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Next Experience
Dallas Service Excellence Experience May 2008
Sunday 11th May
Evening meet for briefing session and evening meal.
Monday 12th May
Nordstrom
John W Nordstrom founded the company in 1901 with a simple belief that success would come only by offering customers the very best service, selection, quality and value. By remaining committed to that philosophy the business has grown considerably.
Today, Nordstrom has grown from one downtown Seattle shoe store into a nationwide fashion specialty chain with renowned service, generous size ranges and a selection of the finest apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family. Nordstrom’s total sales for 2006 exceeded US$6 billion.
In 2007, Nordstrom was named for the tenth time by Fortune magazine as one of the “100 Best Places to Work” and for the second year in a row as the number-one “Most Admired Company” in its industry category.
Last year, Nordstrom also was named one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Business Ethics; named one of the “Top Employers for Minorities” by Fortune magazine; and honoured as “Retailer of the Year” by the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Sally McDavitt, Store Manager, will be our host at Nordstrom’s Galleria store and explain how Nordstrom create great customer experiences and drive employee performance at this great place to work.
FedEx Kinko’s
FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Services is the world's leading provider of document solutions and business services. The Dallas-based company has a global network of more than 1,500 digitally-connected locations in 11 countries.
FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Center locations in the U.S. provide an "office on the road" for travelling business professionals and remote workers, who often need high-speed Internet access, videoconferencing, presentation support and other business services. These retail locations also provide a one-stop shop for small businesses with offerings such as direct mail services, office products, and signs and graphics production. More than 400 locations operate 24/7. FedEx Kinko’s are dedicated to customer service and in recent years have spent $15million on training for their 20000 staff.
Tuesday 13th May
Southwest Airlines
In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline.
What began as a small low fare Texas airline has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. Today, Southwest Airlines flies more than 83 million passengers a year to 63 cities operating over 3,200 times a day. Southwest has consistently exceeded its customer’s expectations and has been awarded the ‘triple crown’ on 7 occasions for being the best American airline for punctuality, baggage handling and customer satisfaction.
Southwest’s 32000 employees and 483 jets have helped to achieve 34 consecutive years of profitability (1973-2006) and proved that King and Kelleher’s original notion was correct. Dallas ‘Love Field’, Southwest’s HQ, is where we will discover how they recruit for attitude, instil the ‘love’ culture and focus on delivering world class customer experiences.
Wednesday 14th May
Sewell’s Automotive
Sewell Automotive began life in 1911 as a car dealership, hardware store and movie theatre rolled into one (they weren’t sure if cars would really catch on!). From the outset they believed it wasn’t important what was being sold, but how the customer was treated. This obsession to service lead to great success and a swift exit from the hardware and movie theatre business and decades of expansion on the car dealership front.
The 1970’s and 80’s saw huge growth and Sewell Automotive became as synonymous with service as it was with its cars. How do they do it? Apparently a lot of people wanted to know. Carl Sewell Jr.’s book ‘customers for life’ became a best seller with translations into 19 languages and over a million copies sold.
Now, Sewell dealerships sell more Cadillacs and Lexuses than anyone else in the Southwest USA and their dealerships currently rank among the top performers nationwide in customer satisfaction.
We visit Sewell and learn about their obsession with Service, cleanliness, and constantly staying ahead of the competition.
Ritz Carlton
Among the grand hotels of the world, The Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts are renowned for indulgent luxury. Sumptuous surroundings and legendary service await every guest that passes through their doors. Since its incorporation in 1983, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has received all the major awards the hospitality industry and leading consumer organizations can bestow and is the first and only hotel company honoured with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Ritz-Carlton is also the only service company to receive this prestigious award two times, in 1999 and 1992.
At The Ritz-Carlton, staff are the most important resource in their service commitment to guests. Warmth and genuine caring are the hallmarks of every Ritz-Carlton employee. Every employee’s contribution is valued and they are encouraged to fulfil individual aspirations. Ritz Carlton trusts each employee to use their creativity and accommodating personality to build strong relationships and provide a memorable experience to each guest at one of the 63 worldwide hotels.
The Ritz Carlton Leadership session will allow delegates to learn about the Ritz Carlton philosophy and core values and how this translates into exceptionally high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Thursday 15th May
imc2
The online marketplace is competitive, complex and constantly changing. Now more than ever, companies need an online partner, a navigator, who understands the Internet as part of a total marketing campaign.
imc2 are dedicated to helping clients achieve their business objectives through interactive marketing, and experts at steering their clients clear of the potholes and speed bumps scattered throughout the online marketplace. From developing customer relationship strategies to postlaunch results tracking, imc2 offers interactive marketing services custom-tailored to fit their clients’ unique requirements. imc2 have been recognised as a top 10 interactive agency by Advertising Age and also won a Webby award for their pharmaceutical campaign.
