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Steve Curtin

Steve Curtin
Steve Curtin is the author of Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary. He wrote the book to address the following observation: While employees consistently execute mandatory job functions for which they are paid, they inconsistently demonstrate voluntary customer service behaviors for which there is little or no additional cost to their employers. After a 20-year career with Marriott International, Steve now devotes his time to speaking, consulting, and writing on the topic of extraordinary customer service.

Why settle for processing guests when you can choose to serve them instead?

When is the last time you experienced exceptional customer service at an arena or stadium? In my experience, employees at these venues regularly treat...

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In some organizations, there is an appearance that certain job roles matter more than other job roles. Employees in these work environments may feel...

Finding the flaws in flawless

As I type this, my Goldendoodle, Nugget, is recovering from shoulder surgery at a nearby animal hospital. His procedure was complex and required him...

May I have your attention, please?

As a paying customer, how do you feel when details are overlooked or ignored? I once ordered a milkshake for my young son that...

Serve outside the lines

This morning, my 9-year-old daughter asked me for a word that rhymes with “all.” She was writing a Mother’s Day poem and grappling with...

Communication Showdown!

Last week, I was asked to weigh in on a conversation debating the value of organizations investing in omnichannel, a seamless approach to the...

Soft is hard

I’ve been a Tom Peters fan since being introduced to his teachings in my first management role at Marriott International more than 20 years...

The Effortless Experience

Earlier this year, I read the book The Effortless Experience by M. Dixon, N. Toman and R. DeLisi. The authors compiled some terrific research –...

Entitled customers

During a recent interview, I received this question: How do you handle customers who, once they’ve been “delighted,” now expect that level of service and...

Making “delight” stick

During a recent interview, I was asked, “How long does the effect of ‘delight’ (on a customer) last?” The value of exploring a question like...

Where to focus: product or customer?

Over the weekend I received an email from a New Zealand consultant who is working with a bus tour operator to transition from a...

Poor customer service is unsustainable

This is the seventh post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

Can exceptional customer service be taught?

This is the sixth post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

Balancing service quality and volume

This is the fifth post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

Can exceptional customer service be automated?

This is the fourth post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

When essence is imbedded in the process, it occurs reliably

This is the third post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

Purpose, not policies, determines service quality

This is the second post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

The key to change lies in questions, not demands

This is the first post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on...

When customer service is exceptional, price is irrelevant.

Last month while working in Las Vegas, a funny thing happened. I was in my hotel room preparing to speak to a group at...

A CUT above

Last week, my work brought me to Las Vegas. My first night in town, Sunday, I was on my own for dinner and decided...

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