GWCCA Chief Commercial Officer discusses creating exceptional city-wide customer service
Customer service means delivering on every possible detail at every customer and guest touchpoint. It is anticipating needs, needs that a client or guest may not realize they have. Customer service is about making someone feel good, putting a smile on their face, and leaving them not wanting anything more – it is hospitality in its purest form. At the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), the epicenter of Atlanta’s hospitality district, we, along with our partners, including the City of Atlanta, are creating the blueprint for customer service.
How do you create the blueprint for customer service? How do you get your partners involved? In a Hotel Executive exclusive , Joe Bocherer, GWCCA Chief Commercial Officer, discusses some of the strategies used by the Authority to not only create this blueprint but to also continuously improve customer service while also encouraging a city-wide effort.
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
“You can’t wake up and create culture; culture happens over time because people believe in what you’re doing. It’s about having buy-in at every level of an organization. Everyone needs to believe that as an organization, you do whatever it takes to get a five out of five on every survey.
At the GWCCA we are living and breathing superior customer service every day. Our goal is to make sure that every customer that visits our facilities leaves beyond satisfied. To that point, we’ve empowered every team member to make decisions to ensure we have happy guests. Sometimes it may not be a free fix, and that’s fine. Ultimately, our goal is making sure customers and guests leave our campus happy.
We have the good fortune of working closely with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB), which acts as our marketing arm and citywide sales partner. Our partnership with the ACVB is an integral part of providing our guests with the best experience inside and outside of our facilities.”
As the GWCCA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Bocherer presides over Sales, Event and Guest Services, Business Development, Customer Analytics, Revenue Management, and all products and contracted service agreements.
Before taking on this role Bocherer recently served as Head of Sales and Marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) U.S. franchise division; he has 20 years of convention and visitors bureau and hotel sales experience with extensive knowledge of group and transient-driven business. He has also served as Vice President of Sales for Experience Columbus (Ohio), Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing for White Lodging, and has held several key positions with Hyatt Hotels including Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Regional Vice President of Sales over the Southeast select service division.
Read the full article here.
