Today we have a guest post from Jim Dickie. Jim is the Managing Partner of CSO Insights, a research firm that specializes in benchmarking how companies are leveraging people, process and technology to optimize the way they market to, sell to and service customers. He has over 29 years of sales and marketing management experience. Jim is also a contributing editor for CRM Magazine, CustomerThink and SoftwareMag.com; a contributing author for the Harvard Business Review; and the author of The Chief Sales Officers Guide to CRM, Insights into High Tech Sales and Marketing and the co-author of The Sales & Marketing Excellence Challenge and The Information Technology Challenge. The last quarter of the year: the time when sales management teams start to make the shift from "What will the final revenue number be for this year?", to "What should the revenue target be for next year?" A lot of thought goes into the process of creating the sales objective for the coming year, as sales negotiates that number with the CEO, CFO and sometimes even the board. Let me make two observations about what is going on right now. Revenue expectations will be higher for the vast majority of companies in 2013. How do I know that? Because they always are. In the 19 years CSO Insights has been conducting our annual Sales Performance Optimization (SPO) study, the lowest percentage of firms telling us they were raising sales targets, on a year-to-year basis, was 88 percent. This year the number is tracking at 93 percent based on a preliminary analysis of the current survey data. While a great deal of time is being invested to determine that exact number, far less amount of time is being spent figuring how sales teams will hit these higher targets. Far too often, when salespeople get their new, higher quota on January 3 and ask how they are expected to achieve those goals, the response they will get is, "I am sure you will make it happen." To help do some of the legwork required to come up with strategies and tactics to help salespeople increase their efficiency and effectiveness, we wrote a paper on how to leverage people, process, technology and knowledge to optimize sales performance. It is titled: Why Web Conferencing Is the Key to Closing More Deals. Over the last five years, web conferencing has become a necessary sales tool. As we tracked this trend over the last half-decade, we’ve seen a steady rise in usage and impressive results. The fact is, connecting with people in a meaningful way is key to closing deals, and online meetings let you do so with more people each day than you could get to in-person. For an overview of how sales organizations are using online collaboration to enhance how they engage with customers and prospects, download the white paper below. The paper also examines how sales reps and managers can use these solutions to improve internal collaboration. We encourage sales management to review this analysis - and the others that follow - to get straight-forward ideas on how they can help reps hit the targets so that selling in 2013 is done as effectively as possible. Download the white paper: http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15090360 Photo credit: yoursecretadmiral

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How can you change culture if senior leadership is not there? How do you convince senior management that change is needed if they think they’re doing okay already and that change would only interfere with work? The above question is from an attendee at "Symposium: Your Journey to Service Excellence" in April. Answer from Diana Oreck, Vice President at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center:   Unfortunately, you cannot have culture change if senior leadership is not present and there is pushback. Senior leadership cannot abandon their responsibility in driving the organizational culture and service strategy. The moment people agree to be leaders and have "Manager" in their title, optics come into play. By optics, I do not mean eyeglasses. I mean, the moment we become a Manager, we are being watched by employees. Employees expect us to "walk the talk." Leadership has to consistently role model the change they seek. Organizational culture change takes a great deal of work. Senior leadership must be passionately committed for culture change to work. I have seen instances where senior management has been convinced by data. If there is a compelling enough reason for the change and you can provide data that align culture, service and passion with results—such as profitability or error reduction, then senior leadership will see the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) and support and role model the culture change. ∞ Join us for a one-day symposium, "Your Journey to Service Excellence." The day includes a keynote speaker, a Q&A session with The Ritz-Carlton executive panel, an optional networking reception and presentations about legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Convince Senior Management? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Working in the Bay Area for my entire eighteen-year professional career, I’ve been raised on a steady diet of outstanding (and, of course, often tragically underwhelming) feats of flashy entrepreneurship. Silicon Valley, Sand Hill Road, DARPA, Google, HP, Facebook - I could fill pages and pages with names that have reshaped business right here. So what about the Midwest, the Heartland of America? What about the Racing Capital of the World? What do these places have to do with advancing technology for the everyday consumer who simply wants to find the best contractor to fix their leaky roof? Angie’s List puts Indianapolis, affectionately known as Indy, on the technology innovation map. Culturally, the company’s premises and work atmosphere embody that Midwest authenticity of neighbor helping neighbor - a sincerity that would not feel the same anywhere else. The decision to locate the corporate center on the blighted east side of Indianapolis reflects the company’s commitment to not only the growth of their vibrant city but also grassroots restoration and revitalization. "We were looking for some inexpensive rent and found some great space in an old fire station just east of downtown," said Angie Hicks, founder and CMO. Some 500 employees fill about 20 brick buildings that range from warehouses to old community markets in the historic Holy Cross neighborhood. In and around the buildings, the employees of Angie’s List enjoy a laid-back atmosphere where collaboration and frequent conversation, especially with customers, happen every day. In fact, empathizing with customers is what drives the employees’ work. It’s inherent to their culture, as Angie explains in the latest installment of our Meeting Is Believing campaign. In the video, we showcase the many unique and innovative facets of Angie’s List and their drive to build a simple web experience on top of a complex search engine. Manu Thapar, CTO, shares his and his team’s "customer first" dedication to continually bettering their technology. And, as you may have guessed, GoToMeeting with HDFaces is critical to the success of maintaining rapid release schedules nationwide in offices from Indy to Palo Alto. Angie’s List has brought a bit of the Bay Area’s spark to America’s Heartland by adopting new business communication tools like GoToMeeting - without sacrificing the local goodness that continues to fuel their ideals.  

