If existing business methods have always worked, why change? This question and its implied answer - a variation of "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" - are persuasive. After all, change requires effort and often creates disruption. But should we really be afraid of stepping outside of convention? Sometimes changing things and trying a new approach, even if it is derided by others, may just create that crucial edge a company needs to be competitive. This is the premise of the brilliant film Moneyball, which chronicles the game-changing practices behind the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its unconventional manager Billy Beane . Beane introduced an evidence-based system  called sabermetrics to recruit a competitive baseball team on a tiny budget. Although Beane’s approach flew in the face of traditional baseball wisdom and the entrenched beliefs of grizzled talent scouts, it enabled him to find exceptional value in undervalued players. The result? Baseball minnows Oakland Athletics were able to compete on an even footing with giants of the game like the New York Yankees. Sabermetrics has since become widely used, even outside the ballpark. Oakland would never have tasted success if Beane had stayed within convention. This got me thinking: what conventions do we face in the world of work? Here are a few.  Your daily commute is a fact of life. Real work takes place in an office at a desk during normal work hours. You need to be in the same room to have a productive meeting. In your own field, are you held back by convention, or do you aspire to be like Billy Beane? Photo credit: Jason Alley

Each industry must find ways to provide unique, memorable and personal service. There are basic service principles that every industry should follow such as treating customers or patients with attentive care, consideration and respect. However, in order to stand out from your competition and create loyalty, your customer service must exceed the expectations of your customers. The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center spoke to some of our past clients in the aviation and automotive industries and asked how they provide outstanding service for their customers. They kindly shared their most effective customer service tips: 1) Greet your customer by name Greeting a customer by name is critical for building trust and showing respect. Customers want to feel recognized and treated like a fellow human being—and not like a faceless transaction. A warm, sincere greeting also helps repeat customers feel remembered and valued. 2) Practice anticipatory service Many passengers (or clients, patients, patrons, etc.) have questions, but do not like to ask them. They could be shy or are concerned about appearing ignorant. Encourage your staff to be proactive and approach passengers rather than waiting to be approached. 3) Be knowledgeable and prepared Make sure all of your staff has a firm understanding of the top things they are likely to be asked. When your staff answers basic questions with confidence, competence and clarity, then your customers will feel more secure. 4) Adapt as needed In aviation, your customer service role may be airside or land side, and therefore, your customers have different needs depending on where they are. You should tailor your message appropriately. For example, if you are interacting with customers who are arriving at their destination, your tone should be warm and welcoming. However, if you are assisting customers who are going through security, your tone will need to be more firm. 5) Invite interaction Always ask open-ended questions to customers. An open-ended question gives customers the opportunity to tell you if they need any additional services. It is also more conversational, more caring and less abrupt. 6) Exercise discretion Privacy is a serious issue in today’s world, and customers feel less at risk when your organization values discretion. Spend extra attention making sure your customers’ data is secure, and be sure all of your employees avoid disclosing any customer information. 7) Stress safety All customers want to feel safe. This is especially true in transportation. Customer service agents can promote an atmosphere of safety by being alert and calm. Every small gesture of extra care—such as escorting customers to their desired location or providing umbrellas during inclement weather—helps reassure customers that they are cared for and safe. 8) Respect people’s time Long wait times often lead to irritated customers. Customers want convenience. Your organization can streamline processes by utilizing technology—such as mobile apps. One automotive company executive stated they are "implementing tablet technology for [their] service drive. It will work in conjunction with radio-frequency identification (RFID), and it will automatically load a customer’s service appointment onto the tablet when the customer drives into [their} store. This eliminates making the customers wait while [they] get information from them." 9) Develop relationships Every interaction (phone, email, text, live, in-market, etc.) is an opportunity to nurture and develop a ‘client-relationship.’ As one automotive company executive points out: "Customers may be enticed to visit your store because of the carrots—such as free gasoline or complimentary towels—but CLIENTS retain and purchase services from professionals." In other words, an incentive might get a customer through the door, but when you build relationships with customers, you earn loyalty. 10) Show transparency Your customers do not want surprises. Hidden fees or confusing language will make your customers suspicious. You can’t build relationships when your customers have their defenses up. Purchasing a vehicle represents a large investment, and you must ensure your customers are provided with a clear understanding of the transaction and all the details—including pricing, maintenance, service and labor rates. When you educate your customers, you are creating informed buyers and reducing the risk of buyer’s remorse. To produce outstanding service that generates word-of-mouth, make sure your customer service is consistent and practiced by all of your staff. As it implies in point #9 above: Every interaction can make an impression. When your whole organization values your customer, you are sure to create customer service experiences that lead to customer loyalty.  ∞ 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 10 Customer Service Tips from the Transportation Industry appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

"If you’re competitor-focused, you have to wait until there is a competitor doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering." — Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: As business leaders, there are many priorities vying for our attention. Where we invest our time and energy, or "focus" as Jeff Bezos refers to it, will always reap the most reward. When our focus strays from the customer, doors open for competitors to move in. As long as we remain customer-focused and provide perfect service, no matter what any competitor does—our customers will not be easily swayed. The Ritz-Carlton believes in consistent customer focus, and our Ladies and Gentlemen challenge themselves to WOW our guests with every interaction. Our service values empower them to provide unparalleled, anticipatory service for our guests, which helps us fulfill our mission to create Ritz-Carlton guests for life. ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Customer-focused appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Would you trust your child’s care to someone you didn’t research? There are many services in life that people are willing to pay for to receive a better experience. For example, many parents/guardians out there (myself included) would be wary of handing over their children to free childcare. With the growing amount of free services popping up out there, it begs the question: is free always better? It can be, but I recommend you do your homework, whether you’re looking for a free or premium service. And you thought you escaped homework after graduating! The biggest issue I see with online services is definitely security. Trusting your data to a company that is going to keep it safely in the cloud is a big deal and not one that users should take lightly. Anyone who’s ever lost a document that they had spent long hours on knows how crucial it is to find a service that keeps your precious data safe while you’re on the go. Use the checklist below to find exactly what to look out for (and steer clear of) when selecting a free or premium cloud service. Homework Checklist: When researching online, pay close attention to: Media reviews User reviews Social media User experience Interface Security Service quality Customer service quality Engage in free services with your eyes wide open. Ask your friends and/or colleagues what they are using. Make sure you’re willing to lose your data if things go haywire. Lastly, look for a service that is geared towards businesses, not individuals. Doing your homework is a hassle, but it’s better than the alternative. Leaving your data with just any company is like trusting your kids with free childcare or childcare you’ve neglected to research. It may save you some time and hard-earned cash, but at what risk? When you do find a cloud service that meets your business, quality, security and financial needs, pull the trigger - you’ve found a winner! Photo credit: cobalt

