An inspired section to motivate readers to BE their true authentic selves intentionally and unapologetically.

Topics & Tips from the XauSky Group aimed at sharing resourceful information with business leaders and entrepreneurs.

If you are ‘winging it’ or leaving your customers' experience up to chance…Think again!

Creating a culturally relevant and exemplary customer service experience does not happen by chance. It involves leadership’s support and active involvement in the execution of a framework that factors in the organizational goals, a strategic plan, a customer service action plan considering key stakeholders, the environment (i.e., location, industry, culture, etc.), and a carefully curated work environment. As such, there is not a “one size fits all” approach as while an exemplary customer experience may be the primary output, the inputs are multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, and multi-faceted in the way that they come together to create experiences that build rapport and relationships, increase value to the customer, and strengthen the business’ competitive advantage.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, business owner, or in leadership, you understand how critical and delicate the relationship with your customers or clients can be. Bringing together your organizational strategy, goals, tactics, and performance with a focus on the customer experience (internally and externally), regardless of the industry you are in, will determine the viability of your business or organization.

An exemplary customer service experience framework entails a foundation of consistent focus, continuous improvement, tailored training, and communication channels that encourage feedback from key stakeholders.

Starting with the end in mind, begins with your employees and team. While management is responsible for translating the strategy to executable action by role, team, or department, the fact of the matter is employees are charged with directly creating and nurturing quality customer service. It is intentional. It is purposeful. It gives businesses a competitive advantage, and it is not left up to chance.

Learn more about the Empower VI Leaders in Customer Service Program designed by The XauSky Group and Strategic HRM.

Time Management, Organizational & Self Care (stress management) tips to keep the chaos at bay

New Year…New Focus!

Let’s be real…it’s not always sunny skies as we weather the rainy days, distractions, and chaos of life. We often begin the year full of energy, hope, optimism, and expectations. This mindset is reinforced in the month of January with numerous observations such as Celebration of Life Month, Family Fit Lifestyle Month, Financial Wellness Month, Get a Balanced Life Month, Get Organized Month and so much more. We want to do it all!

With so many ideas, observations, new year resolutions, goals, and actions that should be taken being thrown at you, it is easy for your thinking and focuses to get a bit “cloudy” and your actions a bit “scattered.” A few tips to help you dance in the rain of competing priorities and obligations as well as navigate the scenery of people, places, and things that vie for your attention and distract you from BEing in Action are as follows:

• Get Focused: What is it YOU want to focus on and accomplish in the coming months? Be specific with what it is YOU (Not someone else. It’s ok to put yourself 1st here!) want to focus on. Remember, to use SMART goals.

• Clear the clutter: Of the things you want to focus on, what exactly aligns with your core values? Will those focus areas move you closer (or farther away) from who you want to be and what you want to accomplish this year? If it doesn’t align with who you are and what is important to you which moves you closer to what you want, get rid of it or park it for another time. 'Clear de road' to reach the destination of your focus area.

• Prioritize the chaos: Life can get hectic and most new year’s resolutions fizzle out about 4-6 weeks after the new year because…well, life takes over. Prioritize what is urgent and important and focus on a select few. For the less urgent and not important stuff, remember the year consists of 365 days – breathe, take your time, and be patient.

• Keep it consistent – One step at a time. One day at a time. One month at a time. Small progress that is consistent makes for big rewards. If you lose your momentum or veer off course, don’t beat yourself up! We all take detours, especially when we experience the thunderstorms of life.

Regardless of what the weather of life may throw at you for 2023, remember to stay focused on your destination, get back on the road, be aware of any hazards or clutter, and keep moving closer to your goals. You got this!

Looking at DEI through a Caribbean & USVI Lens 

In the USVI Vision 2040 plan, business owners ranked the cost of living, the overall cost of doing business, recruiting the best workforce possible, retaining the best workers, and high-value customers as a few challenges. As such, we must take innovative, solution-driven approaches to honor and embrace our culture while aligning business behaviors towards a more productive, engaging, and high-performance-based focus when connecting with our employees, customers, strategic alliances, and the community. It takes ALL AH WE! We’d love to exchange ideas on how we can work together to blend our uniquely, vibrant culture to nurture more robust Virgin Islands business and customer experiences. Book a 30-minute conversation with Dr. Xaulanda…Let’s chat!

Lia Hibbert, CEO of Strategic HRM

Contributor

Tourism accounts for 60% of our GDP in the USVI, largely supported by cruise travel. Our economy will only flourish if we employ a sustainable, highly qualified workforce that embodies excellence in Customer Service.3 We have a responsibility as leaders in a Tourism economy to:

• Invest in developing an HR strategy that accounts for the entire employee cycle, from Recruitment through Exit, and to ensure the strategy is in alignment with the company vision, mission, core values, and goals and is culturally sensitive.

• Invest in elevating our workforce by assessing competencies in Customer Service and other key areas, develop and execute a plan to augment, and ensure room for advancement is integrated; and,

• Integrate outcomes of 1 and 2 in the overall business strategy to enhance the Customer experience and increase brand equity and competitive advantage.

Sounds daunting? We can help, Strategic HRM and The Xausky Group have joined forces to provide solutions to support your organization and your team. As the world looks toward traveling again, let’s work together to ensure that the experience is first class and that your team delivers consistent quality services that they believe in and your organization can be proud of.

Invest in your company’s future today and book now for a free consultation.

Related Sources

“Time is the only resource that cannot be replaced, rolled over, or stored up.

For all stakeholders, time is more than money.

For businesses, how well their employees culturally curate that time with their customers can make or break the customer experience and whether they have returned business.

For visitors and vacationers, it determines how well they are able to maximize their limited time spent in the Territory.”

Dr. Xaulanda Simmonds