your client. Is your company easy to do business with? Or do your customers have to maneuver an obstacle course in order to give you money? Keep a customer-centric mindset at all times. Employees and staff who never or rarely deal with customers may be tempted to favor administrative efficiency over customer satisfaction. When solving even the smallest business problems, your first question should be, "How will this impact the customer?" Service Value 5 at The Ritz-Carlton is, "I continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve The Ritz-Carlton experience." This business practice emphasizes that everyone in the organization is responsible for refining the customer experience. 2) Listen to Customers On the rare occasion you speak with a customer, make sure you listen to what your customer needs. If the customer has reached you by mistake, your instinct may be to cut the customer off. Even if it’s not your job, listen to what the customer needs. You may have to transfer the customer to a co-worker, but if you listen and respond to the customer with empathy, this will help your customer feel cared for and less like a football that’s merely being passed down the field. If you never have direct contact with clients, there are other ways that you can "listen" to them. For example, you could pull data such as web page analytics to review through the lens of customer feedback. This type of data can provide important clues on how to improve customer experience. Service Value 2 at The Ritz-Carlton is, "I am always responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests." You can’t be responsive if you’re not listening. The Ladies and Gentlemen working at The Ritz-Carlton understand part of their role—regardless of their job title—is to listen, pay attention and respond to customers’ needs. 3) Own Customer Problems Although your interactions with clients may be limited, when you have the opportunity to help a customer, be sure to own the situation. You may need to refer the customer to a colleague who is in a better position to address the challenge, but you can still follow up and ensure that the customers’ needs are met. The Leadership Center had the opportunity to train staff at one hospital to be more alert to customer needs and take responsibility for problem resolution. Not long after this training, one of the maintenance workers was in a patient’s room and noticed the patient’s face was turning blue. The maintenance employee quickly found medical staff and they were able to save the patient’s life. Before the training this employee rarely noticed the patients, but once he understood that patient experience was part of his role he was empowered to take action, which consequently, saved a life. Service Value 6 at The Ritz-Carlton is, "I own and immediately resolve guest problems." Even if your day-to-day tasks don’t have you regularly connecting with customers, you should always view the customers’ needs as a priority. With that mentality, you won’t hesitate to help should a need arise. When your company adopts a true customer service focus, then all of your staff will naturally accept responsibility for the welfare and care of your customers. Clearly, an entire company of committed customer service agents is better than one small, devoted department. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a one-day class called: "Legendary Service at The Ritz-Carlton." Learn the basics of how to create a service culture that not only improves your customer experience, but also plays a role in the foundation of your company.

Once upon a time, the C-Suite had a meeting to brainstorm cost-saving measures. Each executive had an idea on how to reduce expenses. The CFO felt that marketing could cut back on advertising, and the CMO suggested that they consider outsourcing accounting tasks. Each recommendation was met with objections and counter points, and it seemed as if no one’s ideas were going to move forward. Finally, someone suggested a change in how the frontline staff operates. The idea was logical and seemed as if it would save thousands of dollars. They quickly agreed to this modification and within a week, they sent an email to all employees informing them of the new process. But the story doesn’t end there. When the C-Suite met the following quarter, they discovered that their innovative idea had streamlined one task but created more work down the line—resulting in overtime expenses. Their cost-saving initiative wasn’t cost saving at all. It actually increased the organization’s expenditures. Although the tale above is fictitious, many organizations have been through a similar scenario. What seems like common sense to the decision makers in the room, can turn out to be illogical and ineffective. In order to avoid this situation, The Ritz-Carlton employs the following service value: "I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me." This service value is not only a promise to the Ladies and Gentlemen—the employees of The Ritz-Carlton—but it’s also beneficial for the following reasons: 1) Invites Insight It’s easy to look at someone else’s work and make a snap judgment about efficiency or productivity. But when you speak with your staff, you gain a clearer understanding of all that takes place. If the executives in the above scenario had consulted a few of their frontline employees before making a decision, they would have gained valuable perspective that might have enabled them to implement a more successful strategy. 2) Shows Respect When senior leadership makes sweeping decisions without vetting their ideas to staff, employees may feel slighted. They might wonder if management values their input or understands their contribution. 3) Encourages Trust There may be times when an organization needs to make changes without discussing all the details with staff. However, when your decision-making process is transparent and appropriately inclusive, this inspires greater trust and allows employees to feel more secure in their roles. 4) Creates Team When you involve co-workers in the planning process, they naturally feel included. Participation invokes a spirit of unity. It also lays the groundwork for accepting business improvements. Employees often resist change, but when they’ve been engaged in the process, they’re much more likely to be supportive of new initiatives. 5) Prevents Inefficiency As every good carpenter knows, you measure twice, and cut once. You can follow this adage by soliciting feedback from the staff involved in the work prior to making decisions. Having all the right data at the start will allow you to craft your business decisions more effectively. You still may need to refine a new process, but hopefully, you should avoid scrapping it all together. If your organization is interested in cultivating employee engagement, then be sure to include the proper people in the planning of the work. Employees who feel valued for their contributions will be more committed to your organization and more invested in helping it improve and grow. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a course called: "It’s All About Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton." This class focuses on 12 principles from The Ritz-Carlton designed to inspire leaders to further engage and inspire their employees who in turn will further engage their customers. 

