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Bryan K Williams - EzineArticles.com Expert Author  

Bryan K. Williams is an independent organizational consultant, trainer, and quality auditor, who focuses on the areas of service excellence and leadership effectiveness. His passion and purpose is “to serve others so they may better serve the world”. The concepts of “world-class service”, organizational effectiveness, and purpose-driven leadership are not unique to any specific industry or organization; therefore, differentiating your organization through excellent service delivery is not only possible, but a key competitive advantage ... [More]

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  • 5 Star Employees Part 3
    [Business:Customer-Service] 5-star employees have a tremendous impact on their guests, their team, and their company. These 5-star employees take immense pride in their jobs and refuse to settle for anything less than giving exceptional service. In this article, we will review 3 commitments and conclude with the mantra of a 5-star employee.


  • 5 Star Employees Part 2
    [Business:Customer-Service] 5-star employees understand that every customer is priceless. If you are a manager and you are reading this, please ensure that your 5-star employees are surrounded by other 5-star employees. These employees yearn to work with team mates who care like they care...who push like they push...and who serve like they serve. From a 5-star employees' perspective, there is nothing better than giving 5-star service in a 5-star organization run by 5-star leaders.


  • 5 Star Employees Part 1
    [Business:Customer-Service] 5-star leaders are committed to only one standard: Excellence. They expect nothing less from themselves or from their team. While it is important to describe excellent leadership, it is also important to describe another key piece of the service excellence puzzle...the "5-star employee". 5-star employees are equally passionate with excellence and take great pride in engaging their customers with purpose-driven service.


  • Excellent Customer Service - What If Every Employee Served Like a Concierge?
    [Business:Customer-Service] Employees often feel constrained by their job titles. Doormen should mainly open doors, massage therapists should mainly give massage treatments, and room attendants should mainly clean rooms. This type of constraint can inhibit the potential creativity and zeal that employees experience in their jobs. I've held close to 20 different roles in the hospitality industry, ranging from busboy to corporate training director, but only one role truly allowed me to "break free". That role was as a concierge, and being a concierge was purely about anticipating, organizing, and delivering exceptional service.


  • Employee Excellence - Building a Team of Living it Employees
    [Business:Team-Building] Every team has three types of employees... those who are hearing it, believing it, and living it. My hope is that by the end of this article, you will have a firm grasp on which group of employees has the greatest potential to help the team reach its goal of being world-class. First, allow me to explain that the "it" in hearing it, etc., has nothing to do with one's competency or years of service in a given role. "It" refers to the level of commitment that employees have in their role, team, and organization. I am referring to how emotionally vested they are.


  • 5 Star Leadership - What Does it Take to Be a 5 Star Leader?
    [Business:Management] Low expectations promote average and low performance, while high expectations promote high performance. I've heard many managers of low-performing teams blame their staff for the teams' low performance. "Oh, we can't find good people", "we don't pay high wages, etc." All of those excuses are surmountable. I've seen businesses in the same city or even on the same street, providing the same product, hire from the same labor pool, and yet have vastly different service experiences.


  • 5 Star Service Vs 4 Star Service - What's the Difference?
    [Business:Customer-Service] In a 5 star establishment, excellence is demanded from everyone every day. Mistakes are always reviewed. Follow through is always done. The best employees are always recognized. Everyone works like they have a personal stake in the property. To put it bluntly, good is never good enough...employees in 5 star properties strive to be perfect all the time.


  • Hiring and Engaging a World-Class Service Team
    [Business:Human-Resources] When I was hired over a decade ago to join a hotel, the general manager told me that if in 6-months the team was not better as a result of me being hired, then I've failed. Wow, what pressure! He explained that, just like on a sports team, the primary purpose of bringing in new players is not to take up space on the roster, but rather to help the team win more games. At that moment, I realized that he was not just looking for another "warm body". I could tell that this would be a different place to work.


  • Delivering World-Class Service - Personal Service Standards
    [Business:Customer-Service] Escort guests rather than pointing out directions...Never say "it's not my job"...Answer the phone with a smile...These are all examples of service standards. Companies use them to train their staff. For service to become truly a way of life, however, such standards must be embraced by each individual on the team. I must want to escort guests...I must want to answer the phone in 3 rings, and I must want to offer assistance if a customer appears lost.


  • Delivering World-Class Service Part 3 - Function Vs Purpose
    [Business:Customer-Service] What is the difference between the doorman opening the hotel's door and the doorman providing a welcoming experience? Or what is the difference between the housekeeper changing the bed sheets and the housekeeper ensuring that the guest has a clean, comfortable bed to sleep in? Some people may say they are actually the same thing, but others would say that one drives the other. One is the function and the other is the purpose.


