After a remarkable holiday to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, I've returned with a heart full of joy and gratitude. During our journey, I read a book that touched my soul in ways I never expected.

I think most of us are aware that exercising, eating well and sleeping well are helpful for our self-care. Here are 5 tips you can use to care for yourself and others.

The importance of purpose in our daily work. The best service leaders possess an extraordinary ability to unite their teams with the overarching vision and purpose of their organisation. They ensure that each team member comprehends the vital role they play and how it contributes to the bigger picture. This alignment is the bedrock for cultivating a service culture, as every individual needs to understand why their contributions matter. This applies to every role, from leadership, to the frontline, to support roles.

This Saturday is set to be the highlight of the Australian Football League Calendar - the Grand Final at the iconic MCG, with over 100,000 passionate fans eagerly awaiting the showdown. You might be a sports fan, or maybe not, but there is something truly special about our great game. May the best team win this Saturday, and I will be thinking about the entire team working at the ‘G’. There is one thing I know to be true, it is the people who ultimately make the biggest difference to the customer experience.

I chose to finish writing my book at my favourite hotel: the Ritz-Carlton. Although I have only had the pleasure of staying there a few times, my extensive exposure to their philosophies over the years, along with the principles outlined in my favourite book ’Excellence Wins’ by Horst Schulze (founder of the Ritz-Carlton), it made it a compelling choice. During my stay, I had the privilege of experiencing five standout lessons.

I always find it inspiring speaking to people who love their work. Jack was an international student who moved to Australia from India and has been here for 25 years. His degree was in IT and although he didn’t end up working in that field, now has 434 drivers on an app he created so he can always find a driver to be available for his regular clients, day or night. We had the loveliest chat and in that moment, I asked for a card and I look forward to my next interaction with Jack.

It has always been a crucial element of service; it is now more critical than ever before. Customers’ expectations are rising and with increases in automation, AI, technology and self-service, our expectations around speed of response have risen like never before. As a customer you may have had the experience of no response, or a response so slow you felt it was delivered by carrier pigeon. Some clients share with me that they struggle with getting team members to answer the phone, return phone calls, or respond to emails. This is a leadership and cultural issue that must be addressed.

An empowered workforce driven by leaders who prioritise empowerment is the key to delivering exceptional customer experiences. By providing knowledge, decision-making authority, and trust, organisations can create a culture where teams feel supported and empowered to go above and beyond in serving their customers. To what extent does your team feel empowered?

A positive off-boarding or exit experience is an integral part of the employee journey. Team members leave a team or organisation for many reasons, whether voluntary or involuntary. These could include another internal opportunity, a new external role, retirement or redundancy and this must also be considered. All great experiences are by design, not by default and this includes how a team member is made to feel when they leave an organisation.

“The true mark of a leader is measured by the lives that leader touches.” In the busyness of taking care of teams, people, tasks, and demands, it is sometimes easy to forget the impact of service leaders. Yet I continue to see and hear of that impact and the difference they make in the lives of others.

“Maybe they were just having a bad day.” And while I love and appreciate the empathy displayed for our customer service community, it has left me pondering the question, is having a bad day an excuse for poor customer service?

Key areas where leaders can make a significant difference to the customer experience. When customer service fails to meet expectations, the frontline often receives the brunt of the blame. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that people do not wake up in the morning with the intention of delivering poor customer service.

Everyone has a different communication style and some customers may not be aware of the impact of talking over someone or may have difficulty recognising social cues. They might even not realise they are interrupting or that it can hinder effective communication. In any case, if you ever find yourself getting frustrated, the following techniques can be useful.

Leaders often ask me, ‘How do I address ongoing poor performance?’ I acknowledge it can be extremely challenging. That is why leaders need to establish clear goals and service standards to help people to know what is expected of them and provide continual recognition and coaching to avoid things getting to this point. However, I find myself being asked this question more frequently in recent times.

What can you do to encourage the voice of your team? In the 2021 Qualtrics XM Employee Experience Trends Study, 92% of those surveyed believe it’s important that their company listens to feedback, yet only 7% say their company acts on feedback well. The five steps of feedback…