The Ritz-Carlton could not provide unique, memorable and personal experiences for their guests without the efforts of their dedicated employees, known as the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton. When the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton apply discretionary effort—when they go above and beyond for guests—then true "wow" moments are created. The following guest story from The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai shows the exceptional diligence and consideration of the Director of Guest Services to provide genuine care to the guests. Detecting a Guest in Need One quiet morning, the Director of Guest Services at The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai recognized a guest who had visited the hotel many times sitting alone in the lobby lounge. They often exchanged pleasantries during his visits, and the Director of Guest Services looked forward to their brief conversations about his travels. On this occasion, he had his head buried in a thick, worn album, which sat among a large pile of books on the table. But the Director of Guest Services also noticed he had an unusual expression. He seemed puzzled and confused. She decided to approach him. "Good Morning. How are you this morning?" The guest was so preoccupied that the greeting startled him. Some old black and white photos and wrinkled papers fell to the floor from his album, and the Director of Guest Services knelt down to pick up the papers and photos. As she collected the photos, she could see they were mostly of an elegantly dressed, old, distinguished Chinese man. The mountain of books on the table all appeared to be historical books on Shanghai that looked recently purchased. "Oh. Good Morning! Can’t complain, how are you today?" he replied. The Director of Guest Services apologized for startling him and helped him clear some space for his order of tea and scones. "Do you have a moment to join me for morning tea?" the guest asked. "I want to tell you a story, a very long story about my family. Are you sure you have time?" "Of course, I do for you. I would be delighted to hear your story." The Director of Guest Services was a little intrigued because this guest had never asked for anything before. Searching for Family Roots He sipped his tea slowly. However, his eyes came to life as he began telling the amazing story of his life, his family and the search for his grandfather. The Director of Guest Services had no idea that the man she regularly saw pass by her desk over the last few years was piecing together his family history. He was searching for the location of his grandfather in order to pay his last respects to a man that he looked up to and honored. He opened the album to a photo of a young boy - "That’s me and this old man is my father." The elegantly dressed, old, distinguished Chinese man in the photos the Director of Guest Services had picked up turned out to be his grandfather. "Both my father and grandfather are Chinese. My father immigrated to the U.S. prior to Chinese Liberation in the early 1940s. I was born in the U.S., but I am very ashamed to say that I speak no Chinese. When you first met me many years ago, I was coming to Shanghai because I was entrusted by my father to discover the roots of our family." He paused for a long moment and seemed distant. "And to find the resting place of my grandfather and pay my respects to him and honor him for the wonderful life he has given to my father and me." His eyes were moist, but his voice was steady. He continued, "My grandfather was a well-known financier, entrepreneur and social activist in China. But I never had the chance to meet my grandfather before he died. I have very limited information about him. What I do know is that he died in Shanghai and was buried here sometime after the liberation. But this is where I get stuck. I have no idea where he is buried. You see—I have bought lots of books about Shanghai’s history, but I’m totally lost. I feel very sad and confused now. I have let my father down and dishonored my grandfather. I miss my grandfather so much! I need to find him! What shall I do?" The guest became very silent. "All things are connected like the blood that unites you," the Director of Guest Services answered him. "I am deeply touched by your story. Let me help you to search for more information on your grandfather, we can find him together!" "Awesome! You are so sweet!" the guest said excitedly. "All right. Let’s work together! Could you tell me more about your grandfather? What was his full name?" the Director of Guest Services asked. The guest shared the grandfather’s full name and added, "he was born in 1884 and died in 1955. If possible, I want to find his cemetery since he was buried here in Shanghai. " The Director of Guest Services felt a little bit anxious and uncertain once she heard the year he died. The guest understood that the chance of finding something about his grandfather was slim, but he still wanted to try every possible way. The Director of Guest Services had concerns, but there was a voice inside of her that kept telling her: "You have to help this guest find his grandfather’s grave. You can do it." This voice gave her the determination to fulfill the task. But she kept asking herself, "Where should I start?" After giving it some thought, she decided to try her luck and do some research on the grandfather’s life since the guest mentioned his grandfather was a famous financier. After days of researching on the Internet and after numerous phone calls, she confirmed that the grandfather was buried in IWC Cemetery before the Chinese Liberation. This was a place for all the well-known people from all nationalities to rest in peace after life. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, almost all of the tombs in the cemetery were destroyed and headstones smashed. Nothing was spared—not even the flowers, trees or buildings. Eventually, it was turned into a factory and vegetable garden. Pursuing New Resources When the Director of Guest Services learned this, she was full of despair. She was so close to helping the guest—only to reach this devastating dead end. She kept researching—hoping that there was a chance some of the graves had survived or were possibly relocated. She reached out to her old history professor from college and explained the story to him. He knew a lot about the Cultural Revolution and he promised to look into it. A few days later, he called her back with some great news. While the tombs were all smashed at IWC Cemetery, all the tombs and records were relocated to another place and not lost forever. This place is now known as Song Qingling Mausoleum. With renewed vigor, the Director of Guest Services tracked down the record keeper and unbelievably found that the grandfather was indeed a guest there. She couldn’t wait to see the guest’s face when she was able to tell him that his quest was about to be completed. Witnessing a Family Reunion She left a message in the guest’s room to meet her the next morning at 10 a.m. and mentioned she had a special surprise for him. At 10 a.m. the next morning, the guest was in the lobby looking distinguished in a dark suit and tie—not unlike the photos she had seen of his grandfather. He seemed to know what the Director of Guest Services was about to say, but he waited patiently for her words. "The gods are looking down on us today," she announced. "And we have good news. You can finally honor your family today and meet your grandfather." "Thank you! Thank you so much." It’s all he was able to say before tears rolled down his cheeks. The Director of Guest Services hugged him. She was grateful to know she had made a difference to this guest’s day. "There is a hotel car out front waiting for you that will take you to Song Qingling Cemetery now and wait to bring you back. Inside the car, there are some flowers you can leave on your grandfather’s tomb." "Please come with me," the guest said. "I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for me and my family. Please come and see the end of this story with me." They drove to the cemetery and the guest walked down the path flanked by headstones and fresh green grass. He carried the fresh-cut flowers and a single black and white photo of his grandfather. The day was cool and gray and there was a hint of a breeze blowing through the trees. It was a peaceful day. There was no sound of traffic or construction — unusual for Shanghai. The Director of Guest Services saw the guest arrive at his grandfather’s grave, where he stopped and slowly knelt down. He placed the photograph against the headstone and laid the flowers in front. He placed his hand on the stone and the Director of Guest Services could see his head bowed low. This was the moment that had taken him almost four years to reach—finally honoring his father’s wish and meeting his grandfather for the first time. After a few moments he stood, and silently they walked back to the car and drove back to the hotel. The Fond Farewell The next morning the Director of Guest Services saw the guest in the lobby with his luggage. He was checking out, and she ordered him a taxi to the airport. He came over to the concierge desk before he left to say goodbye. "Today I will go back home to the U.S. I will miss my visits here to The Ritz-Carlton where you have all made me feel like it was my home for the past four years. I have finished my search, and it was only with your help that I was able to achieve that. I will be forever grateful. You have helped me to discover the roots of my family—something that I wasn’t able to do. Thank you." The homesick guest was going home, but he wasn’t homesick anymore. The Director of Guest Services for The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai received the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence in 2015. This award recognizes the "best of the best" from around the world and is given to staff members who truly embody a commitment to excellence, teamwork and a "spirit to serve." The Blog Post Guest story: Discretionary Effort appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Work/life balance means something different to everybody. Flexibility is the key to my career and personal success, as I work with people all over the world and have two very active boys in elementary school. Between work and family I’m always "on," which also presents a challenge to finding that healthy balance. At Citrix, we spend a lot of time talking about work/life balance with our families, customers, media and amongst each other. Lately, we’ve been thinking about those who don’t have flexible work schedules or the ability to workshift. I’ve come up with five steps you can take to gain re-gain control of your work/life balance. Here at Citrix, it is our belief that work/life balance should be in the hands of the employee and that happy, balanced people make better employees. Maintain Control Don’t let your calendar make you feel out of control in your day. Block time for tasks, control your workload and manage expectations with those around you. You will feel calmer, less stressed and more productive when you can concentrate on the task at hand. But don’t overdo it and become one of those people who blocks off all of their time. It’s important that people know you are available.  