I personally enjoyed our blog last week because the outcome was a GREAT customer service experience, where the associates went over and above to anticipate needs and deliver on surprises and delights. Shouldn't this be the norm? Why are so many service experiences disappointing? My theory ~ leadership is looking in the wrong direction. Too many businesses focus on sales and not so much on service. This is baffling to me because more sales come with better service. Randy Pennington says that in his experience, "Companies with bad service view it as a cost to be managed rather than an investment that creates a competitive advantage." I couldn't agree more. 

Because of the need to serve internal as well as external customers, customer service must be everybody's job within a hospitality organization.  The housekeeper cannot defer to the front desk.  The kitchen cannot think that customer service only occurs tableside.  Moreover, management cannot divorce themselves either.  They are part and parcel of the entire quality service chain of events.  In fact, how management manages customer service and how service providers deliver it are the defining factors in this entire chain of mutual influence.

- William B. Martin, Providing Quality Service: What Every Hospitality Service Provider Needs to Know

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

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

If your best solution is not suitable for the customer, try to find something that will work.  If you are at a loss to know how to resolve a problem, ask the customer what she would do to solve the problem if this were her business.  Asking that question will help the customer walk in your shoes.  Work together to come up with a realistic solution that is mutually acceptable.

- Renee Evenson, Customer Service Training 101