By: Nick Kacher
Have you ever stayed at a Ritz-Carlton? I’ve had the pleasure only once, but boy, did it make an impression. I know The Ritz-Carlton has a stellar reputation and the reality far exceeded my expectations. At a Primerus event years ago, one of its executives spoke about the “The Ritz-Carlton Difference.” It is centered around the idea of building customer loyalty, not simply customer satisfaction. How could The Ritz-Carlton stand apart from the competition by making sure that its highly satisfied guests became reliable and loyal clients?
What is the difference between The Ritz-Carlton and the scores of other luxury hotel brands? Does The Ritz-Carlton have beautiful hotels? Yes. Does it have amazing properties overlooking vast oceans? Yes. Does it have the finest Egyptian cotton sheets? Yes. Does it have five-star restaurants? Absolutely. One could surmise that these things lead to the continued loyalty of their customers, but it is not. Because right next door to The Ritz-Carlton is another gorgeous hotel, set on the same oceanside bluff, with high thread count sheets and another five-star restaurant. And next to this second hotel…there may be yet another grand hotel. So how does The Ritz-Carlton consistently lead all brands,not just hotels, in customer loyalty year after year? Service!
Its entire reputation has been earned by having the best service in the industry. And I remember the executive saying that if you are going to be known for your service, it must be exceptional service, all the time, from every single employee. Great service some of the time is good, but it is expected. Great service most of the time is great, but is not enough to truly set you apart. It has to be excellent service, all of the time, by every single employee. Then, and only then, will you be the gold standard for service and overall customer satisfaction. Once you become the gold standard for service, the satisfied customer becomes a life-long loyal customer.
Every employee from the CEO to the front desk receptionist all know and live by the company’s credo: Bringing genuine care and comfort to our guests is our highest mission, and we constantly strive to provide the finest personal services and facilities in all of our hotels and resorts. This is put into practice through Three Steps of Service which include a warm and sincere greeting using each guest’s name, anticipating and fulfilling their needs, and saying a fond farewell, again addressing them by name. Employees are empowered to exceed customer expectations by demonstrating 12 Service Values that are taught, trained and ingrained in everything they do.
Another company you may have heard of directly adopted many of The Ritz-Carlton’s techniques for creating loyal customers and instilling pride in delivering exceptional customer service. It seems to have worked pretty well for them too. The company is Apple. If Apple sees fit to borrow from The Ritz-Carlton, maybe it is something you should consider for your law firm.
You are part of Primerus, so I already assume you provide great client service, but is it the best in town? The Ritz’s Three Steps of Service and 12 Service Values are simple, well-established, and easy to follow. So are the things that are foundational in Primerus. Demonstrate that you are good people who happen to be good lawyers and that the Primerus Pillars (integrity & civility, leading edge competence and community service) describe your people and your firm. Show them how you deliver on the Primerus Promise (partner-level concierge care, excellent work product, reasonable fees, and global coverage). Establishing precise customer service standards, ensuring that good practices are spread firm-wide, and, most importantly, engaging and empowering employees to proactively exceed client expectations will help your firm create a service-oriented approach that clients will not soon forget.