Dear Ritz-Carlton: What is scenography, and how does it impact customer service? Answer from Diana Oreck, Vice President at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Author Michael Eagan writes the following about scenography: "The term ‘scenography’ includes all of the elements that contribute to establishing an atmosphere and mood for a theatrical presentation: lighting, sound, set and costume design." We have adopted this concept at The Ritz-Carlton because we want to create integrated guest experiences. Many people believe that service is just about the interaction with service professionals. There is much more to it. Great service is about the people, the physical plant and the five senses. These three elements must work together to create an atmosphere that enhances the surrounding and consequently, heightens the customer’s experience. It’s important to choose elements—sounds, visuals, tastes and smells—that harmonize with the backdrop. For example, having classical harp music playing in our public areas at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach in Florida would be out of place. South Beach has a very vibrant, Latin/salsa vibe. So salsa music would better fit the atmosphere—the scenography—of The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. Scenography ensures that we do not forget the importance of the five senses in service. We create memories with our five senses. What our customers, see, hear, touch, taste and smell is all part of creating unique, personal and memorable emotional experiences for our guests. ∞ 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 Dear Ritz-Carlton: What is scenography? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce 2012 was nearly twice the size of last year’s conference, with more than  90,000 attendees, 800 sessions, 350 exhibitors and 200 analysts and members of the press in attendance - not to mention the 100,000 who watched live on Facebook. The in-person event ran from Sept. 18-21 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, and Citrix was lucky enough to have a booth on the show floor. Our Citrix team, composed of Joe Cox, Johnny McGee, Joe Kondroski, Fred Leung, Bryan Barrett and Ana Ruvalcaba, got the chance to speak with many attendees and prospective customers about our simple-to-use cloud services. Dreamforce also provided the perfect opportunity for attendees to see first-hand how integrated apps can make Salesforce even more useful. During the event, one of our customers, Avigilon, a leading manufacturer of high-definition surveillance solutions, led a breakout session about how they’ve boosted productivity and cut down on customer response times with multiple Salesforce apps - including the Citrix GoToAssist Corporate for Salesforce app. According to Amir Javidan, vice president for customer service and IT at Avigilon, "GoToAssist Corporate with Salesforce integration helps our support team consistently achieve industry-leading customer satisfaction levels while optimizing productivity and efficiency." Want to learn more about how Avigilon benefits from GoToAssist Corporate and our integration with Salesforce? Read the Avigilon customer case study. Available from the AppExchange, GoToAssist Corporate for Salesforce lets customer service teams instantly deliver remote support to their customers’ computers with a simple click from a Salesforce case record. This much-needed app for contact centers and support professionals enhances the customer support experience while increasing agent productivity, further reducing costs and improving customer service levels. Not familiar with remote support technology and its benefits or want to see a live demo of the GoToAssist Corporate for Salesforce integration or receive a free trial? Visit our website.  Photo credit: justinlevy

