Frontline Magic Podcast

How do you become a top CX leader in 2023 like Alaska Airlines? It starts with leadership and building a culture for top customer experience.Learn more strategy tips from Susanne Axelsson's interview with Travis Gelbrich Managing Director of Guest Experience and Loyalty at Alaska Airlines.Travis has spent his entire career leading customer service teams or focused on improving the customer experience. He is currently the Managing Director of Guest Experience & Loyalty at Alaska Airlines. This includes leading the company's efforts to improve the customer experience as well as Alaska's award winning mileage plan and credit card. In previous roles at Alaska Airlines, Travis has supported the company's >5,000 flight attendants and 1,400 contact center agents.Prior to joining Alaska Airlines, Travis spent 20 years in the tech industry working for Microsoft. There he held leadership roles in customer service and customer advocacy. Travis is also a certified customer experience professional from the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA).

Stacy Armijo is the Chief Experience Officer at Amplify Credit Union. She believes that reputations are built on experiences, not intentions. That's why she's passionate about tying together the promises we make as marketers, employers, and leaders with the experiences brands deliver to customers, employees and communities. Follow Stacy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyarmijo/

Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. is the Director of CXM@MSU at Michigan State University and a fixed-term faculty member in the Department of Marketing of the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. In that role, he is dedicated to advancing customer experience management globally by helping formalize and develop a framework for the field For more than a decade Dr. DeWitt has provided customer experience management solutions to organizations and audiences around the world through consulting, workshops and presentations. Prior to joining academia, Tom enjoyed a career in the hospitality industry, where he served in senior management roles in the USA and Asia.Follow Dr. DeWitt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-dewitt-ph-d-5076093/

Meet Samantha Gadd a founder, business leader, and employee experience (EX) expert, based in New Zealand. For 10 years Samantha has been leading the way in EX thinking through growing the largest HR & EX consulting business in NZ, Humankind, and more recently launching EX Design School - a global community of EX Designers. Having worked with hundreds of organisations, advising leaders on how to design compelling and meaningful EX to achieve better business outcomes, Samantha is an expert in how to use co-design as a way forward in today's world of work. It has never been harder to be a people and organisation leader - employees need & expect more from their workplaces. Samantha believes that using EX design is the only way to meet these needs while driving strong organisation outcomes. Follow Samantha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthagadd/

Some key lessons Doug and Susanne dive into:The importance of frontline workers having a seat at the table. Showing appreciation and recognition to your frontline workers Approaching business like you're collecting friendships and then it doesn't feel like a job.

Some of Jill's awesome advice for CX leaders:The core of a great employee and customer experience is to transform what otherwise would be a cold transaction into an interaction in order to create those relationships.Try starting every single morning (before you do anything else) and answer these three questions. Today, I will focus on ___. I am grateful for ___. Today I will let go of ___. If you're not creating a connection culture, you're not gonna attract talent, you're not gonna be the employer of choice.Create leaders at every single level of your organization AND you do this by empowering them with a mix of education, engagement, entrusting and empathy. Make your people feel like they are truly a part of your organization and that they are responsible for your success or your failure by following the Listen to the full interview for more advice and don't forget to join our community!

The BIG idea:Emotional intelligence is a must-have skill for successful managers. Sandra talked both about what it is and why businesses who focus on it experience increased revenues and greater staff engagement, ultimately becoming industry leaders.Let's dive in:You know the story well. A florist working late; a panicked call by a customer desperate for a bouquet to mark the occasion he'd accidentally forgotten about. In this particular instance, Sandra relates how the florist reassured the man that he wasn't the only one who had rung up in a panic that day. She then presented a few clever options, including ringing around for a late-night delivery; delivering the next day; or even (if he needed her to) calling his partner and apologizing for forgetting to deliver the bouquet as ordered. After agreeing on next-day delivery, she went a step further and offered to make a note of all future special occasions for automatic floral delivery - taking care of any future relationship mishaps in one fell swoop. She went the ‘extra mile' - based on what's known as emotional intelligence. ‍

If you heard Horst Schulze, Co-founder at The Ritz Carlton, talking about the hotel's Ladies and Gentleman you might assume that he was referring to the guests, but you'd be wrong. As the companies most important asset in their service commitment to guests, this is how Ritz-Carlton refers to their staff - and each of the Ladies and Gentleman who work at The Ritz-Carlton have been invited to join in the vision to exceed their guests' expectations, and embody the legendary service that makes The Ritz-Carlton a leading luxury brand.Horst is adamant that The Ritz Carlton would have failed without a motivated frontline team, and their commitment to the basics of service.In an exclusive presentation from the AskNicely Frontline Experience Summit, he shares his tips to managing a great frontline team for success…1. Don't just fill the gap.The first stage to frontline employee empowerment is to select the right people for the right role. “We didn't hire employees. We selected employees. We invited employees to join us in our vision.”When your company's vision is to build the finest hotel company in the world, it's essential that this vision is ingrained from the bottom up – starting with the hiring and orientation that will eventually build daily employee habits. On the flipside, think about an employee you've managed or worked with who didn't quite cut the mustard. Now think about that same employee with these questions in mind…Who was their leader? Why were they hired in the first place? Were there faults in the selection process? The employee orientation process? Did the employee feel appreciated?Horst talks about using these important questions when someone isn't living uo to their full potential. The follow up advice might feel confronting: “The fact that Joe is not a good employee is not his fault, it's yours.” That's tough love, and it hits hard. “We don't hire for technical talent, but for natural talent”. It's easier to train technical talent, but natural talent is what makes the difference.David Cayuela, GM Ritz-Carlton Cancun & Stephen Blandino2. Get the basics right.With the right people selected, it's time to establish your basics of service. At The Ritz-Carlton this means all new employees are taught the 20 basics of service - the standards that set The Ritz-Carlton experience apart - within days of joining the team. "We want to be number one in the world." We said, "What are the 20 things we have to do in order to become number one in the world?" What are your company goals? And what are the basic service standards you need in order to achieve your mission?Don't think of them as orders or directions. They should be aspirational objectives for frontline employees to feel motivated to go above and beyond for during every customer interaction. Horst believes it's management's role to both establish these standards, as well as maintain the processes, systems, measurements and controls to ensure expectations are met. Because at the end of the day, having the basics in place makes the job of fostering an environment where employees are inspired to deliver on expectations that much easier.3. Communicate, don't isolate.Belonging is a fundamental human need. So why do 40% of people feel isolated at work?Belonging has a clear correlation to commitment and motivation in the workplace, which directly translates to employee retention, pride and motivation. A high sense of belonging is linked to:A 56% increase in job performance.A 50% drop in turnover risk.A 75% reduction in sick days.The Ritz-Carlton places significant emphasis on belonging for their employees… and as a result, reaps significant bottom-line benefits. Take the statistics above and apply them to a company of 10,000 people - that's an annual saving of more than $52M! Horst's advice when it comes to fostering belonging and purpose comes back to making sure everyone lives the shared vision, every day. An EY survey found that 39% of respondents feel the greatest sense of belonging when their colleges simply check in with them, both personally and professionally, revealing the power of regular communication and feedback.4. Continuous improvement through continuous feedback.Each day at The Ritz-Carlton, frontline employees focus on one basic from their list, discussing what it means and how the team are meeting the objective, or working towards it.“We orient the employee. We clearly let them know what our customers think.”Horst also talks about customer feedback as one of the most valuable currencies to your business, and how to turn feedback into action, because you simply cannot improve customer experience without it. ‍5. Hold that thought!By now, you have the right employees; they're well oriented on your basics of service and working towards a collective vision; they feel a sense of belonging and purpose and they are receiving training and feedback.Take a breath. You're almost there.But here comes the tricky part: sustaining motivation. Long-term employee empowerment requires a continuation of inspiration, training, feedback and knowledge. The practice at The Ritz-Carlton of reviewing one basic of service each day is about identifying what makes their organization excellent, and repeating it. It's about refreshing mindsets, providing new strategies and sustaining constant support and feedback.Horst says that The Ritz-Carlton wouldn't be where it is today without their highly motivated frontline employees. “If my employees were 5% better than yours, I would win”Bottom line: A business with a highly motivated frontline team, is a business that will succeed.If the company offering the most luxurious stays in some of the most desirable locations in the world has clicked on to treating their employees as Ladies and Gentleman to make their guests feel like VIPs, then there is probably something we can all learn from that…

