No matter where you look these days, it seems like you encounter lackluster customer service. But a legendary Condé Nast exec is having none of it when it comes to his staff.
Currently, Bill Wackermann is the vice president and publishing director at Condé’s Traveler brand, and The New York Times reports that the boss is sending his business team to the best hotels in Manhattan: the Carlyle, the Four Seasons, the Peninsula, and the Waldorf-Astoria. But these stays aren’t the rewards for jobs well done or even advertorial assignments – far from it. They’re training sessions on-the-floor, in-the-laundry-room looks at luxury customer service.
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“We need to learn better service,” Wackermann told the Times. “We have got to get back to that human touch to understand because that is what really is the key to driving success. … We should and will mirror ourselves around how other luxury brands comport themselves.”
Though the Times reports that Traveler’s ad buys are up 11% under Wackermann’s leadership, he’s hoping the hotel “internships” will further boost the magazine’s sales and marketing.
To read more about the Traveler’s new training program, visit NYTimes.com.