Each month, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center (RCLC) features an interview with an employee — a Lady or Gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton — in order to share an insider’s view of the organization. This month’s interview is with Sue Stephenson (@RitzCarltonCSR), Vice President of Community Footprints. Community Footprints® is The Ritz-Carlton social and environmental responsibility program, focused on benefiting the communities where the company operates. RCLC: What is your role as the Vice President of Community Footprints? Ms. Stephenson: As the Vice President of Community Footprints and a direct report to our company’s President and Chief Operations Officer (COO), I lead the development of our Community Footprints global strategy. With operations in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, our approach is to merge our global strategy with local execution and perspectives. This ensures our employees’ volunteer efforts are relevant, impactful and can be adapted to meet local pressing needs. ` RCLC: Was there a moment in your career when the idea of social responsibility clicked for you or was it a slower, less obvious process? Ms. Stephenson: I’ve worked for The Ritz-Carlton for 24 years, and it’s been an organic process. A commitment to the community and environment was embedded in our mission statement when our company was founded with a statement that "The Ritz-Carlton Hotels will be positive, supportive members of their communities and sensitive to the environment." Our philosophy of service translates into reaching out to others, beyond the walls of the hotels, and I’ve been fortunate to play a role in evolving that commitment into Community Footprints—which is now one of the strategic pathways of The Ritz-Carlton Long Range Plan. RCLC: How does Community Footprints fit into The Ritz-Carlton culture? Ms. Stephenson: Community Footprints is woven into the Gold Standards of The Ritz-Carlton through Service Value 4: "I understand my role in … embracing Community Footprints …" Every employee acts on our Service Values so it’s a natural process for our Ladies and Gentlemen to want to be engaged in projects that support their local community. Community Footprints provides a platform for our employees around the world to play a role in tackling serious community issues. They don’t see it as a corporate program, they see it as their program. They make it work and are tremendously proud of their efforts. RCLC: How do you determine which projects to take on? Ms. Stephenson: Our initiatives are multifaceted and focus on child well-being, hunger and poverty relief, and environmental responsibility. At every Ritz-Carlton hotel, club and residence around the world we have a Community Footprints Team and at the beginning of each year they plan out how they will support their community and submit a comprehensive Community Footprints Annual Plan. The report details scope and frequency of all planned volunteering and fundraising activities for the year and an overview of their Community Footprints local non-governmental organization (NGO) and community partners. Targets are set for our properties with the results integrated into our company’s Business Priority Metrics and leadership performance measures. We are proud of our year-over-year improvements with, as an example, over 150,000 hours contributed to our Community Partners in 2014 and $5.6 million in cash and in-kind donations. RCLC: Are there any brand-wide programs that all your hotels participate in? Ms. Stephenson: Yes. Our Succeed Through Service mentoring program is deployed in over 100 middle and high schools in low-income communities around the world and is designed to make a positive impact on young people. The curriculum brings students to our hotels and takes our Ladies and Gentlemen into classrooms to teach critical career and life skills and introduces the idea of students contributing to their own communities. Since the 2009 launch, we have worked with over 18,000 middle and high school students across the U.S. and around the world. To encourage others to get engaged in helping students flourish, we’ve made our Succeed Through Service materials available on an open-source non-proprietary basis. RCLC: Can you give us examples of individual projects going on in local communities? Ms. Stephenson: One of my favorite aspects of my role is that every day I receive images of the Community Footprints projects that are happening in different parts of the world. One example of the multitude of programs taking place to help children flourish occurs weekly at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, where, in addition to many other Community Footprints activities, 20 employees volunteer in the John A. Cumber School Reading Buddies Program. Last year they contributed 1,963 volunteer hours reading to the young students. In the area of hunger and poverty relief, we provide skills training, make food and supply donations and provide volunteer support. As an example, for over six years our employees at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver have been cooking and serving meals on a monthly basis at Urban Park, an organization that helps homeless youth reach their potential and achieve a successful life. In the area of environmental responsibility, we focus on reducing our carbon footprint and protecting the environment. A local example is taking place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Center where the employees are planting and helping conserve the Ghaf tree, a rare desert plant species of culture and ecological significance. RCLC: How is Community Footprints evolving? Ms. Stephenson: We’re broadening our volunteer focus to have more of a skills-based focus. We challenge ourselves to ask, "If I am contributing two hours of my time, how can I incorporate any of my business skills into that work?" For example, our chefs could help to plant trees in a local park but what’s even more beneficial is if they help a local hunger relief organization plan well-balanced, cost-efficient and nutritious meals. With this skills-based approach, our Public Relations teams help nonprofits develop their social media strategy; our Human Resources teams teach interview skills at community centers; while our front desk staffs teach social skills to members of the community re-entering the workplace. The possibilities are endless. There’s a reward when you help beyond what your muscles can do — you then engage your mind and heart and those skills are invaluable to a nonprofit or NGO! RCLC: Are there any recently launched initiatives? Ms. Stephenson: Yes! Just last December at the United Nations, Herve Humler, our President and COO and I participated in the introduction of IMPACT 2030, a global collaboration between the U.N. and the private sector. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is the first Founding Partner of IMPACT 2030: The Global Initiative for the Advancement of Corporate Volunteering. We are partnering with many global companies, including IBM, Google and Tata Consulting Services, to launch the program in September 2015. IMPACT 2030 will help corporations leverage their volunteer programs to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We’re all very excited about the possibilities of this global program that will help address the most critical issues for our planet and bring about global change. RCLC: If you could capsulize Ritz-Carlton’s social responsibility efforts, how would it read? Ms. Stephenson: Our Community Footprints Mission Statement says it best. "At The Ritz-Carlton we have built a legacy of extraordinary service. This tradition extends into our Community Footprints program and inspires us to positively impact the lives of others. Every contribution we make is an opportunity to leave an imprint on our community. It is through this collection of imprints that we can make a meaningful difference." ∞ 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 Our Ladies and Gentlemen: Sue Stephenson appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

In a recent Vanity Fair article, Barack Obama explains why he only ever wears grey or blue suits. It’s about conserving decision-making energy.   I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make. You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can’t be going through the day distracted by trivia. I was very interested to read on Quora that Mark Zuckerberg also uses a very limited wardrobe - although in his case, it’s usually a brown or grey Facebook T-shirt. According to a Facebook intern on the site, Zuckerberg explained that "it makes for one less thing to think about in the morning."   It’s safe to assume most of us aren’t faced with decisions of the same magnitude as the POTUS or the founder of the world’s largest social network. However, we do all face a multitude of daily decisions, each of which consumes our time and energy.   What can we learn here?   Clearly, we should all start dressing in monotone (well, maybe). Perhaps more importantly, we should take steps to reduce the haze of decisions we’re confronted with every day. Do this, and we’ll free ourselves to focus on the things that really matter.  Snap out of the sleepwalk. The daily commute is something many of us could do in our sleep; we’ve stopped noticing that it is full of energy-consuming decisions. Walk to the station or take the bus? Does our public transit card need to be renewed? Do we take this passenger car or the next one? And so on. Sidestepping the commute altogether would enable us to save not just time but also valuable decision-making energy.  Be ready to go. So, what do you need to work effectively from home or a remote location? Preparing could be as simple as having the right equipment (laptop and smartphone, for example, along with respective chargers), trusted flexible working solutions such as GoToMeeting and knowledge of a good local working space or two. If you know beforehand what you need to maintain productivity and stay in touch, all the small decisions you’d usually make before escaping the office (how, where, when?) are reduced to just one: is it feasible to work flexibly today?   Stay focused and keep shipping. Before you dive deep into the day’s work or transition from one project to another, make it a habit to pause and review your to-dos. It’s easy to drift from key tasks - and the key decisions they hinge on. This is your chance to stay focused and keep shipping.  Don’t micromanage. Trust your people. Legendary entrepreneur Richard Branson has written persuasively about why micromanagement is counterproductive. He attributes Virgin’s success to giving his staff autonomy and encouraging them to take calculated risks. Giving my employees room to work has often meant my moving out of the business’s headquarters. In the early days I used a houseboat as my office, and later my home in Holland Park, to give my managers the space and authority to make their own decisions. There you have it. What will your decision be?  Photo credit: sixsensesslowlifesymposium

