Legendary service!
Lessons from Ritz-Carlton!
At a recent offsite I was facilitating for a fabulous client the subject of outstanding customer (& people) experience was discussed.
It made me finally dig out my notes from when a bank I worked for partnered with Ritz-Carlton to revolutionise our service (& ultimately our own people) experience.
Here are those notes in full.
As ever, please learn, copy and add your own 10% winning edge. Delete what doesn’t work, take what does and then evolve it to suit your business/team/own needs.
That is #whatwinnersdo:
👉Note: If you want this as a pdf, email andyfell@gift631.com. You may also want to print this document to make it easier to work through. Alternatively, give yourself 15 minutes and have your journal handy to capture what resonates most!! These notes contain nuggets of GOLD - only if you use them!! 💛🦅💛
Elements of the service culture:
Has to be consistent
Genuine - not rehearsed or over practiced
Employ passionate, emotionally engaged people.
What is your function v what is your purpose? Purpose creates a passion to make a difference.
Only hire for one thing - attitude. Fill positions slowly and carefully, whether P/T or F/T. ‘We select not hire people’.
Only let great people recruit!
Every employee to take one step forward to improve service. Key is everyone.
Personal, memorable, unique service.
You are ALWAYS on ‘stage’.
Point your heart at whoever you are talking too.
‘You can’t train heart’.
Stay in the moment with the guest.
Not looking to see competitors fail but view them as a way to improve your own standards.
‘Red zone’ hotels - extra focus as needed to improve service levels. When you have a negative experience the belief is you tell 10/12 more people than when you have a positive one.
Your people hold your brand in the palm of their hands.
Everyone carries the R-C credo card and teams repeatedly talk about it. (Credo = belief in Latin)
Guest name recognition is a simple way to improve brand loyalty.
There are systems behind the smiles. Links to Disney Institute: ’Success is 95% systems and 5% magic.’
Get the employee experience ‘right' on day 1 - key step to evidence how much we care.
‘We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’ - takes away hierarchy and it is all about respect.
Each shift in every part of the hotel starts with a 10/15 min line up: all team members attend.
Go through an element of the credo. 1 element a day, everyday. Clarity, consistency, simplicity in action.
Share successes and teachable moments. WOW stories.
Go through birthdays and anniversaries.
Gold standard of the day.
‘We are never too busy to do it’.
Repeat everything - when get to end of the credo, you go back to the start.
This process and expected culture is consistent across every hotel in the world, operational
Updates are hotel/department specific.
If 3 shifts over a day, 3 line-ups - one at start of each shift.
All departments do exactly the same process as the hotels. Same part of the credo.
Credo - started 1986!
Warm welcome - not just in person, on phone but all interactions from email, SMS to media/adverts etc. A warm and sincere greeting.
Fond farewell. Thank the guest, please come back, what could we have done better?
Mystique database - a customer personal profile where you add all the little data points. eg:
Guests coming to town for their anniversary
Guest doesn’t like white wine
Guest loves the theatre - booked stay so can go and see Miss Saigon
Carry a preference pad: note name, room number, preferences you see. eg: I was cleaning room and noticed green tea wrappers in the bin. Document guest loves green tea.
Deliver against an ‘unexpressed need’ - eg guests arrive, child crying as left teddy bear on plane - deliver a new one to their room.
Service needs a beginning - middle - end.
LAST process:
Listen (& repeat back the problem)
Ask (open questions)
Solve
Thank them for raising.
February process (every department and every hotel, every year - again consistent, repeatable systems):
Complete a SWOT process
Take one letter each week (eg S = strengths)
Discuss/debate strengths
Note findings on a flip-chart
Keep it up for a week for additions/further conversations
End of the month, each GM sends in their completed SWOT.
Central team builds out the best thoughts/ideas/themes.
New employee orientation:
2 days, 16 hours of culture!
8am on day 1 - GM is there: ‘good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to orientation.
Business leaders run orientation.
Set clear expectations.
Opening video plays to ‘Pride’ by Heather Small/M People along with the message: ‘You are in the top 1% of service professionals in the world.'
Role induction comes second.
From day 3, new employee is assigned a 21 day buddy ( a certified coach) to help habits form.
Assessment after 21 days.
Coach to any identified gaps.
After 21 days, employee gets back together with GM/Head of HR:
Are we living the culture?
Anything we need to S/S/C?
Call these senior level leaders: ‘guidance team’ as opposed to ‘exec team.'
Day 365 in an employee’s history is a big day:
Leader goes through a stop/start/continue exercise with the employee.
Psychologically rehire you and your career development planning starts.
250 training hours in your first year - including the 15 mins a day line-ups.
To improve individual roles:
Get the top performing people in that role together
Ask THEM what behaviours a successful person in that role must exhibit.