  • Delivering World-Class Service Part 2 - Company Service Standards
    [Business:Customer-Service] When building a strong service culture, it is important to have an inspiring vision and mission statement; but they only provide the context. Service standards, on the other hand, are the "nuts and bolts" of how you serve. They are the specific behaviors that you expect from yourself and your team in the ongoing journey to deliver engaging service. Standards such as "I attentively listen to others" and "I will always give a gracious goodbye", are clear and apply to everyone from the CEO to the housekeeper.


  • Guest Problem Resolution 101 - Power of the Follow Up
    [Business:Customer-Service] Follow-up is an art form. Some people have it down to a science. In many ways, one of the biggest differences between good, great, and engaging service is the quality of the follow-up. So what is the first step towards mastering this rare art form? It can be summed up in one phrase: Take ownership. Take ownership of whatever the issue is... that's it.


  • Customer Engagement - 7 Principles To Fully Engage Your Customers - Part 2
    [Business:Customer-Service] Let 2008 be the year where exceptional service is not just a buzzword or flavor of the month. Commit to not settling for "good" or acceptable service delivery from your team (and yourself). Only exceptional service will do. Fully engaging your customers requires dedication, commitment, and action. Follow the 7 principles, and your customers will always follow you.


  • Customer Engagement - 7 Principles to Fully Engage Your Customers - Part 1
    [Business:Customer-Service] Engaging your customers begins with understanding how your customers would like to be served. This is regardless if they happen to be in a hospital, hotel, spa, bank, law office, travel agency, or a taxi. The declaration is clear.


  • I Am a Service Professional
    [Business:Customer-Service] True service professionals are a company's biggest asset, and many customers will become loyal because of them. They will spend more money because of them, and they will refer their family and friends because of them.


  • World Class Service - In a Car Dealership?
    [Business:Customer-Service] When we think of world-class service, images of luxury hotels and country clubs usually fill our minds. What about car dealerships? I know what you must be thinking..."surely he means a Bentley dealership or some other top-line car".


  • Three Universal Rules of Service Excellence
    [Business:Customer-Service] Whenever I deliver a keynote, training workshop, or explain my company's service philosophy, I begin with an in-depth discussion on the three service rules. They are the Golden Rule, Platinum Rule, and Double Platinum Rule.


  • To Engage - Listen to the Voice of Your Customer
    [Business:Customer-Service] Some people believe that poor is the opposite of excellent, while others believe that excellence is the ONLY standard that matters. For those who commit to excellence, providing engaging service is the only standard worth striving for.


  • Service Excellence - A Destination or a Journey?
    [Business:Customer-Service] Appreciate where you are, but imagine where you could be. That is the mantra of continuous improvement. World-class hotels, restaurants, and spas are never content with the status-quo. Good is not good enough. They believe that running an exceptional operation is like studying for a 100% on a test; they will prepare for 100% accuracy, but if they get a few wrong, they may still get an A...which is far better than a C.


  • Excellent Customer Service - The Greatest Bellmen I Ever Met
    [Business:Customer-Service] In my current role as a consultant and trainer, I travel quite regularly, and am able to experience service at some of the finest hotels in the world. In fact, I consider myself to be an expert in not only assessing world-class service, but delivering world-class service as well. During a recent business trip to Chicago, Illinois, I stayed at one of that city's finest hotels, and was thoroughly impressed with the flawless execution of virtually every service detail.


  • Engaging Service Part 1 - Not Just For The Chic
    [Business:Customer-Service] For those who believe that engaging service only happens in fancy places like chic hotels and restaurants, allow me to share a recent story with you. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were running some errands, and we decided to stop in at a restaurant for lunch. As soon as we entered, there was a huge welcome awaiting us. The hostess, manager, and at least two of the servers all gave a hearty greeting, and made sure we felt like royalty.


  • Engaging Service Part 2 - It's All About The Culture
    [Business:Customer-Service] It's been said that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. Well what if the entire apple tree was bad to begin with? Let's pretend that the "apple tree" is a company's culture, and the "apples" are the workforce. Most times, it is the company's culture that will dictate how the workforce performs. Even if the culture isn't displayed on catchy mottos or mission statements, you can bet that it exists.


  • Engage Every Customer - One Touchpoint at a Time
    [Business:Customer-Service] Engaging your customers is not rocket science. With all of the articles, books, blogs, videos and conferences that are available, it can seem that creating an engaging service experience requires a lifetime worth of training. Not true. If you asked me, "how can we improve our service tomorrow?", I would advise you to begin with your touchpoints. I'm sure that you have heard this word before, but I'll go ahead and define it anyway.


  • To Engage the Customer, You Must Engage Those Directly Serving the Customer
    [Business:Customer-Service] This article focuses on how to create an exceptional service experience for your customers by engaging your team. It's hard to give what you don't have, so it is important for your employees to feel taken care of so they can, in turn, take care of the company's customers. This article gives some practical ideas on how this can be done.




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