A Customer Service Story: The Ritz-Carlton Way

One of the most visited articles on my blog (so I’m told) is a piece I wrote a few years back titled, "Customer Service: The Ritz-Carlton Way." It discusses the six steps that make Ritz-Carlton customer service so exceptional and unparalleled.

Well just last week, I received a call from a good friend of mine who related a wonderful story about Ritz-Carlton. Dennis Lacognata is a partner in a company called Prompt Mailers in Staten Island, NY. They are a full service mail house and if you’re looking to put together a great direct mail campaign visit their website.

The great story Dennis told me was about his daughter, Annemarie.

About a year ago, Annemarie and her husband spent their honeymoon at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Hawaii on the island of Kauai. Naturally, they had a great time.

A few months ago, Annemarie received a phone call from someone at Ritz-Carlton. Being a smart organization that prides itself on service and follow-up, Ritz-Carlton knew that Annemarie and her husband would soon be celebrating their first anniversary. Figuring they would want to celebrate in style, they offered her a terrific package deal to stay at one of their hotels in the Caribbean. Naturally, Annemarie booked it immediately.

No sooner was the reservation booked that Annemarie received a call from the concierge at the Ritz-Carlton where they’ll be staying. The concierge asked if there was anything he could do to make this occasion even more special.

Annemarie said there was nothing she could think of at the moment, but was there anything special he had in mind? Did he ever!

The concierge told Annemarie they had a beautiful package that would allow them to renew their vows in a setting that was romantic, and Ritz-Carlton would arrange for everything: Limo, a setting on the beach at sunset, the priest, music; all top drawer. You couldn’t say no.

So Annemarie and her husband bought the package and sometime this month they will fly to the Caribbean to celebrate their first anniversary, Ritz-Carlton style. Why?

Because Ritz-Carlton:

When was the last time you received a phone call from a hotel or resort who felt that you were important enough to keep as a customer? And it wasn’t as if Annemarie and her husband had been longtime steady clients. As a smart company, Ritz-Carlton knows that if they can do a great job for this nice young couple just as they’re starting out in life, then they will have a place in their hearts for a very long time.

Many years ago, I received one of the best pieces of advice from a great speaker named Joel Weldon. He told me: “If you want to be successful, look at what everyone else is doing and do something different.”

That’s what Ritz-Carlton does everyday.