When you’re up against a deadline in a noisy environment, what do you do to get into the zone? We’ve all been there. The clock is ticking, and an important piece of work - perhaps a client presentation or proposal - needs to be delivered, but incessant buzz and chatter makes it impossible to concentrate. The minutes are slipping away. What to do? One option is to pack up your things and go elsewhere, but sometimes that just isn’t feasible. This is when I often reach for my headphones and a favorite Spotify playlist or two. Accompanied by my own personal soundtrack, I’m able to block out distraction and focus on the work at hand. For me, this works perfectly. But is it really a viable strategy?  A recent study at the University of Miami looked at how music affects workplace performance. It found that people who listened to music worked faster, more efficiently and more creatively than those who didn’t. Researcher Teresa Lesiuk concluded that music helps people work for the simple reason that it boosts mood. "When you’re stressed, you might make a decision more hastily; you have a very narrow focus of attention," she said. "When you’re in a positive mood, you’re able to take in more options." Other studies have cited the "Mozart effect," a hypothesis that classical music can boost our ability to solve complex, long-term problems.  However, personal choice is clearly important. What works for me (the debut album from The xx, for instance) may not work for a colleague who happens to prefer Wagner’s "Ride of the Valkyries." If you share a workspace, this is worth keeping in mind next time you compile a playlist of your all-time classic hits. Productivity may decline if you force everyone else to listen to "Eye of the Tiger."   So, does music work for you? What do you listen to while you’re working? If you’re at a loss, perhaps this handy flowchart may help you find the perfect working jam.   Photo credit: meyerfelix

"Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning." — Denis Waitley, motivational speaker and author The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: At the intersection of opportunity and preparedness is success. Those who work hard enough (and smart enough) will eventually get there. As leaders, we need to equip our team with all the tools necessary to rise to any occasion. Investing in training and showing genuine interest in each of your colleagues’ development will ensure that your workforce has the ability to give that extra push when the time comes. In our case, that extra effort is often the difference between reactionary service that yields satisfied customers and the anticipatory service that engages the customer and bonds them to your brand. This translates to the difference between the revenue of a customer who appears once and awhile and indulges a moderate amount versus a customer who comes frequently, for longer periods of time, urges others to join and utilizes all of what you have to offer. In order to move our customers to that level of full engagement, The Ritz-Carlton facilitates constant training and sharing of best practices for both individuals and teams according to their goals. By engaging employees in this personal way, we produce Ladies and Gentlemen who will go the extra mile not because they have to, but because they want to. Following up with self-audits and teachable moments, our leaders inspire and push our Ladies and Gentlemen to win over our guests every day! ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Secret of Winning appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

The current remote exploration of Mars via the Curiosity rover reminds us that with the right tools, IT pros can explore anything, from the surface of Mars to the Mariana trench - to remote computers! In fact, GoToAssist has a lot in common with Curiosity - except it’s faster to set up and costs a lot less. View and remotely control technology Just as Curiosity is controlled by NASA technicians on earth, GoToAssist lets you view and control your customers’ and employees computers from anywhere, using two-way screen sharing and remote control technology. You see what they see - their desktops are like the landscape photos Curiosity sends back. Gather diagnostics to solve complex problems The mission of the Mars rover is "to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes." It takes pictures, gathers samples and performs tests to provide scientists with data they can analyze. Similarly, using GoToAssist IT pros can gather diagnostics to determine what’s happened to a remote machine. Access environments where no human is present It’s a pretty safe bet that Mars is "unattended" - at least by humans. With a little setup, GoToAssist users can also access an unattended computer (no person present at the keyboard), which can save a lot of time and enable updates to be made after hours. Work from the comfort of your own atmosphere To put it politely, not every customer’s office is as congenial as your own. Some might as well be on Mars for the comfort level they offer. But when you’re providing support remotely, you get to control your work environment. You can even take your work on the road, using a free GoToAssist Remote Support mobile app on your iPad or Android device.  To explore a distant planet, you’d need a $2.5 billion rover and 2 years to set it up. To explore a distant computer (on Earth), all you need is GoToAssist and a couple minutes. Visit our website to learn more about GoToAssist and our proven support solutions for contact centers and IT departments.   Photo credit: tjblackwell

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How do you convert a mindset of profitability from nickel and diming people to profitability by loyalty? The above question is from an attendee at the "Symposium: Your Journey to Service Excellence" in April. The following answer is from Alexandra Valentin, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: We no longer live in a transactional economy. We live in a relationship economy, or as author Joseph Pine describes it, an "Experience Economy." This means we are developing relationships with customers and patients and meeting each person’s unique needs. While there are a few businesses like Walmart that thrive simply based on low prices—most organizations will find greater profitability by offering outstanding service, building authentic relationships and cultivating customer loyalty. One of the best ways to convince decision-makers to join the relationship economy is to share data that supports a customer-centric approach. According to research by Bain & Company, it costs six- to seven-times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one, and yet, many organizations devote more of their efforts to acquisition rather than loyalty. At The Ritz-Carlton, we have found that our fully engaged guests—our most loyal customers—stay more room nights in a year and spend $25 more per day. When you see customers as transactions, you try to collect "nickels and dimes" from them, but when you see customers as relationships, your organization wisely spends "nickels and dimes" on the customers. An example of this took place at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. A guest was sent an amenity of scotch and cigars that cost the hotel $36. The guest was so impressed by this small gesture of kindness that within the next year, this same guest spent over $150,000 at The Ritz-Carlton. When you consider other service organizations—such as Apple, Starbucks and Amazon—it seems obvious that adopting a customer-centric mindset leads to brand loyalty—and that is the foundation for a strong financial performance. ∞ 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 Dear Ritz-Carlton: Profitability by Loyalty? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