The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, in Atlanta, celebrated its 30-year anniversary in January 2014. In honor of this milestone, we’re sharing two guest stories that exemplify the level of personal service the hotel has continued to provide over the last three decades. One Fine Clay On a beautiful fall weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, a mother and her daughter arrived for a vacation at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. The daughter had recently started attending one of the local universities, and her mother had traveled from London to visit and to give her daughter a break from her studies. To celebrate their weekend together, the guests booked appointments in the Spa, including a relaxing massage. While preparing the daughter for her treatment, the Massage Therapist inquired as to how she was enjoying being a new student at the university. The guest told the Massage Therapist that she really liked Atlanta and was enjoying her college experience. However, she shared that she was disappointed in the quality of one of her classes. The guest explained she is very passionate about ceramic arts and had hoped she would be able to expand her skills through her sculpting class. Unfortunately, she felt the class was not living up to her expectations. As it turns out, the Massage Therapist also had a passion for ceramics. Wanting to provide a warm welcome to Atlanta for the guest, the Massage Therapist decided to put together a special gift. That evening, the Massage Therapist went to one of her favorite local art supply stores and purchased her favorite brand of clay, "104 & Dixon," as well as some wooden sculpting tools, a spray bottle for moistening clay, and a selection of fine ceramic art magazines. The Massage Therapist created a gift basket and included a letter with both the contact information for her favorite ceramic supply shop as well as a list of local art studios offering ceramics classes. For the final personal touch, the Massage Therapist gifted two ceramics pieces that she had personally crafted, including a small jewelry box and a leaf ornament. The daughter was delighted with the gift. The guests were so impressed. They agreed they would stay at the hotel again during her mother’s next visit.   Mystery of the Vanishing Taxi Upon arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, a guest realized that he had left his briefcase with some very important papers in the back of his taxi. In fact, the papers were crucial for him to close a $16 million (US) dollar real estate transaction. The guest was quite distraught, and he approached the Bell Stand Attendant and told him what had happened. The guest had been very distracted during his travels in thinking about the enormous business deal he was about to close and did not pay attention to type of car or the company the taxi belonged to. Unfortunately, the only significant detail about the trip that the guest could remember was the fact that his driver was female. The Bell Stand Attendant immediately called the airport Taxi "Starter" and left all pertinent details with them. While they said they would check into it, the taxi company did not seem confident they would be able to identify the car with so little information. To solve the problem, the Bell Stand Attendant shared the guest’s predicament with Loss Prevention. Together, they were able to pull up the security videotape from when the guest arrived and determine the make and color of the taxi. Luckily, they were even able to pull up the license plate number from the vehicle! With this new information, the Bell Stand Attendant drove to the airport taxi stand and worked with the drivers to track down the taxi in question. After approximately 45 minutes, the driver returned to the airport. When they opened the trunk of the car, they were relieved to find the missing briefcase. The Bell Stand Attendant then returned to the hotel with the briefcase and gave it back to the very grateful guest. The next morning the guest shared his experience with the Hotel Manager. The guest was so impressed by the efforts of the Ladies and Gentlemen that he was moved to tears. He conveyed his gratitude to the Bell Stand Attendant for going far and beyond what he would have expected from a hotel employee. He said this experience would remain with him forever, and he would use it as an example with his own staff to encourage them to increase their level of engagement with their customers. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a one-day class called: "‘The Fire Within’ - Igniting Passion for Ritz-Carlton Performance Excellence." This class shows leaders how to ignite and sustain employees’ passion for customer service excellence. 