“Workout hard and be nice” is the simple yet powerful mantra of leading fitness brand Barry's (fitness studio), encapsulating the culture and reinforcing the values that have made this global business as successful as it is today with more than 82 locations around the world. Devin Murphy, the company's Senior Vice President of Operations, started her journey with the brand as a diehard client in New York City when she was training with them as a former competitive swimmer. She's spent the past seven years working for the business at the intersection of her strengths and passion and it's this attitude that's contagious and influential throughout the business.We spoke to her to find out more about how she ensures ‘Barry's' continues to ‘flex' its customer success muscles. Using values as a cornerstone of your business Devin is a big believer in the power of using values to formulate and sharpen a company's mission and decisions. At Barry's, three integral values are upheld at all times: family, fun and innovation. “Our values are the way we do business. They show up throughout our culture, filtering down to even our annual review process which formulated around them” says Devin. She goes on to explain the power of each of these…Value One: Family “To us, Barry's is a family and we focus on how we treat and trust one another on an ongoing basis - from the atmosphere in studios, to celebrating the small things”To do this, Barry's gives every studio a monthly budget devoted to staff and client experience with the sole purpose of ‘making someone's day'. “We send flowers, toast a lot of champagne and eat a lot of cupcakes and donuts for a fitness company. It's about celebrating individuals and communities.” Value Two: Fun ‍“If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong,” believes Devin. Barry's wants customers to look forward to coming to a workout; to inspire them to get off the couch and get into the studio. The best way of doing that is to make fun happen in as many different ways as possible. “We find things to celebrate! It starts with someone being brave enough to come for their first time - a lot of people are terrified to go to a gym. The next moment that we honor is 10 classes; we know that someone is building a habit with us, and that's really exciting for us as a company.” Tailored celebrating is important too, says Devin. Some people might want to shout their achievements out from the rooftops, while others may prefer something a little more private. “We recently had a client celebrate 3000 classes with us. We took one of our studio benches that people do the floor exercise portion of their workout on, and we spray painted it and had the client's initials painted on it. When she went to take her spot that day, she had a custom piece of studio equipment waiting for her, which of course we hand delivered to her home afterwards.” ‍Value Three: Innovation “A good idea really can come from anywhere” believed Devin who is a big advocate of encouraging team members to share ideas and then empowering them to give the idea a try - sometimes with surprising results. She adds that innovation is sorely needed in the current global climate. “One of our team members in California came up with the idea to use lightboxes in the studio as a way of celebrating client achievements. This was a fun, retro way to get a message across quickly and it felt like ‘us'. From there, we started to scale it across the country and now the lightbox is something systematically built into our milestone programme and part of our studio life - something we do every year for our customers.”Problems met with innovation result in improvement Even if everyone does their job perfectly from now until the end of time, stuff will still go wrong, cautions Devin who adds that it's always possible to make someone feel good while delivering bad news.Barry's is well-known for taking advantage of potentially ‘bad' scenarios and tipping them on their head. One very early morning in New York, a team member opened the gym at 4.30am, right before a 5am class, to discover the power was out. “The only thing on our mind was: how are we going to make this right for clients? No one gets up and checks their email before coming to a 5am class… and we can't turn clients away when they's braved the cold at that time of the day. So we did our first weight workout by candlelight!” For those booked into later classes, the team booked slots at a nearby studio in Park Avenue. “We had a line of Uber SUVs parked outside the front door and when clients came for their class, we apologised, then offered them a ride and alternative workout, on us. Every single person who showed up was still given the opportunity to work out. It became this nice little community builder - groups of people having Uber rides together. That was us putting our collective innovative minds to work.” Remember what it's like to be the consumer Devin says that Barry's always encourages its frontline team members to remember what it feels like to be a consumer - and to tap into that knowledge and understanding around what makes an experience a great, or not-so-great one. She shares her own experiences of excellent customer - a recent flight from LA to Miami with American Airlines flight attendant Jeffrey - as an example of standout service. “How he took care of people really stuck with me. He came around before the flight started and introduced himself, asking ‘Can I call you Devin?' At the end of the flight, he came past and thanked me for my loyalty. We realized through the course of our conversation that we would be on the same return flight together. Sure enough, two days later, he remembered me and asked ‘How was your week Devin?' I know how many people they see day in and day out. The fact that he had remembered our interaction and was able to continue to build the relationship two days later was remarkable. Now, I really look forward to seeing him on more flights.” That is the benchmark. “Live out your values as a company. Innovate. Focus on your customer. They aren't difficult things; but they're important things and if you can get them right, your customer service muscles will keep on growing,” concludes Devin.

Cheryl's advice for listening is to: “Be curious, be open and ask questions from an appreciative inquiry space. That means ‘Help me understand more about that and why is that important to you?' Because when you have a conversation from an invitation point of view, it draws in the person to feel safe to share their experience.”Be a curious catCheryl says this curiosity applies to the company's hiring process as well where they're on the lookout for a certain type of cool cat… a curious one! “I'm looking for people who have that customer-centricity, who are competent, empathetic and engaging. And that all starts with curiosity.”And here's how that one important attribute leads to smiles:Looking for understanding – Curious frontline workers ask more questions in order to really understand their customer's needs and their emotional connection to the experience. Looking for new ways – Curious frontline workers won't be scared to try new things and look for new ways to make the experience better for the customer. As a life-long learner, there will always be an opportunity to improve and a new path to explore.Looking for feedback – Curious frontline workers will be looking for feedback. After they've tried out those new ideas and asked all those questions, you know that they'll want to find out if they've done a good job, or not… but either way a curious person will see that as yet another opportunity. Bringing your whole self… no matter who you areCheryl also highlights how important it is to focus on the person in front of you and what she calls their ‘humanity. “They have a whole human experience behind them.”SmileDirectClub has seen engagement results soar and their teams tell them that they feel more seen, heard and valued because of a big piece of work underway to educate all teams on cultures and backgrounds that make up their employee base and customer base. After listening to their people, SmileDirectClub leaders found that many people didn't feel comfortable having conversations around cultural differences. The focus of the current programme is on learning more about each other and how to have discussions as a team and then apply these learnings. “That's where things often go very wrong. We tend to give information out, but we don't teach people how to apply it. If you're wanting to become more of an inclusive leader or want to reflect the diversity of your team, don't be afraid to have conversations.”Which we think is the perfect way to put that empathy, listening and curiosity to work!And the payoff is powerful…“If your company wants to create a better experience for customers, then double down your focus on team member or employee engagement to drive the right behaviors and conditions for your team members to thrive. Numerous surveys have proven that a highly engaged workforce drives productivity and a commitment to going the extra mile for your customers.”

Head of People Experience, Kirsten Riechelmann, has worked for New Zealand's largest home improvement retailer, Mitre 10, for more than 16 years. The co-operative comprises 84 locally owned and operated stores, with owners who are passionate about providing great service to New Zealand's home improvement and gardening enthusiasts. Kirsten's challenge? Rallying all these stakeholders around positive changes that keep the group ‘one step ahead' when it comes to customer experience. “The strength of a co-operative is that our owners are passionate about their businesses and will always want to see their store flourish. The challenge is getting them all on board and aligned,” explains Kirsten. “Because of that, it's more about doing things with them, rather than for or to them. That same approach also works wonders when frontline team apply it to how they treat customers.”We spoke to Kirsten about how Mitre 10 uses care, co-creation, feedback and empowerment to supercharge its success. The boomerang of care“Build relationships with people, care about them; and care will come back to you.”At Mitre 10, this ethos filters through every layer of the organisation - from the Support Office's relationship with store owners; to each team member's approach to helping their customers.How Mitre 10 cares for those INSIDE the teamWhen it comes to team, Kirsten is a firm believer in the power of strong relationships to drive business processes forward.She believes relationships are crucial and that's something that's built over time. “You can't just roll out a programme and mandate its use in a store. It's unlikely to be taken up and if by chance it is, it's not likely to stick. We prefer working with the stores and showing the material impact it could have on their business. Caring about their business more than your initiative is vital. This not only builds trust but loyalty too.”“Trust doesn't just come from implementing initiatives that have an impact… sometimes, it's as simple as actually answering your phone, returning messages or remembering details about people's lives outside of work. It is also about showing a cohesive approach - involving others across the business in the process of planning change.”How Mitre 10 cares for customersOn the floor - it starts with helping people ‘from the front door right through to the checkout'. Kirsten believes that something as simple as a smile, genuinely wanting to help them or creating a moment of magic, like walking a customer to their car with an umbrella in the rain, can make a lasting impression. “Customers can feel this; if you care enough about them, they will care back... and even better, they will come back.”She is also an advocate of focusing on the experience, not the sale.“The most important thing for people is not product knowledge. Don't get me wrong, that's important, but what's more important is caring about the person you're talking to. When you do that, everything else falls into place.”Cooperatives like to co-create; so should leadersThis same ‘care' has been extended to how the company rolls out capability programmes. Their previous approach involved coming up with an initiative and laying it on the table for stores to pick up. “We used to develop programmes to and for stores. When rolled out, they worked in the short term, but it wasn't sustainable. We knew if we were to do anything new, it needed to focus on both a culture shift and capability lift. We needed to change the approach and do it together,” explains Kirsten.She shares the old adage: “‘Involve the business'. They are more likely to know more than you do…” This, however, is easier said than done, when you are based in a Support Office and not in store. She goes on to say: “Questions are powerful. We asked ourselves: How do we involve these owners? How do we find out what their pain points are? It's not about having a complete and ready roadmap; it's more important to create a loop for constant feedback and input that enables you to co-create something together.”“We've tested, validated and created what we call ‘freedom within a framework' - a way for store owners to have the flexibility to make a programme their own, while keeping within a defined framework.” “Now, instead of presenting something in finished format, we take a subset of stores and invite feedback from them early on in the development process. We ask questions and listen. Those who are involved can then help influence others positively.”Use feedback as a springboard for successAside from feedback from store owners, Kirsten also believes that getting feedback from customers is crucial in helping develop a better experience, and can be used as a unifier, not a divider, within a business.Mitre10 uses several tools to achieve this, including a customer feedback and reward programme for gathering insights (i.e. ‘give feedback and stand a chance to win!'). Internally, this has helped the team focus on areas that matter and work together to come up with resolutions for things that didn't go so well, while also focusing on how to make experiences even better. “The great thing about using customer insight, is that it moves away from ‘what Kirsten thinks', or ‘what Support Office says' and becomes more about the experience the customer is after. When customer insight becomes the key to initiating change, there's not much to argue about,” says Kirsten.Turn your team members into ‘experience advisors' Aside from customer feedback, Kirsten also believes in the power of turning your team members into ‘experience advisors'.“Epic customer experience starts with employing people who really like partnering with customers and solving problems. They will fast become your greatest asset.”“Ask questions of them, too,” she advises. “Be open to learning about what might inhibit them from providing awesome customer service. The response may be surprising and quite often, there's a quick fix…”She goes on to say that incremental change in this area is one of the most powerful forms of improvement: “It's important to realise it's not about massive change at once. With both customers and team, make small incremental changes based on feedback. Find the one small thing you can do better. What's the one percent improvement you could make? Try it. Make a few of those and they really do start adding up…” Thanks, Kirsten, great tips for those of us who are ‘DIY' enthusiasts when it comes to customer success….Let's recap Kirsten's tips for nailing it:Care for your people and customers and that care will come back to you in the form of loyalty and trust.Learn the power of doing things with people, not for or to them.Let customer and team feedback lead you!It's the small improvements that band together to make up big gains.