My husband needed to borrow my car this weekend for a road trip out to the desert, so he asked me, "Does your car have gas in it?" My mind quickly went through all the outings since my last fill-up over a week ago, and I realized I had taken a grand total of 4 drives in my car, each under 5 miles. So I replied, "It sure does. You should have plenty of gas for your trip!" I could manage so few trips because I workshift from my home office on almost a daily basis through various Citrix products. During times like these with the latest spike in gas prices, I am extremely grateful for my work situation. I am able to save thousands of dollars every year by cutting out my commute. And all it took was asking my boss if I could do a test run at making it work. That was 8 years ago now. At the time, I didn’t know many people who also worked from home as often (or what impact it could have), but I’ve noticed the trend grow more and more, and the money saved and environmental benefit is greater than I had imagined all those years ago. Here are just a couple workshifting advantages taken from "Improving Quality of Life through Telecommuting." Converting just 14 percent of jobs to telecommuting positions would: Eliminate 136 billion vehicle travel miles annually in the United States by 2020 and 171 billion miles by 2030. Reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 55 million metric tons - or nearly 1 percent of current national CO2 emissions. So regardless of what happens with gas prices, workshifting can be an effective solution for employers, employees and the environment. I know it has been for me.   Photo credit: bernhardbenke

In an interview at Stanford Business Graduate School, former talk show host Oprah Winfrey told her audience: "At the end of every interview from the murderer to Beyoncé, the question everybody asks is, ‘Was that OK?’ ‘How was that?'" It seems all of Oprah’s guests were looking for one thing—validation. We want reassurance that we have done a good job. This seems especially true at work. According to the report "The Impact of Recognition on Employee Retention" from Globoforce Workforce Mood Tracker, 39% of employees feel underappreciated at work, and 77% admit they would work harder if they felt better recognized. Rewards at The Ritz-Carlton At The Ritz-Carlton, we believe in recognizing employees for their contributions. The Ladies and Gentlemen—the employees of The Ritz-Carlton—give each other First Class Cards whenever they want to express gratitude for outstanding work. Ladies and Gentlemen can also be nominated for the annual Gold Standard Award. Each year up to five winners are chosen based on their ability to consistently and positively impact Guest Engagement, Employee Engagement, Community Footprints®  (The Ritz-Carlton social and environmental responsibility program. See interview with Sue Stephenson for more information.) and other Key Success Factors at The Ritz-Carlton. The Gold Standard Award recognizes an elite group of Ladies and Gentlemen—at all levels—that exemplify exceptional service and a commitment to The Ritz-Carlton philosophy. Gold Standard Award winners are outstanding professionals who have gone above and beyond the duties of their roles, providing lateral service to their fellow Ladies and Gentlemen, and anticipating and fulfilling the needs of their team and the organization as a whole. Story of a Gold Standard Award Winner The Destination Services Coordinator from The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island was one of the 2015 Gold Standard Award winners. She earned the award due to her outstanding work, her dedication to The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards and for her passion for helping those less fortunate. Last year, this award winner was instrumental in finding an anonymous donor who contributed $14,000 (USD) to build a foundation for an accessible park for disabled children and their families. There was land already designated for this venture; however, the planning committee was hesitant to use any resources to develop the park due to the lack of existing foundation. The Destination Services Coordinator worked with a developer, determined the cost and was able to find an anonymous donor who sponsored the foundation for the park. Her genuine caring was key to the opening of the "Pirate (Freedom)" playground in May 2014. Now, the community has a new park where any child, regardless of physical limitations, can play. In addition, the Destination Services Coordinator donated her time through the Succeed Through Service® program to the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club, to help prepare children with the skills they will need in their future careers. With the help of local partners, she organized a community service day with over 1,400 participants that resulted in a $170,000 (USD) impact on the community. The Destination Services Coordinator also helped the hotel earn the Regional Community Footprints Award. Most likely, this exemplary employee would contribute above-and-beyond work whether she received awards or not, but even high performers like to be recognized. Importance of Recognizing Employees Author Stephen R. Covey noted in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: "Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival, to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated." Recognition programs are a great way to showcase outstanding efforts, but appreciation in any form—including a simple "thank you"—can boost employee engagement and make the work day happier for all. ∞ 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 Rewarding and Recognizing Employees appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

This week we released an updated GoToMyPC app for your Android phone or Kindle Fire, further adding to our portfolio of mobile solutions that enable a more flexible approach to work. When life’s little emergencies are pulling you in many different directions, a cloud-based service like GoToMyPC might be exactly what you need. Here are some scenarios when the GoToMyPC mobile app can come in handy: Soccer + deadline - You have to pick up your kids from school and take them to soccer practice, but you are on a deadline. Weekend interruption - While playing golf on the weekend, you get an urgent call from your boss and need to jump online to update a document unexpectedly. Vacation panic - You’re sitting on the beach in Hawaii and realize that you forgot to approve the time cards. When emergencies such as these pop up, we often find ourselves stranded on the road, on a beach, or at a family member’s home, with just our mobile devices to help save us.   Enter GoToMyPC … The fact of the matter is, we’re always on the go and life today is mobile. We don’t have the time or desire to sit in an office for 10-12 hours a day anymore. So why not mobilize work? GoToMyPC enables you to access all your computers and files easily from your smartphone, tablet and laptop. We know our customers consider their mobile devices a necessity for getting work done. They have been raving about the way our product untethers them from the office and has saved them from life’s little (and big) emergencies. So how can it help you in your times of need? Keep reading to hear real customer stories that were sent to us via our website and also during a Facebook poll we did in August. Visit our Facebook page to read even more. Even better, start a 30-day free trial and tell us one of your own! "Because of the complexity of my real estate company, I chose to use a cutting edge desktop, even though I go from branch to branch for portions of my work. By using GoToMyPC on my iPad and iPhone, I can access needed information without having to carry equipment around." "I have used GoToMyPC from the hospital too! My dad was having a surgery and I was able to be with him during his recovery period, just working away while was he was laid up!" "My client had a canceled flight on a Sunday and I was in a fashion show without my iPad or laptop. I was able to get her on another flight right away and did it all on my iPHONE!!! Great. She was very happy and my client forever. Thank you my GoToMyPC." "We LOVE GoToMyPC!!! It has enabled us to work from home and all over the country for that matter. Whoever developed this was a genius and we are very indebted to them!!" "I was on a tight deadline for a 36-page catalog that had to be done in 2 days when my husband went into the hospital for an emergency. Grabbed my laptop and through the power of GoToMyPC I was able to work from the hospital and even meet the printer in the hospital parking lot for proofing. You guys have saved my job on more than one occasion and I use you just about every day " "The birth of my three grandchildren. I worked through the hours before delivery."  

