“Steve Jobs Came To Learn” - Ritz Carlton Founder REVEALS What Apple Studied About Customer Service
Episode Stats
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Summary
In this episode, Ron talks about his life and career, how he got to where he is today, and the importance of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He also talks about how he won the award twice, and how he became one of the most successful people in the world.
Transcript
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You won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice, 92 and 99.
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Because that's straight up from the White House, right?
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Well, it's a fantastic thing that the government did more intensely.
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It happened during the 80s when the Japanese became major competitors to us.
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They were taking over, they're buying everything and controlling and product and cars and everything.
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No, we didn't make no more TVs when the Commerce Department said we have to study how to be more competitive with the Japanese.
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Studied the number one companies in the world, studied the companies that were sustained leaders in their product for many years, why and so on.
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And afterwards, we have to find out who in America comes close to that so we can make it an example for other companies.
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So when you studied and done apply, if you win the Baltic, you are obligated to open your company up for other companies to come in and learn for a year free.
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We had every Monday 20, 30 companies there to learn.
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So we started at 7 o'clock Monday mornings, so they had to check out on Sunday, check in on Sunday.
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Including Job, Steve Job, before they went into retail.
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How do we work the processes, the measurements, the process, the improvements, and so on.
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I said our channel manager was kind of best at the improvement, the elimination of process permanently.
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I was the channel manager of the first one, obviously.
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During my time, the complaint room service, I managed it like a normal manager.
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I learned very carefully from the Baltic office how to do that.
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Somebody said that we were the best hotel company in the world.
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When somebody said, well, of course, I understand.
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I said, maybe we're the best of a lousy lot, but we're not very good.
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And he said, you should look into the Baltic criteria.
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Years later, he asked me, when I became an expert in the issue, do you know why I invite you for lunch?
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He said, you didn't understand the word I said.
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Fishbowl analysis, parata charts, and things like that.
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You have to understand, I left the school when I was 14 years old.
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But later, when I was here, I took the courses in Cornell and so on.
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Didn't you later on get a PhD or doctorate from some school?
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When you ask me names, I always put me in the word Johnson and Wales.
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But he came in to ask, how do we treat customers?
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The behavioral analysts tell you, you make a decision about somebody when you come with
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So how do I make sure you make a good decision?
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That's why when you go into the contest, they have somebody staying there right away.
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And we had learned that from the behavioral analysts.
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I worked with the behavioral analysts at the University of Colorado and Frankfurt.
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They said, the decision is made about you the moment when we make contact.
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That's why we taught you have, when somebody comes within 10 feet, no matter what you do,
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But if I say, welcome, and look you in the eye, I'm saying I respect you.
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So we make sure that I hired kids from Center City.
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I've never seen anything elegant in their life.
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We teach them not to use certain words, don't say ever hi, don't say okay, say my pleasure, and so on.
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And three weeks later, this kid meets potentially with the Chairman of the Board of Bank of England, and it works.
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We look, by the way, it's very important for people to know.
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They call in are much more scientific, by the way.
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But anyway, when I heard them, I worked with Chetty Power.
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And they came back and said, 100%, without exception, 100%, when the first contact was excellent, never did the complaint follow.
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Whenever there was one negative in either reservation, doorman, or front desk, always did complaints follow.
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So I have to make sure that I'm in first contact.
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That's why when you walked in the red sky, in first contact, that's why you saw huge flowers.
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First thing you saw, everything positive in your subconscious, so you feel positive about the rest.
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