These perfectly sum up Mel's whirlwind approach to inspiring herself, her team and her customers:“Passion comes from that feeling of helping people achieve their dreams and giving them an opportunity to better themselves.”“We all need to collaborate and come together more. Don't fear your peers. We have so much to offer, and it's up to the older generation to grab the younger generation by the hand, lead and nurture them, and teach them to be leaders of the future.” “There's lots of ways of creating a great experience, but everybody (everybody!) wants to be recognized. Everybody wants to be noticed. And everybody wants a smile.”Mel will be speaking at our Global Frontline Summit on 16 February 2022, along with other inspirational leaders from people-powered businesses across Marketing, Customer Experience, Operations and HR.Read more here: https://www.frontlinemagic.org/post/working-up-a-storm-in-the-fitness-world

Design repeatable experiences...Once customer service basics have been embedded, Adi believes that the next step is to build value in the repeatability of a consistently great experience – and that takes more than just a great frontline team… “Businesses spend tons of money on marketing and positioning themselves in a way that sets them apart from competitors. Where we often go wrong is not connecting campaigns (telling everyone how good we are) with the service we provide (cold and removed). Sometimes, these two things appear to be two very different parts of the same business.”“When it all goes right - it's important to ask, how did we do that? And how do we improve that? Not just once but every single time, so that what you arrive at is repeatability - an ability to deliver to a high standard over and over again.”> But how?Adi recommends that a good way to start interrogating your business model and customer-centricity (placing the customer at the centre of everything you do) is Matt Watkinson's “Grid”. The Grid provides a structured tool that will help you evaluate where your business is at; determine whether your customer approach delivers the service customers expect; and ensures your strategy is tied into profitability decisions.Adi also recommends familiarising yourself with ‘Design Thinking' (see here for a simple explanation of this method of problem solving) which will help you place people at the heart of every decision and strategy, because “Building a good customer experience does not happen by accident. It happens by design.” (Clare Muscutt)And then evolve...Although Uber's business was understandably affected by the pandemic, Adi also tells us how important Covid has been in learning lessons around continuous and deliberate improvement. Remaining compassionate towards Uber's teams and customers and supporting them through tough times was a high priority, but building products and processes that are sustainable and live on past a crisis also had to be a key focus. “We had to think on our feet, consider the true context for our user base and then look at opportunities to help move the business forward in an unexpected, non-traditional way.”> But how?To achieve this, Adi kept the conversation super practical. “Talking about customer empathy and connection to your senior stakeholders can come across as fluffy or touchy-feely. I always try to take it from very ‘high level' to practical. I base my approach on understanding the customer perspective; concrete data and of course Design Thinking models!”She goes on to share how that played out in her region…“For many of our partners, driving isn't just a ‘side-hustle' but quite often a means to support their entire families. Our drivers hadn't just lost an income source, but their entire income altogether. Armed with this understanding, coupled with deep empathy for our customers who were unable to see their loved ones in person we piloted to launching a brand new parcel delivery service called Uber Connect. It was a fantastic way of ensuring continued business and care for our partners and customers.”Reinvention shouldn't stop at just service… Recognition and reward is super important at Uber. The company has regional and sub-regional recognition programs in place, with one of these, related to drivers, aptly called ‘Customer heroes'. Storytelling around these programs is key - with Uber making sure its people understand why a particular customer engagement or opportunity was so impactful. “But then Covid hit and presented us with an opportunity to rethink our traditional recognition programs and how we recognise the teams tasked with implementing our customer success models. How could we continue to acknowledge a good job when we couldn't be together and share in that success?.” To Adi, that meant a new opportunity to zero in on intrinsic self-esteem and personal development to keep teams motivated and engaged even through the most tiring and toughest of times. > But how?“We've spent lots of effort focussing on personal development and helping (our people) think a little more broadly about their careers – which has created a new understanding of reward. Not just ‘Hey, you've done a great job', but also ‘here's an opportunity to hone your skills'. We have provided our people with opportunities to work on short-term assignments they might not normally experience in their everyday job. This made them feel motivated and excited and in turn, will of course result in them doing a better job at dealing with customers, and supporting the business.”Getting the balance rightCustomise but repeat. Define but evolve. Adi acknowledges that getting the balance right isn't always going to be easy, but that repeatability will help bridge that important ‘space between'. “Design your experiences starting with the customer at the forefront and support your people to provide that experience for every customer, every time.”Some top tips from Uber's Sub-saharan drivers (and riders!)...Tap into warmth and hospitality! “Every single time you come into contact with a customer is an opportunity to engage. Ask your customers if they're ok; find out if they want to listen to music or just sit back and chill. Be that friendly face!”Maximise everyday opportunities“Every day is an opportunity to make a difference. Lost belongings followed up and returned quickly; keys left in the back seat driven across town to make getting inside (and safe) a lot easier - it's the little things that matter.”Encouragement goes both ways “Driving, day in and out, is tiring. A driver shares their energy with you - why not pass the positivity right back! When you see your driver has a ‘5 *' rating, ask them why or simply comment: ‘You must be a really cool person!' It'll make their day.”

