In years past you called a hotel and, unless you were a savvy traveler and knew to ask for specific rooms or amenities upfront, you got what you got. Today, technology has made it a lot easier to reserve rooms and see exactly what amenities are available before you even get to the hotel. Making reservations, checking in and requesting service is as easy as opening an app.

Sometimes I’m embarrassed to admit this; I’m a NCIS fan. I never used to be. I’m not even sure how it happened. I don’t even particularly like the lead actor, Mark Harmon.  Somehow, I still got hooked a few years back. I always try to catch the current season’s offerings, along with all the reruns, all the time, no matter how many times the episode’s been on. 

Which leads me to talking about Gibbs. Not about Mark Harmon.

It’s official: I’ve been named the Duke of (Hot)Dog.

I do not know about you, but I feel disrespected every time someone tries to manipulate me into buying what they are selling. I've always been intrigued by how professionals and companies that use this kind of approach do not realize they are destroying their reputation and reliability in exchange for results in the short term. Especially for me, who works with human development, these sales approaches have always disassociated from what I believe to be the building of healthy and productive relationships.

“Customer Service Representatives need to be knowledgeable, courteous and pleasant when dealing with the Customer. So, stop focusing on technology only; in 2018 your Front Line Customer Service People will make the difference!”

- Nancy Friedman, President of Telephone Doctor Services

“Customer loyalty is STILL about the humans. Despite all the new industry buzzwords and CRM technology, in the end, customer relations in 2018 will depend, as it always does, on the Customer Service Representative.”

Companies like to talk about their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Beyond the PR, though, they often show little understanding of how to design an appropriate CSR effort.  

When my son was young, I was always amazed at the questions his mind developed. It usually started with “Is it possible…” or “What if…” Things such as, “Is it possible for a man to fly?” and “What if cows could suddenly give chocolate milk?” I would take the question, try to reason with it and figure out a logical conclusion as to what exactly could happen. One day as we were getting an oil change for my car, my son asked, “What if you never changed the oil or put any oil into a car what would happen?” It was an easy answer; the car would cease to run. I explained to him that if you fail to change the oil, the oil becomes dirty and fails to lubricate the engine. Once that happens the car engine stops working and the car is no longer able to function.

Whether we like the idea or not, your customer judges you and your company within microseconds. And, I have news for you – so do you, when you are the customer! We all do it; making judgements even when no words have been spoken.

The following blog was written by Francis Prézeau, President and Managing Director of Signature Canada. This was originally posted on Signature Canada's blog, as well as on hotelleriejobs.com.