Ritz-Carlton's newest service strategies

Put the luxury hotel chain's latest values to work in your practice and increase client satisfaction.

Interested in greater client loyalty, a higher ACT, and more referrals? Consider the latest service strategies developed by Ritz-Carlton Hotels, whose teams are in the process of rolling out a new set of service values. These new values put greater emphasis on emotional engagement to assure the best outcomes with guests, says John Timmerman, vice president of quality and program management for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. in Chevy Chase, Md.

Bob Levoy

At the end of the day, the Ritz-Carlton wants to create an affinity for its brand, which leads to an engaged customer who's more likely to spend money with the company and create positive word-of-mouth marketing.

To establish employee ownership of the program, the new service values begin with the word "I." Timmerman and his team asked employees why they liked working for Ritz-Carlton. He says it was very apparent that they're proud to be a part of Ritz-Carlton, and that's the central theme of the service values. Some of the other values include:

• I build strong relationships and create Ritz-Carlton guests for life.

• I am always responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.

• I own and immediately resolve guest problems.

• I create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met.

• I am proud of my professional appearance, language, and behavior.

• I am responsible for uncompromising levels of cleanliness and creating a safe and accident-free environment.

These new values are actively discussed every morning at each hotel's daily meeting. The result, says Timmerman, is that since this program started in 2004, customer satisfaction scores have increased each year.

Action step

At your next team meeting, use these Ritz-Carlton service values as a template to develop a program that ensures (in Ritz-Carlton terms) "a unique, memorable, and personal experience" for your clients.

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker based in Roslyn, N.Y., who focuses on profitability and practice growth. His newest book is 222 Secrets of Hiring, Managing and Retaining Great Employees in Healthcare Practices (Jones and Bartlett, 2006).