The People Welcome You

Perhaps it's from my having worked in tourism for such a long time, but I tend to pay close attention to the customer service I receive.  On our recent trip to Larry's mother's memorial service in Des Moines, I was impressed to see the signs noting that we were arriving in Iowa.  Their message:  "The People of Iowa Welcome You."  Rather than the normal sign stating, "(Name of State Here) Welcomes You," in Iowa, the people of that state welcomed us.  It felt personal and sincere.  At our hotel, our breakfast server wore a shirt that said "I am (Name of Hotel Here)."  I liked that message because it meant that customer service was so integral to this hotel's operations that its employees felt as if their service was representative of the hotel, that they cared enough to give their best to provide that lasting memory to customers because the employees were the hotel.  Then, at dinner, we encountered supreme customer service.  The waitstaff catered to our every need, anticipating anything that we might even consider wanting.  When customer service is treated as being of such primary importance, an exceptional, memorable experience is created for the customer.  This customer was very happy.