The Importance of Customer Service

As the event industry continues to feel the effects of this latest economic downturn, it's become increasingly apparent that the traditional thinking regarding what constitutes “good” customer service is no longer relevant.

Now more than ever, customer service must go beyond the surface-level expressions that many companies pass off as customer service, and become an all-encompassing philosophy that guides every action you take in executing your event. It's going beyond simple assistance, and doing whatever is necessary to ensure that a client or guest has an exceptional event experience. It's not simply telling someone where the restroom is located, but walking them there personally, while soliciting their impressions of the event and inquiring what we can do to make it even better. It's firing out a late-night email to a client with an idea that could make their event shine, without solicitation or expectation. It's about rolling up your sleeves and helping a client through their last-minute preparations, regardless of whether it's “in the job description”. Perhaps most importantly, customer service is the simple and sincere expression of gratitude for allowing our organization assist them.

In this industry more than any other, if we fail to impress our clients and guests, then we simply will not remain competitive in the marketplace. After all, there are limits to both programming opportunities and customer dollars, especially in economic times such as these. Beautiful facilities and popular bookings are no longer enough...one must deliver an experience to our clients and guests that cannot be replicated anywhere else.