Too many companies use one-shot training.  They hire a flashy speaker to get employees jazzed up about customer service.  They hold rallies or give great locker-room speeches and hope for the best.  Without follow-up, things quickly get back to normal.

- Dr. Paul R. Timm, Seven Power Strategies for Building Customer Loyalty

What are Millennials? According to, Wikipedia, Millennials (also known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends. Researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980's to the early 2000's. 

Robert Rauch wrote an article, Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 that discusses the profile of a Millennial. The major focus for this group is exploration, interaction, and experience. Rauch says, "They are looking for a unique and novel experience and this has and will continue to command change within the market." 

Validate customers' decisions.  Even if you do not agree with customers' choices, always validate their decisions.  If the vacuum salesperson was not able to make the sale, he could validate the customer's decision by saying, "I understand how you feel.  This brand is costly."

- Renee Evenson, Customer Service Training 101

We all need to up our social media game.  Why?  Because:

• 72% of online adults use social media (according to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project).

• Researching >3,000 hotels revealed that having a social presence is a "must" (as noted in our recent article, Top Hospitality Industry Trends for 2015).

If you aren't on the "social" bandwagon or don't have a social media game plan, you now understand that you might be committing business suicide. Clearly, social media is where many of your customers are, and it is a platform for you to build your brand and reputation, engage more with your customers, drive more traffic to your website, and much more. How do you ensure that you are doing it right? Well, we have 4 great tips for you, thanks to a really good article and infographic that Huffington Post created in collaboration with American Express OPEN.

The classic 3.5 reasons people (you included) don't achieve their goals are:

1) Failure to write your goals down and post them in plain view.
2) Failure to make a plan to achieve goals.
3) Failure to commit, or live up to the commitments they made.
3.5) Failure to make goals that were achieveable in the first place.

- Jeffrey Gitomer, Little Red Book of Sales Answers

Quick reactions and timely responses should be a part of every company's core standards because these two actions help support a positive customer experience. Customer service doesn't just happen to someone else; it's a very personal and intentional action that happens to each one of us daily. We have a personal connection to the service we are providing as well as receiving.

We have built our world around speed, and because of this, any amount of waiting seems like a complete waste of time and an enormous frustration. We have drive-thru opportunities everywhere- banks, coffee shops, cleaners, and even restaurants will run your take-out to your car. With a quick search on google, just about any question has an instant answer. The responsibility and understanding this brings to all customer service providers is that asking customers to needlessly wait may be the difference between a positive or negative experience.