In the food and service airport branches where fast food has to be even faster, a focus on excellence at the frontline is key. Here's how Joe ensures his people's insights are used to shape an even better future; how focussing on the right priorities and recognising the value in the work people love the most can alter your legacy; and how he keeps his teams motivated and encouraged. When your plans don't ‘fly'… look for the opportunitiesLet's set the scene for Joe's most recent role at HMS Hosts - the brand behind brands, responsible for operating many of the eateries and stores at airports and travel-stops, including Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Chili's. Joe had just taken some well-deserved time out, spent time writing his first book (and starting a second!) and reflected on what comes next – leading operations for around 1700 restaurants. He had an elaborate 100 day plan ready to execute, and on day two...the US shuts down. Covid had hit. After 10 days, he threw that same plan in the bin:“I knew that it was going to be a different company...that when the pandemic ended, we would grow back differently. I had to restructure the field for the pandemic and now restructure it for the future. It was an opportunity to take forward the best of the culture of the business before the pandemic, but also take advantage of the things we wanted to do differently but didn't, or couldn't...”For Joe, these decisions were shaped, in large, by the stories of the people on HMS Hosts' frontline: “Once I could get on the road again, the very first associate I met was a gentleman who has been working at Chili's for 50 years. There are so many stories of people working 30-50 years in the company and in some cases in the same roles. For me, so much of my job is now being shaped by understanding who our people are, because they are the ones with the understanding of our customer needs, and how to build connections quickly in that travel environment.”Chart your flight around what matters mostOne of Joe's favourite quotes is “Don't be upset by the results that you didn't get from the work that you didn't do.” This helps him to stay grounded in the right responsibilities and invest in the right areas. “Your legacy is set by the things that you talk about, not the things that you want to be important. So if your conversations are finance-led, that's the legacy you're leaving behind. But if you lead with service…”(We know which of those legacies will be the most successful!)Joe shares the perfect example:“Many of us will remember the late fees at Blockbuster. Too many times, this small $2 fee was the cause of debate and dissatisfaction for customers and frontline teams. At the time, the business reported on stores that waived too many fees, creating a message that these payments were important – and more importantly – that making people pay them was more important than providing good service.”“Chicken or fish?” Providing choice for the best recognition outcomes…Throughout Joe's interview, the importance of recognising the type of service you want to be known for comes through strongly.The key here is to establish measurements for your top customer experience priorities, and benchmark those against the level of success you need. To really land those goals, bolt on recognition, and send a message company-wide on how important those experiences are to achieving success, both individually, and as a team.“The Prize Patrol would surprise the stores that provided top service every month. We didn't show up because they had delivered great financials. It was because of guest experience, and that created a powerful message across the organisation.”Joe also advocates for making sure recognition is as tailored as possible: “I've always asked my teams how they'd like to be recognised. Because intention doesn't always come through the way you would like it to. There are those who love public recognition - a shout out in front of the team. Others prefer one-on-one recognition or monetary awards. I think it's really important to be thoughtful about how recognition plays out.”Encouraging your people to take to the sky...in their own wayAirports can be a stressful environment for a lot of HMS Hosts' customers, which means that their members of staff have to be absolute pros at looking after customers when they are at their most rushed (and also least likely to be expecting a memorable moment…) Foundational to this ability, Joe explains, is curiosity. “People have to be really curious about other people, to work in a service environment. When passion and curiosity show up, that's when you'll create experiences that stand out. When you really connect with someone, even if it's only for a few seconds, it's pretty amazing.”He's also an advocate for letting people choose their own flight path when it comes to their career - whether they are a high flyer, or enjoy gliding on ‘cruise control', people often have their own intuitions on where they can add the most value…; “Sometimes you have to find people's strengths and allow those to be a strength for the organisation. I think sometimes, as leaders, we want people to climb up the ladder; to progress - but sometimes that might mean taking them out of the place where they add the most value - and where they're happiest.” ‘Janice' is a perfect example of this. She is just one of the memorable employees that Joe has met on his travels. For almost 50 years, Janice has worked a small kiosk at her local airport and Joe loves to hear her tell amazing stories about her time working there, and about the people she serves. She hasn't aspired to move up to manager and beyond, but she loves what she does. Which brings us back to that rush to the departure gate… We've all been there.. running through the airport, head in a pile of papers and passports, rushing to get to our destination. But even in these moments, life can be about the journey. There are thousands of frontline people at airports around the world who know how to land a smile every time; they know how you feel, and they are ready and waiting to show you that the day is going to be great… but at a pace, because they know you have a flight to catch! “It can be really difficult to smile at someone and then not have them smile back. It may not always change the trajectory of that person's day, but there's a pretty good chance it'll get a little bit better.So on your way to your connecting flight, don't forget to make a connection!

Josh four most important pillars for creating a strong culture... FUN: “You cannot run a business without fun. If you do, everyone's going to be miserable, and no one will want to come to work.” UNITY: “You have got to work together as a team. Teamwork makes the dream work. If there's no teamwork, it'll never work.”EARNINGS: “Well, if you're not making money, that's not going to work either.”LEADERSHIP: “Good leaders will always create other good leaders who lead by example. Remember that the leaders have got to be the strongest; the ones who have a mentally tough mindset to grow others to be even stronger leaders.”And just because they're too good not to share, here are a few more of our favourite Josh-isms...Read the full summary post from the interview here: https://www.frontlinemagic.org/post/gymguyz-give-their-best-advice-for-a-frontline-workout

Anna Egan has deep experience in the fields of customer experience, sales, coaching and training. Her product knowledge and project management expertise have seen her play a pivotal role in building high-performing teams for global organisations. "Building mastery in any frontline skill—customer communication, problem-solving, complaint handling, and so on—takes time. It takes multiple coaching touches, repeated practice sessions, and consistent reinforcement. It's like climbing a ladder."

Find your unique why as a businessThe word amazing isn't just part of Shep's title, it's also part of his company mantra – to always be amazing. Shep believes that crafting your own unique company mantra or mission statement is an essential piece of groundwork for achieving consistent customer service, and something every company should think about. He cites the service vision of the Ritz Carlton as a great example – “We're ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen.” Nine simple words that became the north star of their entire organisation. Your people need to know that they have a big impact, even (and especially) if they feel like they don't, and having a purpose that people can see themselves contributing to is a bedrock of success. That sense of purpose starts with your leaders – it's their role to define it, communicate it and train everybody on it. And as Shep says…“That means everybody. Everybody has to be in it to win it. That philosophy is to be embraced by everyone from the CEO to the most recently hired.” Maximizingtop-qualitytreatedMaximising the quality of care for customers goes hand in hand with embodying top quality care for your people. “Not only is the purpose tenet critical to building a team of people who feel like they are engaged with a meaningful mission; your people need to feel cared for and trusted.”Shep talks about the golden rule we all grew up with, of ‘treating others how we want to be treated', but gives it a twist. “It's simple. We do unto employees what you would have them do unto a customer. You treat people the way you want your customers treated.” Abusing employees or taking your people for granted damages the customer experience in both the short-term and long-term, as the unhappy, unengaged energy of your people will feed directly into their frontline interactions. Beyond showing care and support, embodying the golden rule according to Shep also looks like offering adequate and ongoing training to empower staff to make great decisions, balanced with a healthy dose of trust in your people to do the job. “You want your customers to experience somebody with authority and conviction and confidence. That comes when they feel trusted.”One magic moment after the otherShep believes that lifelong customer loyalty is created one moment; one customer interaction at a time. It's as simple as that. He explains that any time a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, that's a moment of truth. In a single moment based on that one employee the customer is speaking to, the customer forms an emotional impression, for better or worse. “So anytime that customer, member, guest, or whoever it is has the opportunity to form an impression, we want it to be a positive one.” ‘Magic', as he calls it, doesn't have to be over the top. It just has to be better than average and it needs to be consistent to establish a sense of loyalty. This could mean calling back within an hour, resolving each complaint, or following up with an email so the customer never has to do the chasing. With one small magic moment after the other, positive experience becomes predictable, and a sense of reliability, trust and confidence is formed. The customer knows that when they do business with you, beyond your products and services, this extra magic is what they can expect. Forget about lifetime loyalty for a moment, and break it down into more bitesize chunks. Ask yourself and ask your people, how can you make your next interaction more positive? Attitude trumps allWhen you're looking for new people to join your team, or thinking about what traits are most valuable, remember that attitude is king – not just someone who ticks the skills boxes. “There's an old saying – hire for attitude, train the skill. I think attitude is really important and it's not just attitude; it's personality. Make sure that the personality fits.”As the world evolves, new technology, systems and processes can be taught to anyone. It's an openness and eagerness to learn and serve that really sets people apart.Shep's parting words of wisdom for building loyalty? “We're not in a recession, we're in a resignation. You have to create an environment and a culture that attracts people, fulfils people, keeps people, and makes them want to engage with customers.”Recapping Shep's top tips for building customer loyalty Find your mission statement or mantra. It should be something quick and easy to remember that can be the north star of all your interactions. Make sure leaders are embodying it and communicating it to get the rest of the team on board.Treat your people how you want your customers to be treated. This care, support and trust will reflect directly in how they interact with customers. Long term loyalty is created one moment at a time. Don't get too caught up in the long-game, just focus on making your next interaction positive.Attitude wins. While lot of skills can be taught on the job, a better question often is – is this person eager to learn?

