The Temecula Experience
Jan M. Smith
Inland Management Group
As we begin this new decade, it’s impossible not to look back and contemplate the past. History is good though, as it helps to see what we can do differently in the future. With this fresh New Year upon us, it’s a great time to define, (or redefine), your philosophy of customer service and share this with your employees. If you don’t have a strong sound vision of service, it might be a great time to consider formalizing your service standards. If you don’t, your employees will define them for you, and it might not be exactly what you envision.
2010 will bring certain challenges for the hospitality industry, yet we can all strive for something great; the opportunity to serve and the chance to offer The Temecula Experience.
Jan M. Smith
Inland Management Group
As we begin this new decade, it’s impossible not to look back and contemplate the past. History is good though, as it helps to see what we can do differently in the future. With this fresh New Year upon us, it’s a great time to define, (or redefine), your philosophy of customer service and share this with your employees. If you don’t have a strong sound vision of service, it might be a great time to consider formalizing your service standards. If you don’t, your employees will define them for you, and it might not be exactly what you envision.
2010 will bring certain challenges for the hospitality industry, yet we can all strive for something great; the opportunity to serve and the chance to offer The Temecula Experience.
The Temecula Experience is a consistent message throughout Temecula’s hospitality partners to create a memorable experience for guests visiting Southern California Wine Country, by offering warm, gracious and definitive guest service to inspire repeat visits.
Last year, the Temecula Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau implemented the inaugural Spotlight Service Award, which quarterly recognizes a representative from one of our hospitality partners, (lodging, winery, casino, restaurant, retail, aero-sports, and transportation), who provides exceptional customer service to our visiting guests. Joel Reece of Leonesse Winery and Ray Robinson of The GrapeLine, were recently recognized by their peers, management and fellow CVB partners at award presentations, and were recognized in the CVB’s quarterly newsletter. Additionally, the Spotlight Service Award recipients will be featured on the CVB’s new website.
The next phase of our recognition program begins on February 1st, 2010 with the “You’ve been noticed providing exceptional customer service” Card Recognition Program. CVB Board members will distribute recognition cards throughout the month to service individuals exhibiting exceptional customer service. The recognition cards instructs recipient to go online to http://www.thetemeculaexperience.com/ to register their nomination. Each month, one individual will be selected to join Joel and Ray in the CVB Customer Service Hall of Fame.
The criteria used to evaluate exceptional customer service include:
· Sincerity - Offers genuine and intentional service; enjoys and desires to satisfy the customer.
· Enthusiasm - Passionately serves the customer.
· Respect - Treats each customer with respect.
· Vision - Commits to anticipating and recognizing what the customer will need, before they
communicate it.
· Intervention - Immediately resolves customer problems with grace and professionalism.
· Intervention - Immediately resolves customer problems with grace and professionalism.
Care - Accountable and responsible to provide consistent sustained service levels.
· Enjoyment - Enjoys customers and their workplace.
Here’s what you can do to prepare your employees for service greatness:
1. Provide the vision and philosophy of service to your employees. Make sure you have a top down, bottom up commitment to exceptional service, without compromise.
2. Communicate on a regular basis to your employees if service levels fall short. Inspect what you expect when it comes to consistent service levels.
3. Measure through secret shoppers and customer response cards if your service is meeting expectations. If it’s not, take care of it immediately, and repeat these steps until all employees buy into the company line on service levels.
4. Train your employees to facilitate great customer service. Help bring out the best in them, and coach them if they fall short.
If customer service is the single most important differentiator of success in business, why wouldn’t you want to offer The Temecula Experience?
Jan M. Smith is the Founder and Principal of Inland Management Group, a Human Resource Consultancy located in Temecula, specializing in the Hospitality and Entertainment industry. You can contact Jan at (951) 302-6483, www.inlandmgtgroup.com, email at jsmith@inlandmgtgroup.com, or follow her on Twitter at Temecula_hr.
· Enjoyment - Enjoys customers and their workplace.
Here’s what you can do to prepare your employees for service greatness:
1. Provide the vision and philosophy of service to your employees. Make sure you have a top down, bottom up commitment to exceptional service, without compromise.
2. Communicate on a regular basis to your employees if service levels fall short. Inspect what you expect when it comes to consistent service levels.
3. Measure through secret shoppers and customer response cards if your service is meeting expectations. If it’s not, take care of it immediately, and repeat these steps until all employees buy into the company line on service levels.
4. Train your employees to facilitate great customer service. Help bring out the best in them, and coach them if they fall short.
If customer service is the single most important differentiator of success in business, why wouldn’t you want to offer The Temecula Experience?
Jan M. Smith is the Founder and Principal of Inland Management Group, a Human Resource Consultancy located in Temecula, specializing in the Hospitality and Entertainment industry. You can contact Jan at (951) 302-6483, www.inlandmgtgroup.com, email at jsmith@inlandmgtgroup.com, or follow her on Twitter at Temecula_hr.