Get the right tools With the right tools in place, workshifting isn’t much different from actually being at your desk. Today’s latest tech tools create an affordable, virtual office environment that makes working from home seamless. We use GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, Podio, email and IM to keep in touch and on track. With mobile apps, I’m able to get work done from anywhere. I also have two laptops that are synced to the cloud using ShareFile - one in the kitchen and one in my home office, and my office phone auto forwards to my cell phone if I don’t answer. Don’t feel limited by the 9-5 schedule Need to meet with your kid’s teacher, or want to see that holiday sing that is always scheduled in the middle of the day?  Do it, and don’t feel guilty about it.  Plan to do a few hours of work later in the evening after the kids go to bed. Set a schedule for yourself and don’t feel like it has to be the same every single day. Your schedule should accommodate both your work and your life. When you’re focused on results, it doesn’t matter when during the day the work gets done, it just matter that it gets done. Learn to say no What is urgent and what can wait? Learn to recognize the difference and cut or delegate activities when you can — or share your concerns and possible solutions with your employer or others when you feel overloaded. Be transparent Having trust within your team is critical, and being open and honest is the best way to build this trust. Let people know if you’re busy or out of the office and when they can expect you to get back to them. If you consistently deliver quality results on time and people know that they can count on you, you’ll develop the trust needed to give you the flexibility to succeed in both work and your personal life. Have any other tips and tricks you want to share? Feel free to post them below; we can never get enough of this topic! Photo credit: citx

If you’re like us, you bring your tablet or phone with you everywhere you go. And as you make your way through your day, there are apps you can’t imagine living without. From listening to music, to deciding where to eat, to joining an online meeting in a taxi, we depend on our apps as our lifelines, our organizers and our source of a well-deserved break. With the holiday season in full swing, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite apps that we think you should have loaded to help keep you sane during the busiest season of the year. Our Must Have Apps for the Holidays: FlightTrack (iOS / Android) - If you’re traveling during the holidays, FlightTrack is a must. Use this app to keep track of family travel plans, bad weather, the ski report, and more. Don’t leave home without it! Mixologist (iOS / Android) - Have a party to host and not the slightest idea how to play bartender? Sick of making the same boring drinks for guests? Enter Mixologist. Wired calls it "arguably the most fully featured app for any libation situation" and we have to agree. Pinterest (iOS / Android) - We absolutely love their new secret boards. They’re great for shopping online and collecting gift giving ideas. All you have to do is click the photo and you’ll go straight to the store. It’s also great for gathering recipes. TripIt (iOS / Android) - This app helps you eliminate travel madness. Just hit forward and it turns all your flight, hotel and rental car confirmation emails into simple, mobile travel itineraries. Slice (iOS / Android) - If you’re an online shopper, you’ve got to get Slice. With this awesome app, you can save money, get organized and track your packages. It’s free and convenient and we simply can’t live without it. MyFitnessPal (iOS / Android) - We all love to eat during the holidays. But this app keeps us in check! Keep track of how much you’re really eating and exercising so you can still fit into that fancy New Year’s outfit. GoToMyPC (iOS / Android) - The GoToMyPC app lets you instantly access all of your computers from your tablet or phone. With anytime access to your files, programs and network, working from home during the holiday season has never been easier. Not to toot our own horn or anything, but it’s pretty awesome. GoToMeeting (iOS / Android) - The GoToMeeting app lets you host meetings from your tablet. You can view shared slide presentations, creative concepts, spreadsheets and reports - all from the comfort of your own home or wherever your travels take you. Visiting family for the holidays? This app makes sure you don’t miss anything while you’re away from your desk. CS Product Reviews (iOS) - This app recommends the best reviewed products. Browse over 400 categories to get gift ideas. And when you’re in a store, simply scan a barcode to see the reviews and best pricing online. RedLaser (iOS / Android) - Here’s another great barcode scanner, shopping assistant and QR code reader all in one app. It’s a must for checking that you have the best deal in town on those big purchase items. Leave us a comment and let us know what apps you can’t live without.

