From Tableside to Tech: Crafting Memorable Experiences in Customer Service

From Tableside to Tech: Crafting Memorable Experiences in Customer Service

Last week, Pendo.io's Company Kick-off brought together teams worldwide for a transformative event to celebrate success, reflect, glean wisdom from our leaders, and ignite inspiration for the year ahead.

One of the event's highlights was the keynote address delivered by Will Guidara, a renowned New York restaurateur and founder of the Transformational Hospitality Agency. Will, celebrated for owning the iconic Eleven Madison Park, graced Pendo teams with his insights on "unreasonable hospitality," drawing parallels between the world of fine dining and customer service.

Here are the key takeaways from Will's thought-provoking address, presented in my words and highly recommended for anyone in customer-facing roles:

🎩 Unreasonable Hospitality: Will's relentless pursuit of exceptional service underscored the importance of fostering relationships with creativity and intention, elevating customer experiences to unparalleled levels.

👫 People Over Products: Central to hospitality is prioritizing people over products. Will emphasized the significance of creating meaningful exchanges with customers, leaving indelible impressions through personalized gestures.

💭 Dream Weaver Concept: Will's team implemented the Dream Weaver concept, which is listening to the customers closely and find small moments to go out of the way to make the customers feel special. He once overheard a bunch of friends at the table talking that the one thing they hadn’t been able to try on their culinary trip to New York was a $2 street hot dog and that’s the last meal they are having before leaving for the airport to fly back home. He got the humble street hot dog and served it with a unique touch that left an impact and experience than any crazy, over-the-top meal because it was specific to them.

After this incident, he started identifying these opportunities to create customer moments. The Dream Weaver concept was so successful, that he eventually created a team whose only responsibility was to help everyone else in the team bring their ideas to life.

🌟 Customer Service Excellence: Emphasized the importance of Being present | Stop taking ourselves seriously | Find your own one-size-fits-one gesture to serve the customer. Highlighted the significance of bridging executive authority with frontline staff's insights to craft effective customer service strategies.

🔄 Recognizing Patterns: Identifying recurring customer service patterns enables us to innovate and refine strategies over time, fostering efficiency and effectiveness.

🏆 Excellence as a Standard: Excellence is not an option but a pre-requisite that becomes table stakes in our competitive world. Will emphasized the importance of continuous improvement and innovation to stay competitive.

💰 Financial Wisdom: Manage your money 95% efficiently so that you can spend 5% foolishly. Will shared the wisdom of managing resources efficiently, allowing room for occasional "foolish" spending to fuel creativity and innovation.

🤝 Prioritizing People: Prioritizing customers' emotional experience is as crucial as prioritizing the product itself. Creating meaningful exchanges with customers leaves a lasting impression. People will forget the product they consumed but never forget how you made them feel.

🌱 Learning from Adversity: His favorite quote from his dad is, “Adversity is a terrible thing to waste. You can’t control what life throws at you, but you can control how you react to it, allow it to motivate you, and use it to make you grow”. He thinks it's a reminder to always learn and grow from challenges.

🚀 For leaders aspiring to cultivate a customer-obsessed team: Empower your team with the freedom and resources to infuse their own creativity into the customer experience.

Will Guidara's keynote on "unreasonable hospitality" isn't just about fine dining—it's a recipe for customer-facing teams to cook up unforgettable customer experiences. Picture this: prioritizing personalized interactions like crafting a signature dish, infusing each interaction with creativity and intention. It's about serving up excellence as the main course and empowering your team to sprinkle in their own flavor. By recognizing patterns in customer behavior and learning from challenges, we’re not just delivering service—we're crafting a culinary masterpiece of customer satisfaction. So, get ready to dish out unforgettable experiences and leave your customers craving more.

#WinTogether #CustomerExperience #CustomerSuccess #Pendo #WillGuidara

Jamie Adamchuk

Organizational Alchemist & Catalyst for Operational Excellence: Turning Team Dynamics into Pure Gold | Sales & Business Trainer @ UEC Business Consulting

11mo

Will Guidara's insights on "Unreasonable Hospitality" are truly inspiring! Can't wait to read your latest article and learn more.

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Rayane Boumoussou

CEO & Founder @Yarsed | $30M+ in clients revenue | Ecom - UI/UX - CRO - Branding

11mo

Will Guidara's insights on "Unreasonable Hospitality" are truly game-changing! Can't wait to read your article for more details. 🔥 Kannan Sivagnanam

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Vinay Koshy

I ghostwrite Educational Email Courses for C-suite executives of B2B tech startups with series C funding. 10+ years working with B2B brands.

11mo

Will Guidara's insights on "Unreasonable Hospitality" are truly inspiring! Can't wait to read your article. 🚀

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