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The hallmark of a successful company is the level of exceptional service it gives to its customers.  The absence of amazing customer experiences assures that the business will flounder…without customers/clients, it will certainly fail.

In addition to being proficient in delivering products/services, customers want to be assured that organizations will do everything possible to give them the best service…no robotic interactions.  The days of making customers feel like another number or transaction are coming to an end.  Even online customers expect some level of emotional connection as they make their purchases.

So…my friends and I recently celebrated birthdays at a casual dining restaurant.  We had a waiter who was kind and seemingly attentive until we had to repeatedly ask for condiments and to correct our meal orders.  Each time, the waiter apologized and said that he was “on top of it” his actions proved that was not the case..

I understand that we all have our days when everything seems to go wrong, however, at a given point, one has to ask, “when were you trained in delivering red carpet service to your guests?”.  While our waiter was pleasant and offered friendly smiles, his inability to efficiently serve us put a damper on our customer experience with the restaurant.

Over time, it can feel like two ships passing if the right person is not placed in the right position in an organization.

According to some experts, hiring the wrong person costs two and a half times the salary the position pays.  If an employer hires “the wrong person” for a position that pays $100,000 per year, it would cost them  $250,000 and most probably impact the profit margin !!!  The cost to this expensive mistake is directly attributed to money invested in time it takes to travel,  interview and train the employee among other expenses.

So…your colleague decided to heat up last evening’s dinner in the microwave for lunch today.  The problem?  He had baked potato, broccoli AND salmon.  Now, the office has a pungent odor, clients are commenting about the “peculiar” smell and YOU have to explain how they should look beyond the distraction and focus on the meeting with you.

Yikes!  How is it that some employees have either forgotten all about office etiquette or carelessly consider only their interests?

Let’s get specific.  Put yourself on the receiving end of this colleague, Joe, and tell me how you would feel:

According to Gartner, customer experience will be the main battleground for competing companies over the next two years.  When you have laser beam focus on ensuring your clients enjoy the best quality, ambience, accommodation, convenience and service, your competition has little power to persuade them to leave you.

The Ritz Carlton employs a phenomenal method for providing ongoing red carpet service to all of its guests. Their credo states that they are a place where genuine care and comfort of their guests is their highest mission.