Basic #1: Want to lead? Start by serving...Ever heard the saying “We rise by lifting others?” Servant leadership is a management philosophy founded by Robert Greenleaf who teaches that a leader's role is to serve. This is vastly different from traditional leadership where the main focus is the success of the company. A servant leader shares power; puts the needs of the employees first and develops their people for success.Servant leadership is a philosophy Jerry believes in strongly. “It means understanding what employees need and want to achieve, and then giving them tools and resources to meet (their own) performance expectations,” he explains. Another pillar of the philosophy is sharing power. Jerry shares that when starting out in any new role, he would take frontline staff or team leaders into his exec level meetings. “It's about sharing opportunities for creating and implementing new ideas across the business. This creates a culture where every voice is valued…”Basic #2: Want great customer experience? Work on your employee experienceTo Jerry, the most important thing a manager can focus on is their team.“Imagine you've had a bad day. And now you have to get on the phone and talk to a customer – and they're mad. You're not feeling good. How are you going to deliver in that kind of mindset? Now imagine your manager supports you and says ‘I understand, take a couple of minutes, get some coffee, just relax'...”Making sure they have the answers they need by the end of each day is Jerry's highest priority because at the end of the day, customer experience begins and ends with employee experience...“I know there will be emails from business partners and clients, but I make sure that I answer any kind of questions from my frontline employees, my supervisors, or my leaders – every day, no matter what.”Basic #3: Want to hold on tight to quality? You'll need to know when to let go!“When your new manager tells you that your team has a case backlog of four months – or over 40,000 cases – you might want to turn around and run…but there is another way. It's a big call, and some people in the business might question your tactics, but sometimes you just gotta let it go!” explains Jerry. And that's exactly what he did, announcing to his discouraged teams that “We're just going to forget those. We're going to refine our processes and we're going to get the right technology in place. We're not going to win any customer service points by bringing up old service complaints anyway!”Today, the team responds to most cases in the moment, in real time, something that wouldn't have happened if Jerry hadn't cleared a four month backlog for a fresh start.Basic #4: Want to build connections? Digital isn't (always) the answer...Jerry considers the most important attributes for frontline teams to be compassion, empathy and an ability to listen. “One of the industry's biggest challenges is how technology is being incorporated into customer experience,” believes Jerry, cautioning that companies who rely on technology alone are doomed to fail. “We all love to throw technology out there as the answer. But at the end of the day, customer experience is about humanity. It's about communication and connecting. It doesn't matter how we connect – through an email or text, or on the phone – it's about how you create real connection in the digital space and outside of it...”One of Jerry's favourite ‘connections' was how 7-eleven supported babies born on July 11th; or even 11 minutes past 7. Every year, the company would send packages to random families of babies born on that day; as well as core supplies to hospitals to keep new mums and nurses going – like onesies, gifts and a coffee bar for the nurses. “On one occasion, the company even pledged a college fund for one of those babies!”Basic #5: Want brand loyalty? Focus on quality, not quantity! To Jerry, building brand loyalty is simple: “You have to provide a service and meet the customer's expectations.” The complication comes when you consider that not all customers have the same expectation. So how do you set a bar – and how do you raise it so high that customers would have a 7-eleven themed wedding, for example? (Hint: Be sure to tune in to the podcast to hear the full story.)“It's got to be tailored to the individual. And that's what's hard about customer experience because everybody's expectations are different. You have to find the line between what's acceptable and not acceptable, and then make sure the experience you provide is always above the ‘acceptable' range.”Jerry also shares the infamous ‘2 hour 35 minute' call to Zappos story which exemplifies how using the right metrics can drive the right behaviours that build customer loyalty. In this case, tracking call quality, not quantity, but it's a great reminder of how frontline experience can be hindered without the right focus…“You need to cut through the red tape of financial gains metrics to prioritise customer experience. That builds loyalty and that's where you're going to build profitability.”Let's recap Jerry's top five customer service basics:Put your ego aside and practice ‘servant leadership'Work on providing an awesome employee experienceKnow when to start afresh with systems and processesMake building lasting connections on and offline a top priorityKeep your focus on customers; not metrics

Seeing mistakes as opportunityThe story: Ish started his career with Les Mills by mistake, ending up with a sales role after heading into the wrong door for his first chef's job. He could have turned around and walked out - yet this serendipitous event introduced Ish to a new, exciting industry and 27 years later, he's never looked back. “I'd never been to a gym before but went on to retrain as a fitness instructor – it was a big change!”The lesson: We need to start reframing ‘mistakes' as opportunities. When we do that, our greatest successes just might follow. Thriving through new normalsThe story: “When it feels like you have a handle on life and everything it throws at you… there's often one more thing you have to learn how to cope with…” For Ish, during lockdown, this was open heart surgery for a loved one in the middle of an epidemic. “I went into a space where I thought ‘this isn't fair.' I didn't see it differently until a friend asked ‘when did you ever think life was fair?' And isn't that the same with business? This is the best time to work together – look at the problems and work things out as a team. These are the times that show us how strong we are. Some things will be out of our control, but we can still control how we react.”The lesson: While we're looking out for the unexpected and new normals, it's critical to ask: what can we stay in control of and adapt to?The power of reinventionThe story: Les Mills prides itself on personal connection, but during Covid, that connection was abruptly taken away. “For us, that meant a re-think of ‘the way we've always done it'. We landed on creating a great experience no matter where the customer wants to work out - including in the privacy of their home. The key for us was to make that experience as consistent as possible.”The lesson: There is always opportunity to rethink; to reangle. Awesome customer experience comes down to exceeding customer expectations - and there isn't only one way to do that.Leveraging the human touch The story: “Unlike many businesses, our NPS improved through lockdown and it comes down to the connection between clubs and their members. Many of our club's managers took it upon themselves to ring up each and every club member personally to simply ‘check-in'. Some of the members were older members who told us we were the only ones to have rung them over that time just to ask: ‘Are you ok?' There's power in connection.”The lesson: Customer experience comes down to the teams operating at the frontline - this is where success is created and where customers will quickly suss out whether ‘head office vision' has made its way down to every member of staff.As Ish concludes our interview, he tells us that “We can figure things out through life experience, resilience and connection.“ Wise words from a man who has truly lived them.

Mitchell (Mitch) Watkins, Chief Experience Officer at Greenix, is a people person – you can see it in his smile when he talks about leading the team of people he truly cares about. He's had years of experience of frontline sales and spent a career putting his communication strengths and passion for helping people together to become the leader he is today. Greenix is a company that cares about its customers and the team loves what it does. But...Mitch acknowledges that pest control might not be everyone's first job choice and that frontline roles aren't always the easiest roles. He believes that as a leader, you can't apologise for that, but he does have plenty of ideas around how to keep yourself and your team motivated…“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job...” Jim Rohn said this, one of Mitch's favourite authors, and it's a philosophy he takes very literally. Mitch's routine starts in the morning by prioritising what's important to him personally – a workout and time with the family helps him set up his day feeling accomplished and in control. “We all know how easily a day can slip away when you ‘react' to whatever comes up,” says Mitch, who also believes in being deliberate about carving out business time daily for two things that help him avoid ‘firefighter mode':Time on the frontline/with customer – “You have to listen to calls every day. So I always have an hour every single day that includes listening to calls, and spending as much time out on the road as I can.”Moving the business forward – “This is the stuff that isn't immediately urgent… but moves the business forward and improves KPIs and customer experience.”“Jim Rohn also writes about why you should strive for, but not expect, perfection, which often means digging a little deeper than what's comfortable,” says Mitch. That's someone else fault… isn't it?“You have to be willing to self-confront. It can be so easy to want to place the blame somewhere else when things aren't going the way we want, but as the biggest influence on your team and their work, it's always worth taking the time to see if there's anything you can change. This is leading by example – having a growth mindset and creating an environment where it's okay for your team to make mistakes. No-one should feel like they have to be perfect. Nobody needs that type of stress.”A constant at Greenix is the one-to-one sessions that everyone has with their leader each week, and this time is used for three-to-one feedback: three things that were done really well, and one opportunity to improve. Mitch uses this same process on himself to continue working on personal development and those self-confronting issues.Communication is the key to successA large proportion of Greenix's frontline employees are college students – high energy, super smart and ambitious. “They want to be something other than a customer service agent at a regional pest control company, right? This isn't their dream job. And I totally get that. So we have set the Greenix experience up as a stepping stone to whatever you want to do next.”Mitch uses an example of a tech developer (with typically not much skill when it comes to communication) vs a CTO (who will typically have great communication skills) to demonstrate how valuable working in a call centre can be. “The number one best place to learn how to be a great communicator is on the phones. 60% of communication in non-verbal, so you're already down 40% of your toolbox. If you can be a great communicator on the phone, you can be a great communicator in any situation..and that will set you up for success in future!”Be like BobTurning to the subject of team motivation, Mitch recalls a time when he received praise from Bob – his senior leader at the time – and how that one phone call left him feeling on top of the world, validated for the good work he was doing and motivated to do even more. “Where we often think of bigger, company-wide reward programs as the key to recognising high performers, it's good to remember how much a quick call can mean to someone.” Going from good to great…‍At Greenix, customer feedback data is also leveraged as a team motivator. “Getting that information to our frontline is key. To do that, we've gamified the data into a leaderboard which is a good way of letting individuals know where they're at, but not using feedback and data as a weapon.” There's enough for everyone!‍Finally, Mitch has some words of wisdom from Zig Ziglar that have helped him avoid picking up traits of a ‘scarcity mindset'. “You can have everything in life you want, if you'll just help other people get what they want.” This quote has helped Mitch create a mindset of abundance. “If we can help someone else now, that's going to open doors down the road when we need it…”Powerful advice from a servant leader; and the evidence of his approach speaks for itself....

