Great service organizations know how to read their customers and respond.  Businesses who lose sight or misunderstand who their customers are, what they want, or what matters most to them, are at risk. Focused service organizations train their employees to notice customer body language, to observe the surroundings for all customer touch points, and how to REACT and RESPOND with informed knowledge. Holding employees accountable for this level of service is what makes the difference. "The secret to world-class service is knowing the true customer and aligning all participating resources and people with the value stream that leads to that customer." -John Murphy

Outstanding customer service is what drives success since it is what keeps your customers, and who they tell about you, coming back time and time again.  I know- you have heard this before from us, but we don't think you can hear it enough as having strong customer service skills can make or break you, and we want to keep your business thriving. You can't have enough tips and tricks in your customer service tool box, so we want to fill your box with more.

A key to longevity, success, and profitability is to stay on top of trends, and it's even more optimal to be the trendsetter.  We do market research and competitor analysis at >3,000 global hotels per year so we witness, see, and hear what initiatives are being implemented and what is trending in this fast-paced, highly competitive industry.  Here's our professional take on the top hospitality trends that you should capitalize on in 2015:

Lately, to my disappointment, I have not encountered near enough notable customer service exchanges. In fact, quite the opposite ~ until the other day! My daughter recently had surgery and her surgical pre-op nurse demonstrated service at it's finest. It was obvious that this person operates naturally from a place of compassion, but she was also textbook perfect with her service delivery ~ and in my world, with what I do for a living, I don't use that "perfect" word very often. 

'Tis the season of giving, but rather than just giving during this season, shouldn't we "give" to our customers throughout the year? And in business, what exactly should we give? Naturally, especially during the holidays, we rack our brains to come up with an idea for a nice, hopefully meaningful, present to give to our customers. While the thought and gesture put into giving a tangible gift should no doubt be appreciated by our customers, we can escalate our spirit of giving for a far better impact on everyone, including ourselves, by giving more regularly. Now don't be a Grinch- engaging in regular "giving" is not hard. Piqued your interest?  Let me break it down for you...

In keeping with the hope that the holiday season provides the platform for lots of laughter, I decided to get some real perspective on Customer Service.

Anyone who has children in their life can attest to the joy that the innocence of a child can bring. Some of my favorite memories with my girls was when their words would simply ground me. In their little minds, whatever the situation, it wasn't the complicated mess I felt or created. Aw, simplification- just the best! 

So for your enjoyment this week, when we asked a group of Kindergarteners (5 and 6 year olds) questions on customer service, we received some great insightful answers. Their views on what good and bad customer service looks like comes from a very non-complicated place of understanding. For them, it's about feeling good, getting what you want, people being nice, and using friendly voices. What could be any easier than that? Perhaps there are real lessons here about simplifying the customer experience through these basic understandings.