There are countless ice cream flavors in the world. Imagine ordering a bowl of spaghetti and cheese ice cream. Or how about a couple of scoops of oyster ice cream? Of course, the reigning favorite flavor in the United States is vanilla. There are people who honestly enjoy vanilla ice cream, but often, vanilla is chosen because of its neutrality. It’s typically the least objectionable flavor when you’re trying to please a large crowd. IS YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE VANILLA? Your customer service standards can be thought of in the same way. Are they basic, predictable, and unchanged? You may be proud that you’re offering reliable service, but your clients may construe your standards as the expected service. If you check into a hotel room, you expect the rug to be vacuumed, the bed to be made, and the bathroom to be clean. This is the bare minimum that is provided to every guest. You haven’t received anything special, and you probably won’t be Tweeting, "Checked into hotel. Bed was made!" In order to stand out and make an impression on your customers, you need to move beyond vanilla—beyond basic customer service. HAVE YOU ADDED SPRINKLES TO YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE? Certainly, you’ve read about customer experience and "wow" moments. A customer experience is akin to receiving a waffle cone dipped in chocolate and covered with sprinkles. It’s memorable, worthy of a photo, and will most likely delight your client. Customer experiences are often thought of as grand gestures, but small acts of consideration have the potential to impress your clients as well. For example, if you check into a hotel room and the rug is vacuumed, the bed is made, and the bathroom is clean—but this time there’s also a hand-written note to you. Or maybe there’s a complimentary fruit basket because the hotel is recognizing you for your repeat business. Extra efforts like these are more likely to be noticed and appreciated by your customers. Customer experiences can make your clients feel valued and recognized, but do they generate customer loyalty? DID YOU KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER LIKES BACON ICE CREAM? In order to provide legendary customer service, you must talk to your clients and genuinely connect with them. You must make customer engagement a top priority. When you take this approach to service, you can anticipate your clients’ needs. You can have a pint of bacon ice cream ready to serve them because you know that’s their favorite. Without knowing your clients and understanding their preferences, your hand-crafted customer experiences may fall flat. This has even happened at The Ritz-Carlton. A bottle of wine was once sent as an amenity gift to a speaker for an Alcoholics Anonymous event. Mistakes like that show the importance of being aware and alert. Remember—you’re building a relationship with your client, and who doesn’t appreciate an attentive partner? Customer engagement is not something that happens once and then is done. It’s a continual conversation. You can’t assume your clients have the same preferences today that they had five years ago. People change. Customer engagement means communicating with your clients and discovering how to adjust and evolve the customer experience to better fit their needs. CONSIDER A NEW FLAVOR You may think your vanilla customer service is working for you. Clients aren’t complaining, and your staff is comfortable offering basic service. But if you want to stand out from your competition, generate word-of-mouth, and instill customer loyalty—then it may be time for you to move beyond vanilla. Begin by genuinely engaging with your clients, and then tailor your customer experiences to meet their needs. As you build trust and create customer loyalty, you’ll see the benefits of trying a new flavor of customer service. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers a full-day program called: "The Ritz-Carlton Experience…‘It’s Our Pleasure.’" This dynamic and interactive presentation offers you the opportunity to observe The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentleman in action. It also includes a one-hour debrief to help you identify which business practices you can implement at your organization. 