"The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued." — Ken Robinson, Author and Speaker The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: 6+3 = 9 but so does 5+4 … There’s often more than one way to solve a problem, and your way might not always be the best. Collaboration, innovation and listening are important problem-solving tools that every organization needs. Creative thinking—with the business mission in mind—should be an integral part of your culture. When challenges arise, leaders might have a solution. However, if they take the opportunity to solicit input from employees, they might find an even better solution. Service Value 9 at The Ritz-Carlton states: "I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me." This Service Value inspires our employees—known as the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton—to speak freely and share their ideas openly. The Ritz-Carlton understands the value of a culture that listens to employees and encourages creativity. One tool The Ritz-Carlton uses to foster innovation and communicate process improvements is called Lions Share. The purpose of Lions Share is to share knowledge, strengthen best practices and promote creative problem-solving throughout the organization. What tools or strategies does your organization use to stimulate a creative culture? ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Creative Leaders and Collaboration appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Do you ever wonder exactly how many Android devices have been manufactured? If you’re responsible for providing support to these mobile devices, I’m sure you would be fascinated to know that more than half a billion Android devices have been activated. Yes, and according to Google, 1.3 million new ones arrive each and every day. With that many Android devices inundating the globe, support technicians sure could use an easy, efficient solution to remotely access and control them. Well, Citrix has good news to announce! GoToAssist Corporate’s newest remote support appfor Samsung Android mobile devices is available now. It enables businesses using our remote support service to deliver full screen-sharing and remote control of Samsung mobile devices with OS versions 2.3.x, 4.0.x and 4.1.x  ‒ just as if the device were in the technician’s hands. Our newest remote support app is available for download directly from Google Play. Support organizations can now expand their service offerings by providing instant assistance to mobile users, using remote control and screen sharing to resolve technical problems, perform system diagnostics and chat. Use our new remote support app to ensure that one of the most critical and indispensable business tools — mobile devices — are kept up-and-running 24/7 in your organization. How does the remote support app work? Companies who subscribe to the GoToAssist Corporate remote support service can instruct their customers or employees to download the GoToAssist Corporate (ICS) app from Google Play onto their mobile device. Then support representatives generate and send a Connection Code to the mobile device user, and they are instantly connected via the remote support service. The support rep can request system diagnostics, chat or take control of the device to change settings, set up email or perform other troubleshooting tasks to resolve technical issues. All the while, the support rep sees the user’s phone screen in real time on his/her own computer screen, making support much quicker and easier. All the logs and screen activity are stored for each support session. Support features include: Remote control ‒ With the customer’s permission, a support representative can remotely take control of the end user’s Samsung mobile device to provide service. Screen Sharing ‒ Provides a full real-time view of the Samsung mobile device screen and allows remote keyboard and gesture control. System Diagnostics ‒ One-click retrieval of key system diagnostics. Instantly view device information such as OS, memory stats, applications, SIM card, etc. Live Chat ‒ Chat in real time with end user instead of staying on the phone. Multiple Sessions ‒ Representatives can simultaneously support up to 8 customers at a time, including both mobile and PC and Mac users. Team Collaboration ‒ Invite additional experts to collaborate in a single support session or transfer a session. Invited reps can be visible or invisible to the end user. Management Center ‒ Administration controls, dashboards and reports let you take charge of your support operations to elevate productivity and customer satisfaction. Manager Silent Monitoring ‒ Managers can silently observe live remote sessions in progress to elevate agent performance. Session Recording ‒ Archived sessions can be used for evaluation or training, and enable compliance with government and industry regulations. What are the mobile device requirements? The GoToAssist Corporate (ICS) app allows subscribers with GoToAssist Corporate accounts to provide full remote control support of Samsung devices running Android OS versions 2.3.x, 4.0.x and 4.1.x Need to support other Android mobile devices?  Remote diagnostics and chat are available for non-Samsung Android devices using our other Android remote support app.