In addition to a client base of recognisable Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, imc2 continue to attract the best and brightest people because of their reputation as an employer of choice. The themed meeting rooms, splashes of bold colour, Zen rock garden, basketball and volleyball teams, charity involvement and more, all support the creative and competitive culture that ensures imc2 people maintain a constant level of both personal and team success.
Marc Blumberg, SVP, will talk to the group about the imc2 culture and how they are creating award winning campaigns with the likes of Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
Spaeth Communications
Spaeth Communications is a Dallas-based firm recognised as a leader in the communications field for its innovative training and strategic consulting. Founded in 1987 by Merrie Spaeth, the company has handled internal and external communication for local, national and international corporations and organisations.
Merrie Spaeth has a unique background in media, government, politics, business and the entertainment industry. She is a pioneer in communication theory and executive training, and acknowledged as one of the pre-eminent crisis management strategists in the country.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan named her Director of Media Relations at the White House and during her tenure Merrie introduced satellite communications to the White House and launched the electronic White House News Service.
She has worked in every area of print and electronic media. She’s been a radio and television talk show host, a producer for ABC’s “20/20,” and a reporter and writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Daily News, Family Weekly, and many other magazines and papers.
Merrie will talk about effective communication strategies and implementation and introduce her influence model.
Friday 16th May
Travelocity
Since its launch in 1996 Travelocity has become a leading provider of consumer direct travel services for the leisure and business traveller in both the USA and Europe, and through its 9000 employees earned revenues of $1.1billion in 2006. Travelocity operates multiple businesses tailored to customers domestically and internationally, offering a larger number sites in 12 languages. It markets and distributes travel-related products and services directly to individuals through Travelocity.com and its other brand name Web sites and contact centres. Through it’s 24/7 operation customers are offered up to the minute pricing information about airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, vacation and last-minute travel packages, and other travel-related services.
Travelocity is the USA’s 6th largest travel agent, and as a result of the acquisition of Lastminute.com Europe’s largest travel agent.
Ginny Mahl (VP of Sales and Customer Service) and Don Hill (Director of Customer Advocacy) will host our group at their corporate headquarters in Southlake.
BNSF
For more than 150 years, BNSF Railway has been quietly delivering cars, coal, clothing, games and nearly anything else found in homes and businesses. When the predecessors to BNSF Railway first started operations, they were building a nation by shrinking America’s borders.
Today’s focus is on using speed, agility and resourcefulness to help expand the global marketplace for goods and services.
Today, as the second largest railroad operator in the USA, BNSF Railway plays a vital role for people around the world every day of the year – magazines are published on paper delivered by their trains, medicines are carried for distribution to hospitals and pharmacies, produce is shipped from farms to markets...the list is endless.
All this is accomplished by a 40,000 strong BNSF Railway team that is progressive, vital, resourceful and approachable. Through contemporary, world-class people, processes and technology, BNSF Railway has grown into a $12 billion business recognised by Toyota and Honda for exceptional customer experiences.
At BNSF we will hear about the task of creating excellence across large widespread workforces and their continual drive to be the best.
What we provide
- In depth initial meeting with each delegate to understand their challenges, objectives and expectations of the programme.
- Delegate pack containing information and analysis of visited companies, and profiles on fellow delegates.
- An intense experience in a positive environment, conducive to new and challenging thinking.
- Facilitated sessions to analyse visits and provide framework to take back to your organisation.
- Post programme consultancy day with each delegate to develop action plan and implement learning.
- Post programme group review allowing delegates to share experiences since returning to their organisation; discuss successes and challenges and debate ways forward.
You can expect a busy schedule with little time to relax, but enough time to reflect. Your days will start early and finish late – expect an intense experience in a positive environment, conducive to new and challenging thinking.
Prices
Prices are £7000+VAT per delegate. (This includes all USA travel, accommodation, meals and learning materials for the duration of the experience).
Delegates are responsible for all transatlantic travel between the UK and Dallas.
We are happy to offer discounts to organisations sending more than one delegate.
Please contact Andrew Harrison to discuss our current special offers.
Places are strictly limited so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.
Tel: +44 (0)191 247 3799 or +44 (0)7740 640768
email: Andrew.harrison@eaga.com
web: www.serviceexcellence.co.uk