"We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted." — Napoleon Hill, author The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: If you want your organization to consistently provide legendary service, you must ensure that your work environment, your foundation, your culture is designed to support an atmosphere of service. When you establish and enliven an environment that prioritizes service, your employees will naturally prioritize service as well. The Ritz-Carlton culture springs from our Gold Standards, and these standards are our "mental feeding grounds." They remind employees that "the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission." Giving your employees customer service tips and tricks without creating a culture of service is like building a house without a foundation. It might work for a while, but when there’s bad weather, the home will collapse around you. You want to build an organization that maintains its values through all circumstances—and offers stability and consistency to your employees and your customers/patients. Being able to provide an environment that is supportive, engaging and passionate gives your staff the ability to have the mental preparedness they will need when doing their job. ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Work Environment appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Workplace flexibility is on the rise as more organizations experience the productivity advantages of mobile work. If your company hasn’t adopted a mobile work strategy yet, then you’re moving slower than your competitors. As a leader or business owner, you need to seriously consider adopting policies and cloud-based technology that will enable your team to work from anywhere on any device - including smartphones and tablets. Of course, enabling mobility means you need convenient, secure and reliable tools that provide remote access, video conferencing and IT remote support. In other words, you need a mobile office. Step 1: Equip yourself with the right hardware Cordless laptops, tablets and mobile devices free employees from their office desks. Look for powerful hardware with quality reviews for durability. You should also look for technology that is compatible with your company standards or software and programs. Step 2: Make sure you have an Internet connection Working disconnected from the Internet means fewer interruptions from emails or instant messages. However, with the right cloud software, the Internet allows you to collaborate with others and continue business interactions from anywhere. When you’re out of Wi-fi range: Talk to your mobile phone provider about Internet tethering plans. Tethering allows your mobile phone to transfer Internet connectivity to your computer or laptop with a USB cord. Step 3: Have reliable audio and a durable headset Since you’re working at a distance, clear audio is essential to getting your message across. Look for a durable headset that has a USB adaptor. Equally, having a headset with an adaptor to a landline is a good backup. Caution: if you have low Internet bandwidth, audio through VoIP (that is, through your computer’s mic and speakers) might be choppy; be prepared to use a phone for audio instead. Step 4: Equip yourself with the right cloud software Remote workers need to have simple ways to access their office files and applications, collaborate with co-workers and clients, and get IT support on the go. Look for tools and mobile applications that are easy to use, enable secure connections and that work on multiple platforms. For example, Citrix GoToMyPC has mobile apps for iPad and iPhone, available on the App Store, and apps for Android phones and tablets available on Google Play. Step 5: Have a plan B Almost every remote worker has been there. You’re in the middle of an online business meeting and your Internet connection goes down. Or your audio connection gets fuzzy. Or your power goes out. Mobile offices need a business continuity plan just like brick and mortar offices do. Here are some useful backups to help you be ready for anything: Internet: As mentioned in Step 2, when you don’t have an Internet connection, you can tether your smartphone to your laptop or tablet with a USB cord. Also, it’s a good idea to get to know where all the good Wi-fi hotspots are in your locale. Audio: If you usually depend on VoIP, plan to have a cell phone or landline phone available, and keep the dial-in conference number handy. Likewise, if you usually depend on your phone connection, keep a headset around in case you ever need to get audio through your computer. Power: In some cases, you can keep going if you have good batteries and tethered Internet. But if you’re sitting in the dark, then what? Try to plan for a secondary work location - preferably one across town that doesn’t depend on the same power source. As more companies adopt mobile work strategies, finding cloud-based solutions that allow for anytime, anywhere work should be top of mind. Cloud-based tools propel productivity and empower workers to produce results outside the boundaries of location. Citrix GoTo cloud-based solutions (GoToMeeting, GoToAssist, GoToMyPC, ShareFile and Podio) make it easy to create a mobile office, allowing work to take place with anyone - anytime, anywhere. For more information about building a mobile office or Citrix GoTo cloud services, please visit http://news.citrixonline.com/resources.   Photo credit: pejrm

Our mobile apps for GoToMeeting have been out for a couple years now, and we love that so many people are using them. In fact, over 100,000 meeting attendees join through our mobile apps every month! We want to thank all of you who are adopting mobile workstyles and making the GoToMeeting apps part of your toolset. We’ve heard from doctors, project managers, sales managers and many more about how our mobile apps are allowing people to collaborate from anywhere. But we keep getting one question over and over again: when will I be able to host and present content in online meetings from a mobile device? Today we’re happy to announce that we’ve taken the next step. With the new GoToMeeting app for iOS devices, our customers can launch meetings from an iPhone and present content from an iPad. As you rely more on these devices every day, you can now collaborate with the most complete mobile experience yet for GoToMeeting. Here’s what you can do with the new GoToMeeting app for iPad and iPhone: Launch a meeting and invite attendees with just a few taps. Change presenter so another person can show their screen. Present your content by simply browsing to it or opening email attachments (iPad only). Easily share content from ShareFile or Dropbox during a meeting (iPad only). Brainstorm with the onscreen highlighter and whiteboard (iPad only). Try out the app today! Afterwards, be sure to rate us in the App Store.  

