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CASE STUDIES
Client Testimonial
Manager of Brand
Operations, ARAMARK
Harrison Lodging
The Client
ARAMARK Harrison Lodging (AHL) operates more than 45 conference centers
in North America including conference and training centers near major
business destinations. This prestigious group includes recognized public
and private client Conference Centers as well as AHL's Collegiate Collection
of ten independent facilities found on the campuses of some of America's
most prestigious colleges and universities. Representative properties
include The R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center at Duke University's
Fuqua School of Business, The Fluno Center for Executive Education at
The University of Wisconsin, and The Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center
at The University of North Carolina. AHL was formed when ARAMARK Conference
Center Management acquired Harrison Conference Centers in 2002, and
today is the largest operator in the business. AHL operates as a division
of ARAMARK Corporation (NYSE:RMK), a world-leader in food and facilities
management services.
The Situation
As a result of the merger between ARAMARK Conference Centers and Harrison
Conference Centers, the company was operating with two different sets
of corporate standards, procedures and processes. In order to produce
consistent, branded experiences at all of their conference centers,
AHL recognized the need to establish a unified platform for articulating
and communicating the combined company's standards, business practices
and desired outcomes. To succeed, every employee would need to be reading
from the same book, and speaking in "one voice." In addition, AHL wanted
to design and implement customer satisfaction tracking and performance
measurement systems that would consistently measure and trend performance
at all properties in the portfolio. These performance metrics were to
be used to populate a balanced scorecard to be used for performance
evaluations, compensation plans and recognition programs.
The Solution
Step 1 - Led by Polly Millan, AHL's Manager of Brand
Operations, AHL assembled a team to craft distinctive standards reflecting
the AHL philosophy of a "Local Culture, Global Brand" to unite the resources
of the company. LRA assisted in building an integrated Web site that
provides AHL managers and employees a powerful resource, available 24/7
from any computer. AHL employees have a true advantage in better understanding
our company's strategies. AHL provides the tools and practices to implement
the guest focus philosophy and it really makes a difference to clients.
Step 2 - Crafting standards was only the first step. What makes the AHL Global Performance System powerful is the integration of standards with customer feedback. Understanding the needs and expectations of AHL customers - both conference attendees and meeting planners - was the next logical step to success. LRA provided a customized version of its SurveySmart customer satisfaction and loyalty tracking program, helping build the AHL Customer Loyalty Measurement Program. Each AHL property receives e-Survey feedback via a Real Time Reporting Suite. This tool allows General Managers to perform advanced analysis to pinpoint data trends and correlation between survey questions and customer demographics. The "Real Time Alert" feature makes a difference in responsiveness to customer concerns, allowing AHL properties the opportunity to contact customers shortly after they submit their thoughts.
Step 3 - "Putting strength behind our programs has brought our standards to life" said Millan. "Shortly after our Standards were launched on our AHL-GPS site, we followed up with property visits by an LRA Consultant. The AHL Quality Assurance Evaluation reviews AHL standards and makes certain our General Managers and employees are focused in the right direction. Our team has been very responsive to these visits."
The Results
"The benefits of the AHL-GPS are ongoing," notes Millan. "This was not
a one-time program, but rather an investment strategy for long-term
success. Improving and managing the AHL Customer Experience will keep
us at the top of our business. Our teams use the AHL-GPS everyday and
we can monitor this activity. We know what information is being viewed
and how often our people are accessing the information. For instance,
we know our users are accessing over 10,000 pages each month. The benefits
are coming to life and continue to trend upward as we add new content.
Our Customers are telling us that Overall Satisfaction has increased
year-over-year and General Managers are carefully reviewing this progress
at each property. We continue to monitor feedback and design a corrective
strategy that is unique for each local property and supports the global
brand."