Page 68 - Lighting Magazine December 2018

ALA
ALA Conference Report
The recent ALA Conference in Asheville, N.C. delivered thought- provoking educational sessions as well as valuable networking opportunities. Here is a sampling of what went on.
BY LINDA LONGO
BETTER THAN CUSTOMER SERVICE
For greater loyalty from new and existing customers, strike the hackneyed term “customer service” from your corporate dictionary and practice Gracious Hospitality instead.
The boast of providing “good customer service” has become so over-used in the business world, it has virtually no impact on custom-
ers anymore. With the recent ALA Conference set in Asheville, N.C., home to the renowned Biltmore® estate, two executives from the nearby landmark’s Center for Professional Development held an inter- active session that translated “the Biltmore Way” of best practices into steps that could be applied to a endees’ businesses.
“We don’t use the term ‘customer service.’ That’s not our goal,” explained ALA Conference keynote speaker Anna Sullins, SPHR, SHRM, Training & Development Manager for the Biltmore Center for Professional Development. “We o er Gracious Hospitality.’ True Gracious Hospitality is warm, au- thentic, and real. It’s how you make people feel,” she explained, citing the example of a restaurant server who, upon hearing a diner rave about her dish, re- turns to the table with a copy of the recipe signed by the chef. “Gracious Hospitality goes beyond cus- tomer service,” she a rmed.
STarT wITH THe wHy
“At Biltmore, we don’t talk about how an employee does a task; we start with the why. Why do you do what you do? All of you have a compelling reason why you do something,” Sullins said. “We seek out ways to exceed expectations that is sustainable and makes nancial sense. Now, how can you exceed customers’ expectations in small, yet perceptive, ways?”
Sullins asked the audience to make a list of the ser- vice providers they interact with on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis (i.e. cable, TV, phone, internet, elec- tric, delivery). “Put a checkmark next to any service providers that you love,” she remarked. “Now put a big X through a service provider you can’t stand giv- ing money to.” These are the companies you have a strong feeling about, one way or the other.
ALA Conference keynote speaker Anna Sullins
64 enLIGHTenment magazine | december 2018
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