Dear Ritz-Carlton: How do we keep one another (especially "upper level" team members) accountable to civility and respect? The above question is from an attendee at the "Symposium: Your Journey to Service Excellence" in April. The following answer is from Jennifer Blackmon, Corporate Director, Culture Transformation at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: Accountability begins with well-articulated expectations that are translated into specific behaviors. Civility is a cultural nuance that can take on many shapes. What does it mean to your organization specifically? Can you describe what respect would look like in action? Once you answer those two questions, then the processes utilized to ensure they are happening are much easier. At The Ritz-Carlton, we use performance management, annual reviews and a robust training certification to ensure everyone is aligned. Once there is clear alignment, then accountability will happen organically at a peer-to-peer level. It becomes part of "who you are," not "what you do." When it comes to Culture, alignment is key. Regardless of the words shared in your company’s mission, vision or values—Culture is created by the behavior of the senior leaders. If civility and respect are not part of what they do, it should be eliminated as an expectation for anyone. ∞ On Thursday, November 12, 2015, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center will present "Your Journey to Service Excellence," The Ritz-Carlton approach to legendary service, employee engagement and a customer-centric culture. This one-day Symposium will take place at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, VA. Complete your enrollment by August 1st to take advantage of early-bird pricing. The Blog Post Dear Ritz-Carlton: Maintaining Civility and Respect? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

The nature of work has changed. It’s no longer a place we go. It’s a thing we do. It’s about working better together, getting people involved and moving the business faster… by powering all workstyles. As a result, IT support must change too. IT is the backbone to the new world of mobile, distributed working. To support more users and keep up with escalating demand, IT needs to replace antiquated support tools with new technology. The new IT solution is . . . a new set of integrated tools that focus on live support of people, process and technology. The new solution should be able to deliver multiple services from just one interface ‒ no more jumping from one tool to another. Today at Citrix Synergy 2012 in Barcelona, Spain, the conference where mobile workstyles and cloud services meet, Citrix debuted its newest cloud-based IT support tool: GoToAssist Service Desk. This new tech tool provides a simple, intuitive way to more effectively manage IT service desk operations. GoToAssist Service Desk enables support professionals to: Easily log, track and resolve incidents. Manage configuration changes, releases and workflow Deliver end-user self-service. Best of all, Service Desk is seamlessly integrated with GoToAssist’s Remote Support and Monitoring modules. IT pros who utilize both the Remote Support and Service Desk modules can easily initiate incident tickets from a remote support session or launch a remote support session from a Service Desk ticket. No more juggling multiple tools and duplicating data entries. The new GoToAssist Service Desk delivers these key benefits: Reduce IT firefighting, free up time and lower IT support costs. Gain total visibility into the entire IT support services to accelerate issue resolution. Streamline support workload among team members Removes the complexity and time in implementing ITIL and ITSM best practices. Create a beautiful, easy self-service portal - end users can submit and track support requests and view knowledge-base articles. GoToAssist continues to simplify IT support by providing easy, affordable access to an essential toolset - service desk management, remote support and IT monitoring - all from one user interface. Combining critical tools enables IT departments to be more efficient, effective and saves costs. GoToAssist can be customized to fit the unique needs of each business — choose one module, two or all three. Learn more about the full set of GoToAssist Service Desk features or give it a free test drive!  Sign up for a free trial or contact our sales team to learn more.  Pricing packages start at $49 USD per month, per technician.

The following post was written by our Millennial colleague and 2012 Olympian, Caroline Queen. Caroline currently serves as the Senior Program Specialist for The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. We are Millennials, and we are coming for you. Or rather, to work for you. According to a 2014 report from Deloitte, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce worldwide by 2025. Today, many of those 20-somethings are already in your workplace, speaking with your customers and representing your brand. Five Ways Millennials Will Improve Your Workplace The following five reasons show why you want Millennials in your workplace and how you can maximize the talents of this generation. Millennial Trait: We are enthusiastic Benefit for You: Improved products, processes and services for your organization Millennials reported being most enthusiastic about our jobs compared to Gen Xers and Boomers (Deloitte). Enthusiasm boosts employee engagement, which drives efficiency, quality, a positive workplace environment and ultimately, profitability. How can you ensure this enthusiasm stays and continues to deliver? Recognition. Millennials relish recognition—especially in the form of opportunities for leadership and personal development. One way to provide such opportunities is to foster a culture of innovation in your company. Barry Salzberg, CEO of DTTL said, "It’s clear that Millennials want to innovate and businesses should be listening.… Fostering a culture of innovation will not only help retain high-performing talent but it will also drive growth by creating opportunities for individuals to unlock the next game-changing innovations" (Deloitte). Millennial Trait: We can be team players in diverse settings Benefit for You: As Millennials climb into management positions, we are more likely to lead in ways that empower our diverse teams to grow themselves and perform to new heights. Although many sources report that Millennials are not team players, we have had more teamwork integrated into our school work and been raised in a more diverse world than previous generations. "Immune to hierarchy or labels and raised in an era of social media and crowdsourcing, Generation Y [the Millennial generation] is fiercely inclusive," according to Entrepreneur. Millennials are the most diverse and accepting generation yet in every sense of the word: race, sexual orientation, physical abilities and other attributes (Ernst and Young). The ability to work with colleagues of all backgrounds will become increasingly valuable as companies want to recruit and retain the best talent by creating a supportive work environment for all. Millennial Trait: But we also are self-sufficient Benefit for You: Wired to solve their own problems Entrepreneur also supports the claim that Millennials are quite self-sufficient. We like to attempt problem solving on our own first. Sixty percent of Millennials surveyed said they do not immediately call company support and 71% search the Internet for a solution (Bomgar). Bomgar also noted that Millennials are able to work and solve these problems from almost anywhere as we are the most tech-savvy generation, too. With regard to technology, Boston College points out that Millennials are the first generation to have been exposed to and been users of technology their whole lives. Technology comes naturally to us. So we are more than happy to assist our older colleagues who might not be as comfortable. Millennial Trait: Contribute to corporate responsibility Benefit for You: Bring a global and caring approach to the workplace Millennials want to make a difference and not just in your business. We want to affect social change, fill in the gap between what we see government doing and the results we want to see in policy, and take care of the environment for ourselves and our children. Whatever our specific passions may be, Millennials are ready to participate in and strengthen corporate responsibility programs (Deloitte). Millennial Trait: We know ourselves Benefit for You: We can help you learn about and reach Millennials Millennials are also growing up to be consumers. Companies must learn how to generate and market products and services that cater to what Millennials want. So why not ask us for assistance? Making Your Workplace Millennial-Friendly In order to attract Millennials to your workplace, you must create an environment that will appeal to them. You can do this by safely adapting your current organizational culture. How do you know what to adjust? Ask. Facilitate a discussion with your Millennial staff members and identify some solutions that are mutually agreeable. Even small modifications can go a long way. Perhaps you permit your employees to work from home once per week. Perhaps you make your tasks more team-based or integrate new technologies. Again, you’ll have to determine what will best attract Millennial employees by communicating with your current staff. These changes might even appeal to your Gen Xers and Boomers, too. At The Ritz-Carlton, Millennials are often included on innovation projects among more seasoned Ladies and Gentlemen to give insights on our future guests. Also, from the perspective of The Ritz-Carlton, it is important to understand what our internal guests, our Ladies and Gentlemen, want out of our work environment. Our service values support our abilities to be involved in the work that affects us and to learn and grow. Our leaders facilitate broad communication to keep everyone informed and provide frequent opportunities to share constructive feedback. Transparency, development and inclusion are qualities that help engage Millennials according to Generations at Work. Nurturing Future Leaders Despite the entitled air of Millennials as a whole, we ultimately are grateful for opportunities to learn from the current leadership in an effort to grow into future leaders. Given the right tools and relationships, we will work hard and help make your company better. If you still find yourself unsure about Millennials after reading this, I encourage you to give it additional thought. We’re coming to your business, like it or not. By harnessing the enthusiasm, creativity and skills we’re bringing to the table now, you can ensure that your company is ahead of the curve and training tomorrow’s leaders today. ∞ 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 Why Do You Want Millennials in Your Workplace? appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

