How NewsGator learned the true meaning of Puttin' on the Ritz

A few weeks ago we held the Collective - our inaugural user conference - at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver. In one of our sessions, we asked clients to share customer service excellence stories with the crowd. We heard harrowing, but inspiring stories of real people faced with unfortunate experiences getting resolution from responsive service organizations. But one story truly stood out from the rest, and it was happening in real-time. The service we were experiencing at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver was so phenomenal that attendees couldn’t help but cite their interactions. This made me think of an often under-estimated concept: the Moment of Truth.

 Organizations often use Moment of Truth (MoT) analyses to understand their brand perception. In service-oriented organizations, the moment of truth is defined as the instance of contact or interaction between a customer and the organization – that provides the customer an opportunity to form or change an impression about their experience. In this case, we weren’t hearing tales about overcoming adversity or plans gone wrong, but instead about the profound impact a well-delivered, consistent, personal, and quality experience has on an individual.

 Looking closely at the Ritz experience – it was striking that the staff addressed you by name, recalled your idiosyncrasies and preferences, ensured the food presentation was stellar, held doors shut to block the below zero temps until hats and scarves were secured, and escorted guests into warm shuttles and taxis that whisked them off to dinner. And to be clear, these service behaviors didn’t just happen after we signed on the dotted line and began our event. It is part of The Ritz-Carlton’s DNA no matter what your business is at their facility, at what point in the process you are engaged, and even after you have concluded your business with them.

 This exceptional approach to service made the Collective a huge win for our customers, partners, employees, and invited guests. The positive testimonials we’ve received following the event are in large part due to the outstanding, unwavering service we received from the staff at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver. Bottom line – we owe everyone there a tremendous thank you for making our event run smoothly, ultimately resulting in a memorable experience for our attendees. Becca, Danny, Gwyneth, Annie, Phillip, Brandon, Trisha, Candace and the entire staff at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver deserve a special shout-out as they went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us. We can now look forward to planning the 2012 Collective with the confidence and appreciation that excellent customer service experiences do exist. And, in the Moment of Truth, you can certainly count on the Ritz.