Leaders set the tone… Christine starts our chat with a powerful example of an unsuccessful Starbucks store that made a 180 degree turnaround based on just one thing: a new manager! Her belief is that leaders set the tone - for the team, the store environment, and customers. “If you take care of your employees, they'll take care of the customers. If employees are happy, customers are happy. And how do you make your employees happy? You make sure they have really great managers…”A service culture doesn't simply ‘happen'; it's created by strong leaders who set the tone for those around them. Make it right, by making it simple...Beyond great leadership, Christine is a huge advocate of keeping things simple…Research by Gallup shows that only half of all employees know what's expected of them at work. This could be because of a 10-point mission and vision statement, or because a binder of rules isn't always applicable on the ground. “The service standard you set should be easy to understand, and even easier to follow. At Starbucks, that standard was: Make every moment right. It wasn't about pumping out lattes, it was about enjoying the mission of human connection over a cup of coffee.” Building buy-inShe adds that at the frontline, employees want to make their customers happy, but if business philosophies and procedures are making it hard, then you're in a lose-lose situation.“At Starbucks, empowerment - which is central to buy-in - looks like talking about what can be done, not what can't because interactions that build relationships can't be mandated…”She's always encouraged her teams to do what feels right in the moment because most of the time, empowered employees make a better decision for the customer than if they had been asked to follow a rule book… and if not, it offers coaching opportunities around creating even better experiences in future.Christine shares how at one Starbucks store, there was a board at the back of the shop featuring staff names and anyone could recognise a colleague by placing a card featuring one of the company's values (which supported the service standard) under a colleague's name. It was spontaneous, powerful, peer-to-peer and a great way of building buy-in through positive reinforcement. Don't assume what matters most The Starbucks service standard is a direct reflection of what really matters to the customer and its strategy has been shaped around these expectations.“Doing things any other way is a waste of time for your business, your frontline teams and your customers,” believes Christine.She adds, “It's really important to design metrics and priorities through the lens of the customer, based on what you know they value and what they have told you they want… not what you think they think…”Coaching and feedback in the moment‍Christine also talks about the importance of regular coaching from managers which combines more formal metrics with on-the-job learning. “Starbucks has taken this to a whole new level by asking customers for feedback on the spot and using that feedback in coaching and recognition conversations. This can be a scary prospect, but more often than not, customers are delighted to be asked to provide input and in most cases, they want their barista to know that they're doing a great job.”Christine's final tips for nailing that perfect cuppa (or when it comes to Starbucks, delivering that all important ‘more…') ?Use your customer's name - it's a powerful way of communicating warmth and belonging.Give them something ‘more' - even if it's just an extra napkin for their sugary pastry (listen to the full episode to hear this story…)Make conversation! - if they're carrying five coffees, ask them if they're going to an office party. It's all about noticing them! Prescribe the ‘what', but not the ‘how' - By all means, make greeting a customer mandatory, but not what that greeting should be. Empower and encourage the frontline worker to do this in a way that feels right to them. Huddles aren't only for agile software teams - Don't underestimate the power of a pre-shift huddle to get everyone on the same page!

Leadership is never about you!Having started his career at Disney parking cars, Dan knows that the bright lights of success aren't ever achieved alone and is refreshingly realistic about leadership and the privilege that comes with position. It's all about role-modelling “At Disney, everyone is expected to pick up trash. It doesn't matter what your role is. As a leader, I couldn't tell everyone to do all this and not do it myself…”Control vs influence“A lot of people think that once you get into an executive role, you have this authority to just tell people what to do and you can control everything. That's not true. You really don't control a lot of things, but you can influence everything. Hire great people and be there to support them...let them know how important their jobs are and give them a purpose.”Focus your feedback on behaviour“You aren't here to judge people personally - your job is to judge their behaviors, because that's what you can observe and manage. In sports, the coach gives feedback all the time – ‘Put your foot back, stand up straight, turn more to the side, hold the racket like this'. They're always giving constructive feedback, and we don't take that to mean they don't like us...you know it's because they're trying to make you better.”Success is all in the detail!If we take a ‘close up' of how a Disney park runs day-to-day and how every customer interaction should look, Dan explains that it comes down to just four key values:Safety – every employee is empowered to step in and act on a customer or colleague's behalf… because when done right, customers probably won't notice, but gone wrong, your brand could suffer exponentially. Courtesy – always a non-negotiable for frontline teams! Disney is particularly famous for their friendly employees. Never underestimate the power of a smile and a chat.The show – add your own element of ‘pizazz'/magic/wow factor...whatever you want to call it – go the extra mile and make the customer feel really special.Efficiency – always important, but deliberately in last place… and never at the expense of the first three values!“Building a culture that lives these values daily comes down to a very ‘Disney' way of doing things – storytelling and sharing great examples that reinforce these values. This storytelling creates an environment where people feel good, and confident, about what they're doing and feeds their inner purpose. They know their work makes a meaningful difference to someone else's day because we haven't just told them how - we've given them actual, tangible examples. ” (Make sure you listen to the full podcast to hear about the magic wishing rock and a last dance in front of the Disney castle!) It's all about the team...When it comes to hitting the ground and getting things done, we rely on no one else more than our frontline teams. So first and foremost, make sure you have the right people on your team, advises Dan. “If you don't have the right person for the job, it doesn't matter how much you pay them, or how much you train them, or how much you recognise them - they'll only be capable of doing the job a certain way. The people who have a great attitude are the ones who are going to create those magical moments for guests.” Dan thinks about service this way - the goal is not the creation of exceptional service; it's to have customers return to and recommend The Magic Kingdom. But while service is not the goal, it is the mechanism for creating the memories that build brand trust, consistency and ultimately loyalty, and the people who connect with customers daily take on that responsibility. SHOWTIME! (again, and again, and again...)The cast is ready, the team and culture in place – and it's time to put on a show… and put it on consistently well for every customer.“Consistency is a challenge. Hospitality can be repetitive, so when you're doing things over and over again, you have to be careful to keep that energy and excitement high. Our customers could have saved their whole life to come to Walt Disney World for one of the most memorable days of their life. And we get to be part of that!”“To achieve this, you have to give your people room to be creative and create moments that are exceptional and memorable. Their actions are why people come back again and again… and they keep building your brand. Empowering them is key.”Every day gives a new opportunityAnd finally – even when you're feeling like the ball and not the Louisville Slugger, Dan believes that every day is a new day to learn: “Get up and do your best, and at the end of the day, forgive yourself. You're going to fail, get things wrong and make bad decisions. The only thing we can do is learn and do better next time.” Dan's final top tip for making a positive change to how you serve your customers is to step into their shoes and try out your product. “Admittedly, a day at Disney World isn't a hardship, but the principle of ‘stepping back' from what you know and just enjoying what you have to sell can give you a new perspective and even a few new focuses on your to-do list!”

“Our customers trust us with their vulnerabilities, the things that make them the most self-conscious and they haven't even told anyone else about, until they come into a clinic,” says Fran. How, when the customer calling or visiting, isn't even confident that they are doing the right thing, do you make immediate connections to put them at ease and work your way towards magic? Keep reading to find out...All about NPS To Caci, NPS and customer feedback is key. “Even after a negative response, we aim to turn around what the customer experienced by reaching out immediately to say we're so sorry to have received that feedback today and then we ask – ‘how can we help?' It's really important to ensure the customer feels heard.”Caci utilises online platforms (such as Ask Nicely) to collect and analyse customer feedback data and they share this information right across the business.“This customer feedback helps to identify where the biggest opportunities for change are, and where training and coaching are needed,” says Fran, adding that this focus isn't just ‘lip service' - the company's annual awards conference is also based on customer satisfaction, with the most coveted prize being that of ‘highest customer metrics' amongst almost 600 employees. Holy moly – I would never do that… would I?Fran believes that because customer expectations are so high, an ‘OK' or even ‘good' experience can be underwhelming – and that feeling can be massively damaging for a brand – resulting in customer churn and lost revenues. “The key to beating that feeling, is consistency - ensuring that a customer knows they will receive an exceptional experience every time they visit.” But how can that level of service be assured in a growing company with a growing number of employees? Fran believes that clear frameworks and processes are the foundation to ensuring everyone knows the minimum expectations around customer interaction, and encouraging them to go above and beyond. “A lot of people who join us are really experienced in the industry and provide a great customer experience. But regardless, everyone receives training. It's great that we're building on a really strong foundation, but training is how we create consistency.”Caci uses lots of video content and activity-based learning to help instill key messages. “Just as important as highlighting the right things to say; is highlighting what doesn't make for a consistent customer experience. Often, when watching the videos, people will laugh and think ‘holy moly that's funny, of course I wouldn't do that', but it really helps to land the message.” Coaching teams for success The customers and unique situations that Caci deals with everyday can be extremely complex, so looking after the people who look after these customers is more important than ever. “All support offices, franchisee partners and their teams have constant and immediate access to customer feedback data. This has helped us identify where to invest training and coaching resources, including focusing on clinics or staff who need specific support along with scheduled and ongoing coaching sessions.” Fran's final thoughts on creating a ‘beautiful' customer experiences include:‘Good' vs ‘Awesome' is an intangible thing – It can be hard to put your finger on what the difference is, but you can just feel it – the energy and the magic behind it.“Think about all of the little things you can do – they might be easy to overlook when it's busy, but done properly, that's what makes an experience special.”Passionate people from the start – The magic begins when you recruit people who really find joy in what they do, so take the time to get to the crux of what makes them tick. With all the skills in the world, you still can't train someone to be passionate about caring for customers.“You can have the best marketing and strategy in the world, but at the end of the day, it's the team that connects with customers every day.”Put yourself in the customers' shoes – Never underestimate the power of relationships and building empathy for your customer.“As cliche as it sounds, I truly believe it's about listening to your customer, being humble, and having the ability to empathise.”Live your core purpose every day – It's one thing to have core values, but it's another to make sure that everyone in the business lives and breathes those values every day, for every customer. At Caci, the ‘Simon Sinek method' (start with ‘why') resonates with the team and helps drive every decision made.“How many customers' lives are we going to change today? We keep that front of mind and don't ever take for granted the trust that customers put in our teams.”