I’ve been following the UK political party conferences with interest over the past few weeks. One thing that has struck me is how similar politicians can be, regardless of their affiliation. This is what makes the current mayor of London such a breath of fresh air. Yes, like all successful politicians, Boris Johnson is never short of a sound bite, but he stands out from the crowd because he’s not afraid to be different. All politics aside, there are useful lessons we can learn from Johnson’s approach to marketing himself. Rule 57: Be anything but boring.  Johnson is undoubtedly the first London mayor to hurtle down a zip wire, get stuck - and then turn the episode into a PR triumph. The secret? Just as you should avoid micromanaging your team, sometimes it’s okay to not have complete control of your marketing strategy. Play to your strengths and you increase your chances of a positive outcome.    Rule 12: Let your talent shine. Make sure people know about your successes. Johnson never misses an opportunity to talk up his accomplishments. Embrace this attitude when pitching for business or reviewing your goals. Shout about your achievements to avoid blending in with competitors.  Rule 3: Be genuine.  Build trust by being genuine. Johnson’s public persona is one of unashamed and unapologetic difference. His rising popularity indicates that this stance is working and that people believe in him. In the world of business, being genuine is crucial in dealings with customers and suppliers, each of whom is a potential advocate. Don’t create "badvocates."  Rule 77: Learn from history.  Understand the past to improve your future outlook. Johnson’s frequent references in speeches and articles to the classics of literature showcase his learning as well as his broad horizons. This is one politician not afraid to look beyond the present.   Too often in business, we become fixated on the next quarter or financial year and fail to understand the past so that we can plan more effectively for the future. Where do you want to be in the next 5 or even 10 years? And where were you at those milestones in the past?   So, ready to take that zip wire?   Photo credit: steveritchie

"If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes." — Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psychologist and author The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center: We are starting to see companies develop open communication cultures that facilitate honest and transparent dialogue between departments, teams and co-workers. Teams are more successful when each member understands his or her individual contributions and how those contributions impact the end result. This ensures that the team understands interdependencies and the effect of poor performance on their co-workers. As leaders, we expect honesty and accountability throughout the entire organization. The Ritz-Carlton maintains a culture of accountability through empowerment and trust. Our Ladies and Gentlemen know they can give candid yet respectful feedback. When complacency creeps into our routine, we quickly identify it, and we work together to make the necessary changes. How are you encouraging your team to be accountable to one another? ∞ The Blog Post Inspired Thinking: Peer Accountability appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Here at Citrix, we love to share our customers’ success stories. Occasionally, we even get the opportunity to feature them as case studies. This last quarter we had several customers who were eager to share their accomplishments with us, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to talk with them and learn how they were using the Citrix GoTo cloud services. Below are a few examples of how our customers have innovated and benefited from our solutions: Avigilon A leader in high-definition surveillance solutions relies on GoToAssist Corporate and its Salesforce integration to deliver outstanding customer support around the clock and across the globe. IN2 Innovation A product design and development firm compresses project timelines, engages clients, reduces costs and supports all-digital, flexible working using GoToMeeting with HDFaces. Choosing GoToMeeting over WebEx was the clear choice for them! Prophix Software A Canadian software company enhances its high-touch, customer-centric reputation using GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToAssist for remote demos, education and technical support.  Webtrends A digital marketing optimization firm finds many creative uses and benefits of GoToMeeting with HDFaces, including greater hiring flexibility and enhanced teamwork. To read more about what our customers are saying, visit our Customer Reviews page. If you have a story to share about how you are using our products and benefitting, we would love to hear it. Email us at VoiceOfTheCustomer@CitrixOnline.com.   Photo credit: Webtrends