The holidays bring a lot of joy, family time and happiness, but the prep time leading up to the big day(s), can be a little less joyous. The holidays are a hectic time for all. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, it’s always a busy time. And the fuller your life gets, the more responsibilities you have around the holidays; those who have grandchildren and kids know what I mean! Between the unpredictable weather, the pre-holiday shopping and the general craziness before the holidays, it can be hard to stay on top of work. If you’re feeling the stress of the hectic holiday season and need to have access to your computer to keep up, why not lighten your load by bringing the cloud home with you instead of lugging around a heavy laptop? The ease of the cloud lets you prepare for the holiday season in your own way and in your own time. With GoToMyPC you don’t have to be constrained by a 9-5 work schedule. Whether you are visiting family, evading the peak hours of mall madness or spending some time with your kids on vacation, you can get your work done when it is most convenient for you by easily accessing your work computer via GoToMyPC.  I know that there’s nothing worse than starting off your New Year behind on work. Flexibility is the key this holiday season; if you bring the cloud home, you can have the best of both worlds. Photo credit: saranv

While common sense is an important ingredient in customer service, your customers won’t always be logical. Neuroscience research has shown that "emotions are inseparably linked to rational decision-making." Feelings are facts to customers, and every time you interact with a customer or patient, you are making an emotional impression. You may do everything right on the surface; i.e., use the customer’s name, fill out correct paperwork efficiently and even remember to smile. However, if you neglect to connect on a more emotional level, you will not achieve true engagement. Customer engagement describes the health of the relationship between your organization and your customer or patient. This "emotional relationship"—or level of engagement—drives the long-term financial success you will have with that customer. Engagement builds trust and that leads to loyalty. Customer Engagement Requires Caring The last line of the Credo at The Ritz-Carlton states: "The Ritz-Carlton experience … instills well-being…." One of the definitions of "sense of well-being" is to remove any thought of worry. That’s a big promise, and it can only be fulfilled when employees are genuinely caring, actively listening and empowered to take action. In other words, they must engage with your customers or patients. They must ask appropriate questions, use positive body language and live "in the moment" during a conversation and not interrupt. Your staff must also exercise a sense of compassion. Author and psychologist Daniel Goleman remarked that "True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it." When your employees express compassion, they will be inspired to go above and beyond for your customers or patients. They will provide unique, memorable and personalized service. Your professional organization may not seem like the right backdrop for conveying compassion, but research suggests "that compassionate workplaces increase employee satisfaction and loyalty. A worker who feels cared for at work is more likely to experience positive emotion, which in turn helps to foster positive work relationships, increased cooperation, and better customer relations." Blending Compassion and Customer Service Here are three ways your employees can incorporate compassion into their workday: Make time for caring. It’s easy to be consumed by busy-ness. Between meetings, emails, phone calls, quotas and deadlines—it may seem impossible to genuinely engage with customers or patients. However, if you don’t prioritize customer care, then you are missing opportunities to build impactful and lasting relationships. At The Ritz-Carlton, our highest mission is the care and comfort of our guests. Our employees—known as the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton—focus on engaging guests in order to learn about their preferences and anticipate their needs. Even when busy, encourage your employees to take the time to engage in conversations with customers and patients as much as possible. Make it a team effort. When we work together, we are able to accomplish and deliver more—lifting our service to the next level. In addition, when we involve others, we create an atmosphere that inspires similar behavior. The Ritz-Carlton fosters this "It Takes a Village" approach through Service Value 7: "I create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so the needs of our guests and each other are met." Make yourself pay attention. Remind your team to be aware of what is going on around them and offer assistance when appropriate. At The Ritz-Carlton, we use the phrase, "Radar On, Antenna Up" to remind ourselves to be alert and on the lookout for unique ways to serve our guests. When you make it a practice to engage with your customers and patients, you will sharpen your detective skills and pick up on clues that will help you know where your efforts are most needed. When your organization marries compassion and customer service, your customers and patients will experience a new level of service, and your employees will feel the impact as well. Asking your front line employees to treat customers and patients like people—to sincerely engage—and to anticipate and eradicate any worries—will earn your organization greater trust and loyalty. And that will affect your bottom line results. ∞ The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center offers advisory services, courses and presentations to organizations that wish to benchmark the award-winning business practices of The Ritz-Carlton. Your organization can learn about The Ritz-Carlton methodology for customer service, employee engagement and leadership development. We also guide organizations through a multi-step process in order to achieve sustainable culture transformation. The Blog Post Compassion and Customer Service appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.