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LRA Discusses Customer Service Trends at Delaware North Companies Hospitality Group Conference
Customer Experience Management Consulting Firm Reaffirms Company's Service Philosophy and GuestPath® Initiative
HORSHAM, Pennsylvania; March 25, 2005 - Rob Rush, Chief Executive Officer of LRA Worldwide, a leading Customer Experience Management (CEM) consulting firm, was a keynote speaker at Delaware North Companies annual Hospitality Group Conference held in Tampa, Florida, March 13-17. The keynote address discussed new trends in service philosophies and approaches at some of the nation's top companies, including Delaware North Companies.
Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and food service, recently engaged LRA Worldwide in the development and execution of the company's new service philosophy and customer experience management called GuestPath®. Delaware North Companies annually serves approximately half a billion guests in locations ranging from airports and sporting venues to Yosemite National Park and Kennedy Space Center to the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and Boston's FleetCenter, which the company owns and operates.
LRA facilitated the development of the service standards and service culture integral to the GuestPath® program and conducted GuestPath® beta-tests at select Delaware North properties.
"GuestPath® is the centerpiece of both an internal continuous improvement initiative and an external effort to differentiate Delaware North from the competition," said Dennis Szefel, Group President Delaware North Companies Hospitality. "As a partner in this process, LRA has been an invaluable resource every step of the way."
"Delaware North is a perfect example of the power and reach of a Customer Experience Management initiative when it is embraced and implemented from the top down," Rush said. "The fact that every senior level executive at Delaware North is fully-engaged in this program ensures that each of the company's 30,000 employee associates understands the importance of delivering outstanding service each and every day.
About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the world's leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Sportsystems, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, CA One Services, Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International, FleetCenter—soon to be renamed TD Banknorth Garden, and the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Delaware North is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with more than $1.6 billion in annual revenue and 30,000 associates serving millions of customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.delawarenorth.com.
About LRA Worldwide, Inc.
LRA Worldwide, Inc. is a leading consulting, organizational development and research company that specializes in Customer Experience Management (CEM). LRA helps companies and brands design and deliver the optimal customer experience across all key touch points using an integrated suite of services that measure and improve service quality, customer satisfaction, employee performance, loyalty, customer advocacy and profitability. LRA specializes in "operationalizing the brand" - turning brand promise and customer strategy into operational reality. LRA's CEM practice areas include CEM Strategy Design, Standards Development & Content Management, Organizational Development & Training, Research and Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping; these are either deployed together in a strategic manner to continually monitor and improve the customer experience or deployed individually to address a specific tactical client need.
LRA's clients include some of the world's leading companies and brands, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, the PGA TOUR, Albertsons Supermarkets, the NBA and First Niagara Financial Group. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.LRAworldwide.com
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