Everyone likes to talk about delighting customers and how to create remarkable experiences. Only a few people get actually in a position when they have deliver these experiences. Paul Hemp, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, stepped into the role of a Waiter at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston and tells the story of his experiences when delivering world’s best service.

So what’s the key to the world-class service at Ritz Carlton?

Empowering employees […] is a sign of the respect with which the company vows to treat them. And employees are expected to treat one another the same way. Yet another Gold Standard is the corporate motto: “We are Ladies and Gentleman serving Ladies and Gentleman. In terms of human dignity, the argument goes, Ritz-Carlton customers and employees are equals. “You are service professionals, not servants,” a video we watch on company values tells us. “If you feel good about yourself, you’ll treat others, including colleagues, well”.

As I leave the hotel and walk across the Boston Common in the gathering dusk, I reflect on what I’ve learned about teaching and motivating employees to provide truly memorable service. On thing seems clear: Great customer service should be based on dynamic principles rather than a rigid formula. […]

For staff to delight customers, managers must do more than grant their employees freedom to do what is necessary, they must motivate employees to exercise that freedom.

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