May
12
The Star at Starwood
May 12, 2007
Although the travel industry maintains a reputation less than glowing, most of us still love to travel; despite the headaches that hotel chains and airlines can often cause they are indeed a necessary evil. The travel industry is filled with repeat customer business, with many choices for the consumer. Yet there are only a handful of companies in this industry that seem to understand and value that. While planning our summer vacation in Europe last year, my fiance and I were hit with fees for using points, substantial airline blackout dates and less than inviting hotel rooms at prominent chains. So as we begin the honeymoon planning, we are both wary.In my last job, I spent five years traveling from NY to Bentonville, AR, visiting the Wal-Mart corporate office to pitch my wares. Every other week I flew the same airline, and visited the same hotel, staying loyal to a number of companies. Yet when it came time to reap the rewards of being a valued customer, it seems that it can be hit or miss depending on who’s at the other end of the phone. Although all calls are “recorded to ensure quality customer service”, I’m not entirely convinced it’s working.
Both my fiance and I learned very quickly that it was often a better use of our time to hang up on these “customer service experts”, roll the dice, and call again. There were times we called back (and hung up) four or five times before reaching someone seemingly more helpful. This means that 75%-80% of the time we were not happy, which translates into a lot of dialing and a lot of frustration.
My fiance, who’s been a loyal Starwood member for years, decided to go this route for honeymoon planning. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was right, they are indeed an exceptional group- based on my small sampling so far. It took only took one phone call to Starwood to reach the very helpful Marcella Cabrera. Most good businesses teach employees to smile when they talk on a phone. They know that a smile changes your attitude for the better, as well as the inflections in your voice. Even though we were miles away, we knew that Marcella was answering every question we asked her with a smile.
Service businesses are a people business, and the travel industry is no different. All customer service representatives can pick up the phone when it rings. The real difference is what they say and how they say it. Marcella Cabrera at Starwood didn’t just pick up the phone, she helped create a relationship between her company and a customer that will last for years… all with just one phone call.
In our mind, Marcella Cabrera is the star at Starwood.
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It is truly an honor to have one of my associates commended on your site. I am so very proud of her. I am also sorry to hear of the unpleasant experiences you’ve during your travel experiences but it is also great to know that we have impacted your travel in such a special time by meeting your needs at your “first interaction”. We will continue to work on meeting your expectations at every turn point and consistently coach our associates to deliver the highest level of customer to our most valued members( and that includes each and every guest that visits a Starwood Hotel and Resort Worldwide). Thanks for your acknowledgement.