Transformation is Dr. Blackman’s specialty. As an orthodontist, Scott Blackman skillfully straightens crooked teeth, changing the appearance of the children and adults who come to him for help. But that’s not all he transforms. A champion of service excellence, Blackman reshaped the culture of his orthodontist practice from the inside out, enabling his staff to deliver customized service to every patient. When his professional career began 18 years ago, Blackman felt something was missing from the service he provided. He recognized outstanding service in other businesses but found it to be sorely lacking in the healthcare industry. A visit to a healthcare professional typically meant patients spent long periods in the waiting room and received impersonal service … exactly what Blackman didn’t want happening in his office. An Inspirational Greeting A pivotal experience in 2012 became the motivation for Blackman to look for ways to transform the service his patients received. "It was when my family and I were vacationing at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Resort," he explained. "We walked around a corner in the hotel and an employee we hadn’t even met yet greeted us with, ‘Hello Dr. and Mrs. Blackman, how are you this afternoon?’" That simple guest experience made a huge impression. Later that day, while relaxing on the beach, Blackman thought, "This is what I’m talking about," referring to the service his family had experienced. "What if we married this with what we do?" Thinking the question through, Blackman concluded, if people choose to stay in hotels based on service standards, the same philosophy would apply when families select an orthodontist for their dental care. Yet, he wasn’t sure how to put a system in place that would bring about the necessary changes. Building and Staffing for Service Excellence Throughout his quest for new and higher service standards Blackman read books, did research and eventually found what he was looking for when he attended two Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center courses: "Legendary Service—Best Practices for Service Excellence in Healthcare," and "’Radar on-Antenna Up’: The Ritz-Carlton’s Fulfillment of Unexpressed Wishes and Needs." These, plus a multi-day Executive Education program with The Leadership Center team, allowed Blackman to take all the "big, important ideas" he wanted his practice to embody and put them into a format to devise a system for change and sustainability. "From our hiring process to performance assessments to benchmarking results, we basically had to redevelop everything," Blackman said. With his personalized service standards, goals and business credo in place, Blackman headed back to his office, ready to implement the changes. Part of Blackman’s culture transformation included moving his practice into a newly built facility; one he put a lot of planning into, "based on the service we wanted to deliver," he explained. As a result, the design of the interior space enhanced his patients’ experience and eliminated wait times. "We wanted to live up to our promise to each patient so we created multiple common areas where the floor plan helped relieve any bottlenecks in the office." When asked what the biggest hurdle to delivering exceptional customer service was, Blackman quickly responded, "You have to find the employees who have heart. It isn’t easy to obtain and retain the best people, but it has to be done." Today Blackman says he has "the strongest team of employees in 18 years." Made up of new and long-term personnel, the team is made to feel like family and is encouraged to treat patients the same way. "My employees take ownership in their work," said Blackman, who relies heavily on his staff to deliver service well beyond the norm. "There’s no need to micromanage when you hire people you trust and believe in." Aligning to Service Standards Daily The service standards Blackman and his employees practice align closely with those performed at Ritz-Carlton properties. For example, each morning before patients arrive, Blackman and his team gather for their "Line Up" where everyone stands in a circle to review their 10 service standards. Next, they discuss their version of The Ritz-Carlton’s "Three Steps of Service," — key principles and objectives for interacting with patients. Always use the patient’s name when greeting and speaking with them; review what service the patient is there for Anticipate patients’ needs and never leave a patient alone in a room Make sure patients get the "fond farewell" — a personalized "thank-you" and "good-bye" followed by an escort to the front office Blackman’s team takes time to note specifics of their patients’ lives, like anniversaries and birthdays, making it easy to mention those details during an appointment. They’ve even gone so far as to make sure a patient’s favorite tea is available when they arrive for their appointment. Proper Maintenance In addition to focusing externally on their clients, Blackman and his team tackle internal procedures with what he calls "problem management." "For instance," said Blackman, "we discuss any broken systems where we didn’t do what we wanted to in a given situation," a critical element when resolving issues and fine-tuning the system. Reflecting on the success of the culture transformation he achieved, Blackman says he is "amazed" at how his employees and patients benefit from the best practices he put in place. They genuinely feel the effect of his motto, "We’re family serving family," which is apparent from his employees’ posts on the office Facebook page, "Reflections, An Orthodontic Experience" and from patient testimonials such as, "The doctors and staff are wonderful professionals who go above and beyond my needs," and "From the beginning, Dr. Blackman … made us feel as if we are part of the ‘family.’" Now that’s something to smile about! ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center is offering a one day class called: "Legendary Service at The Ritz-Carlton—Best Practices for Service Excellence in Healthcare" on Tuesday, April 29 at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, VA. Learn the basics of how to create a service culture that not only improves your customer experience, but also plays a role in the foundation of your healthcare organization.