CUSTOMER SERVICE

5 Keys to Delivering The Best Service

The Ritz-Carlton’s Joseph Quitoni divulges key service secrets

Joseph Quitoni

the Ritz-Carlton is world-renowned for its service excellence. In fact, the hotelier boasts The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, which offers advisory services, courses, and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark The Ritz-Carlton’s award-winning business practices.

Here, Joseph Quitoni, corporate director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, shares some personal interaction tips as well as do’s and don’ts that are basic to The Ritz-Carlton way of doing business.

1. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE

Customers will fall in love with the people, not the organization itself. Attitude is a critical component of any customer service interaction. With every interaction, every employee has an opportunity to enhance the mystique of the brand or quickly tarnish it. Remember that service is not a department. Everyone in the organization, regardless of position, is responsible for delivering your brand promise.

2. CREATE A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT

At The Ritz-Carlton, we practice the Three Steps of Service, which begins with “a warm and sincere greeting.” Always use an inviting tone. Patients and clients may need to wait to be served, but if they are greeted when they enter, made to feel welcome, and communicated with about wait times, you will have more patient patients.

3. PRACTICE DISCRETION

It’s important to engage clients, but make sure your conversation is appropriate. At The Ritz-Carlton, we strive to protect the privacy of our guests, and, therefore, we ensure that our conversations are respectful. Though you need to gain important information in order to do your job, make sure you spend more time listening than talking. By listening, you will, in fact, learn more about patients and be better equipped to meet their needs.

THE CARE QUOTIENT

Joseph Quitoni shares some statistical proof that both customers and employees need to know they’re valued.

CONSUMERS: 55% of consumers have intended to make a purchase but backed out because of poor customer service. (Source: American Express)

EMPLOYEES: 93% of employees who feel valued by their employer are motivated to do their very best for that employer. (Source: American Psychological Association)

4. COMMUNICATE THE OBVIOUS

When patients come to see you—whether it’s your first appointment of the day or your last—you need to treat them as a unique individual. You can’t just go through your routine and expect that they understand the procedures. You need to explain the “how and why” throughout their visit.

While that may be repetitive for you, it will greatly help ease concerns they may have.

Patients may be nervous or fearful of vision problems, and they’re looking to you for reassurance. Even when selecting frames, clients may be anxious about their ability to choose something comfortable and fashionable. By turning those patients into informed consumers, you’re empowering them…and relieving their stress.

5. BE CONSIDERATE WHEN IN CLOSE QUARTERS

When you’re working with patients and clients, you may find yourself in small areas like exam rooms. You will also most likely work very closely when you’re doing fitting or adjustments, and even during try-on.

Because of these intimate interactions, you want to be particularly aware of anything that could be off-putting. For example, heavy perfumes or colognes can disrupt the customer experience. And if you are visibly or audibly not feeling well, you should probably stay home, especially when your job involves touching patients.

You want the customer to leave with a memory of your excellent service—not with your sniffles or lingering fragrance.

Just as we do at The Ritz-Carlton, always strive to ensure your appearance, language, and behavior are professional. They’re all part of creating a comfortable environment and the overall experience.

—Stephanie K. De Long

An international speaker, Joseph Quitoni advises organizations around the world on culture transformation and improving employee engagement. He has been with The Ritz-Carlton for over 10 years, including serving as director of human resources at two of the company’s hotels. He has twice been the recipient of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s Human Resources Award of Excellence. When not living on an airplane, Quitoni resides in Southern California.