How the ‘toilet paper wars' played out at our largest supermarket chainsAccelerated by Covid and the response to lightning-speed changes to customer shopping habits, there's a growing trend in retail to build business success through doing what's right for the customer. But is it counterintuitive to do the right thing instead of managing the bottom line? And how can we make sure that following an ethical North Star, won't take customer experience south?We talked to Wadim Schreiner, Head of Customer Insights & Customer 1st, to delve into how the infamous ‘toilet paper wars' played out at Australia/New Zealand's largest supermarket chains. Wadim's obsession with customers started well before ‘CX' (customer experience) and ‘UX' (user experience) became common acronyms and he's turned his deep understanding of consumer behaviour and data into his passion and profession, leading cross-functional teams at Woolworths NZ (Countdown), the country's largest food retailer (and subsidiary of the Australian Woolworths Group). Amazing customer experience when everything else is less than amazing 2020 saw the retail giant thrust into a ‘new normal' when people from across the businesses suddenly became ‘frontline workers'. “We all had a role to play, not only to keep the business running, but to care for our most vulnerable and anxious or even just plain upset people in the community. There was no recipe around how to operate in that kind of environment, but we worked fast and found new ways to create amazing customer experiences, when everything else seemed anything but amazing…” says Wadim. Countdown may not have had a recipe… but Wadim thinks they did already have the ingredients...All Covid did was underline the essentials…“None of this is new. A lot of people are saying that Covid is going to change the world (of customer experience). It isn't. A few things have been accelerated, but the fundamentals of great customer engagement haven't changed in thousands of years...”Customer feedback as the fuel of a healthy businessAn average experience is one that the customer expects to happen; for the right product to arrive at the right time, in the right condition. An awesome experience goes one step further and does something the customer doesn't expect. “That sounds easy enough…but so many still get the basics of an average experience wrong. Being awesome is hard work; and then the problem with being awesome is that the more awesome you become, the harder you have to work to be more awesome. All the time!” Luckily these days there are tools and platforms that make understanding customer expectations easier than ever before. These are critical in helping you take that one step beyond, and ensuring a consistent focus on what the customer is saying. “At Countdown, we run regular customer panels, bringing customers into the business so that leaders, marketers and the sales teams can hear what customers think, ask questions and discuss ideas. The conversations do not always go in the direction we want, but without that feedback, there is no way to improve what we do from the customer's perspective, rather than the business,” says Wadim. His belief around the importance of these sessions is pretty uncompromising: If you're not open to feedback, and don't have mechanisms in place to get feedback; if you don't know how to deal with that feedback - you don't stand a chance of succeeding with customers.Throw away the customer experience handbook!He goes on to say that Countdown doesn't have an official handbook for staff – and that the concept of ‘The Handbook' will often have the opposite effect than intended. “The problem with handbooks is that once people read them; they think ‘that's what I've got to go and do and nothing else.' But if you also give people access to regular customer feedback, irrespective of their role, then everyone sees what customers think and uses that as a point for improvement. That's the best handbook!”Frontline magic, with no rules!The now widely publicised “Quiet Hour” at Countdown supermarkets for vulnerable customers began at the request of just one customer who thought it would make shopping for her child with a learning disability easier. Listening to that one customer, one staff member was able to create a viral wave of support and positive media – a win-win for everyone!Similarly, during those early weeks of Covid lockdown, the customer voice was more important than ever. Talking to customers who were scared, screaming or crying was a wake up call to do things differently. “At Countdown, without a definitive ‘recipe card' for success, but knowing we all had the ingredients, we trusted our people to take the lead – even if that meant giving orders for free to keep people safe.”It's in those moments that Wadim says you'll find the magic...“People need to throw off the shackles of defined responsibility. This means they can actually focus on just doing what is right for the customer; without fear that there's going to be any repercussions.”That's a tough leap to take, and Wadim admits that they didn't always get it right, but every mis-step was an opportunity to learn and make it right for the customer. Don't judge by success, but by learningsWadim loves this quote from the late President and iconic humanitarian Nelson Mandela: “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” He wishes that the team could always hit that magic note, but acknowledges that we have to fail to learn to progress. “Countdown talks about ‘The power of 18,000' – that's 18,000 members of the team, every one of them knowing that they have a role to play in helping to make customer lives better every day. Giving them the autonomy to work on ideas and put them into action will unlock that potential in our business.”CX secretsWadim's final advice for creating memorable experiences is remarkably simple: “Keep focusing on it. In a world where there's so many things that you need to go and do - remember to focus on what your customers experience.” “Seek feedback; and allow negative feedback to motivate you to do better”“Don't accept the average. Push harder to achieve much more than average! Make awesome experiences your new average…”“Everyone should be exposed to customers. No exceptions. If you don't do this, you run the risk of making business decisions from the ivory tower and they're usually wrong.”To hear the full interview, head over to our Podcast.

Jim is intensely passionate about his role in the business which includes mentoring franchise owners and their teams for success and making sure every customer is amazed by the service from their local Jim's team. So when he says that nothing is ever good enough – we know it's tough love coming from a leader who just wants the best for his people and customers.“The only thing that matters when you're in service is, is the customer happy. If you can wow them, they're going to give you upsells and referrals – a happy customer is the real road to success.”But living continuous improvement and innovation isn't always easy – so how can you be sure that your team wants to create that wow experience for customers? The advice Jim shares relates to what he believes are the three key pillars for building a successful frontline service culture:Great leadership and a sense of communityA shared passion for service and success; andMechanisms for growth - personally and professionallyRelationships are the key‍“In the beginning, what we offer is work. But people stay because of the relationships – a sense of community that our people often talk about as being a family.”Jim talks a lot about building a community that genuinely cares about each other. Building relationships and proactive communication between leaders and teams, divisions and peers, should be a key focus for anyone wanting to build a healthy team culture. A shared belief in what matters most“Research shows that successful companies have one consistent thing in common – they've held on tight to a core value or purpose.”Jim is adamant that a shared passion for service and success is the backbone of the company's operations. Almost everything else within their business could change or be improved – processes, products and systems, but this core value or purpose is what holds the team, the family, together.It's amazing what people are capable of - trust them!‍“It's very important to motivate, and let people know they're okay. It's okay to fail. What's not okay is to not try.”Jim's approach to innovation is non-apologetic. He believes that being open to new ideas is only half the challenge. The real key to success is in your response and how you act on that same feedback. “A really quick risk assessment will weed out the potential for creating a customer WOW moment; versus wasted $$$. What matters is giving it a go! Encourage your people to innovate; respect new ideas and new ways of thinking. It's amazing what people are capable of in the right situation and what could happen if you decide to trust them.Jim's final thoughts on culture and continuous improvement? Listen, Listen, Listen. Read, Read, Read.Act on feedback “Keep channels of feedback open – surveys, stats, a chat with a colleague or reading complaints – every piece of feedback is a chance to make a positive change, and not only for your business, but more importantly for your community. Always be ready to listen, listen, listen.”Keep improving… not just the business, but yourself “Look to the people around you for inspiration and surround yourself with people you can learn from. There is always an opportunity to learn something new, and books by great leaders and coaches are worth the time they take to read.”

Know your purpose‍GreenPal employees live out the company virtues every day through company routines and habits – the most important of which is interacting with their customers and vendors. “Values are written on a whiteboard. Virtues are things that you do. Firsthand experience closes the gap between customer logic and company logic - what the customer wants vs what the company thinks they want.” Yes, the operational processes and routines are important in getting the job done – but Bryan says “all of that almost doesn't matter if you're not embodying the purpose and virtues and constantly reiterating them,” – because without that focus and buy-in, how can you expect the team to be invested in innovation and improvements to support vendor achievements, and the success of the business? Use feedback as your R&D department‍“The customer's voice is like our R&D department. It's how we know if what we're doing is effective or not, and what we should work on.”By making it super easy for people to talk to you, and giving them clear company guardrails, you are giving them the opportunity to create wow moments – and you'll be surprised where those ideas can take you… and how effective a $5 dog bone can be!“GreenPal offers value and convenience to homeowners – connecting the buyer to the seller. But our why is the success of our vendors. If homeowners get a high five, then the vendors get a hug.”Creating value… for discontent customers‍Brian shares a quote from Jeff Bezos:“One thing I love about customers is that they are divinely discontent. Their expectations are never static – they go up. It's human nature.”Innovation is key for success – because change is constant, including customer expectations for how you can add value to their life. Not delivering enough value will be picked up in metrics pretty quickly!“We make it really simple for anybody that uses our products to talk to us, so we're always very certain what the next three or four things we need to work on are. A constant focus on innovation means we've never been at a loss as to what to do next.”Every day is a school day‍So many established, great leaders acknowledge the mistakes they made along the way and what they learned to get to where they are now – so why not take the time to learn from them too?“If you're doing business well, you're growing, and should completely evolve every three to five years. That's one of the beautiful things about business - it makes you want to level up and grow.”Brian encourages leaders to allocate time in the week to invest in becoming a good leader and tells us that he has “Probably watched a million hours of YouTube over the years, learning from hundreds of mentors.”“Your living room must become a classroom, or your car a mobile classroom because you're always listening and trying to learn from leaders to understand your leadership style and how are you going to implement that into your business.”The final cut on creating frontline magic:Make it as easy as possible for your customer to communicate with you.Remember that feedback is a gift - it's not happening to you, it's happening for you.‍Align your company purpose and incentivesSuccess is based on everyone wanting to provide great value and service for the customer.Your brand is nothing more than a promiseThink of your brand as a bank account – all the planning and strategy that deposits into the account won't stop the brand equity withdrawals made by the customer who you didn't look after…

Ryan shares some words of wisdom in this episode, below are some of the highlights. Making people matterThe inspiration for Charles' book is a sad one, having lost a well-loved colleague suddenly – Jason had a contagious energy and passion for customer service, and made everyone he met feel like they matter with just one line: “Thanks for coming in today.”Charles knew he would miss hearing that line from Jason, every day, and has honoured him ever since by greeting employees at his hotel with the same line. He says that now and then, someone gets confused – of course they are there if they were rostered on – but it's about letting them know that you truly appreciate their time and effort on that day!“Every job matters, and it really matters when people make the decision to come to work. We're one or two people away, every day, from either a really great day or pure hell, because every person's presence has an impact.”A mop can be replaced – your best employee cannot!Charles acknowledges that the secrets to building a happy and motivated team probably can't be shared in just a few sentences, but boils it down to these fundamentals:Leadership – Your leaders must be genuinely appreciative of the time and effort that their team puts in every single day. It all starts there – but there's more at play here…The right tools – Charles shares a story about a long-term housekeeper who left a job simply because her manager wouldn't budget the few dollars it costs to replace her old and dirty mop; the single most important thing for her to be able to do her job well. For this reason, Charles keeps a “mop list” – the things that people just really need to do their job well.“We may not want to admit this to ourselves, but employees don't come to work, excited to provide customer service for their manager or the brand. They want to provide good service because it makes them feel good and it's a representation of themselves. So if you're not providing them with the tools that they need to do the job, you're impacting their personal representation.”The right people - When hiring, the Westin's final step in the interviewing process is to look for a passion for customer service – someone with ‘a servant heart' who lives to make others smile. This passion makes everything else easier - from on-boarding to living out the “service pledge”(more below). Blow people away with the service basicsCharles is a big believer in creating a “service pledge” for your brand, and is surprised at the number of businesses who haven't taken the time to develop this foundation. A service pledge reflects the basic service standards that everyone in the business lives out for every customer – super simple, but incredibly important.Here's one service basic that should be at the top of everyone's list, and one that consistently earns positive feedback from guests at the Westin Fort Lauderdale – the 20/10 rule. “Within 20 feet of a customer make eye contact. Within 10 feet, there must be a verbal exchange; hello, good morning, how's your stay going? This simple exchange is the single most important way to make your business feel friendly, and will quickly change the vibe of an environment.”And we'll leave you with one last quote for continuous improvement that Charles lives by, from Buddy LaRosa (a frontline success magician himself!):“Good, better, best. Never let it rest… until your good is better, and your better is best”

The sisters are no strangers to the hotel industry – having built up The Spire in Queenstown to critical acclaim. The duo sold it ten months on from purchase after it won recognition as Australasia's leading boutique hotel, New Zealand's leading ski resort, and New Zealand's leading boutique hotel. “After our success with The Spire, Hotel Montreal was a chance to take something special and put our own stamp on it,” says Lucy. And that's exactly what they've done, to rave reviews of their patrons. The Kiwi entrepreneur is refreshingly candid, and simple, about what works – pointing to good, old-fashioned altruism; intuition; attention to detail and treating staff like family. Here's what we learnt about creating a 5 star customer experience when we caught up recently… A rising tide lifts all boats ‍Queenstown (New Zealand) and surrounding areas rely on tourism, with many businesses serving the same customer base. When running The Spire, Lucy intentionally built strong relationships with these other businesses – supporting them where she could. In return, they were quick to recommend her hotel as a wonderful place to stay. “These relationships created personalized and unique experiences for our customers,” says Lucy. Recently, a group of guests from the hotel visited a local coffee shop and were introduced to some of the team there; which resulted in a lunch with Hollywood actor Sam Neill at his local winery – now that's 5 star, and a win/win for all!Past experience doesn't dictate future success When hiring, Lucy tries to look beyond past experience because what made for a 5 star experience in a previous role might conflict with what's needed in a new role. “Look for people who have the same values as your business – for us, that's a genuine interest in connecting with people; intuition that helps build relationships and flexible thinking. Everything else that helps our business run operationally can be taught, but it's these people skills that are fundamental to our success.”Get in touch with your sensesLucy's also learnt that delivering a 5 star experience – every time and for every customer – requires paying a lot of attention to the little things. “To be truly memorable, we need to activate all the senses – think about what the customer can see, hear, touch, smell and taste,” says Lucy. Senses can trigger a memory; or create a moment. Lucy's hotel makes use of personalized scent, fabrics, art and more to create feelings of nostalgia and new memories and she's convinced it's the difference between blah...and aaaah! It's a family affairWith two sisters owning the business, the Hotel Montreal is already ‘a family affair'. Lucy's challenge? “Take it one step further by truly caring for, respecting and trusting your team as if they were family.” Not surprisingly, Lucy's staff join the business and want to stay – they have the confidence to make decisions; share feedback with the team; and feel appreciated for the hard work they do. “Shining a light on frontline achievements – big and small, and making that recognition personal, brings the team and management closer together.”Lucy's final ‘gold star' tips on creating magic for your customers? Take risks! Sometimes, trusting your intuition is the best thing you can do. Don't be afraid to be distinctly you – and let that show through your brand. Create something different and you'll be remembered! Focus on a niche. You don't need everyone coming through the door; you need the right people coming. Make your space one that customers want to be in – young and old. Make sure they feel welcomed and embraced. Be a bit unpredictable. Keep things fresh and exciting. Surprise people and they'll want more!

Here are Mitch's top tips for supporting your frontline:Make your people your purposeCreating psychological safety is keyAsk for feedback AND act on it!Stay in the field!Empower your people to identify and to fix problemsRead more about what they mean to Mitch here.

A common theme across the best companies that Adrian has worked with is that they are always open to new things. You can't stay at the top of the charts by resting on your laurels and singing the same old tune. Working hard, intensely so, but staying humble is key. Thinking that you're already the best and what you've achieved will keep you that title can't be the leading strategy for any organization wanting to earn customer loyalty. Make sure you're looking for opportunities to do better in different and innovative ways. It's about improving, constantly. Planning the future; researching the next big thing in technology and experimenting around different ways of working are really important, but all useless if you aren't hyper-focused on what's happening here and now. The future is built on the present, and the best organizations are those who are working on being the best they can be right now – because it's in the here and now that your customer is ready to spend money with you. If they tell you about the brilliant service they received, capture that – and transfer it to those future plans.If you think about the brands that are held up as being the best, their CX secrets are hiding in plain sight… they have their basics for the customer down to a T, and that's how they treat every customer, every day. To get to that point, you really must understand your customer's needs, and that takes ongoing dialogue. Talk to them about what they do, how your service helps them, their buying history with you, and what they expect from your organization in the future. (But don't forget the here and now – always involve them in a conversation about what's happening right now, and how you can make their day easier.)Those consistent conversations with customers will give you priceless feedback on all aspects of your business. But – don't fall into the danger of thinking you know all the issues affecting customers, or what they love most about your brand. Think again! Each and every one of those small annoyances or moments of magic could easily be dismissed as insignificant. It's building on a lot of those little things that will add up to big things. We often take for granted the results we see when a beautiful painting sells for a record amount, or a new 100m world record is smashed – but these huge achievements are the product of hard work, and small improvements daily.

Here's a summary of some top tips from Lisa on how to create magic for your customers:- Listen…to the good and the bad – from your staff and your customers.- Lead from the frontline, not from the back office. Allow your people to take ownership of their job and delivery.- Give positive feedback to your people and share it with the wider team - even with their family!- Encourage being proud of the work you do and its purpose – you are there to serve and that is an exception, exciting thing.

What does it take to deliver awesome customer experience in people-powered businesses? The Frontline Magic Podcast is where we talk to industry leaders about the magic tricks that help them create experiences that keep customers coming back for more. Follow along as we unlock the secrets, the real stories - the magic that makes every customer experience awesome. With your host Susanne Axelsson. Let's unravel the secrets of world class customer experience together!