 Shortly after the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, Alec Dalton began partnering with Profs. Suzanne Bagnera (Boston University) and Peter Szende (Oxford Brookes University) to answer a critical question: what does "clean" mean for hotel guests amidst COVID-19?
In May 2020, the team shared preliminary research findings in their Hotel News Now article "Conveying Hotel Cleanliness During COVID-19 Crisis". In essence, guests expect communications about cleanliness just as much as the cleaning in and of itself. The "cleanliness theater" mentality can help brick-and-mortar operators be both practical and performative to convey clean spaces for customers and employees. Primary research continues as Dalton and Drs. Bagnera and Szende survey hotel guests, employees, and owners to understand the current state of cleanliness practices and communications. Research is also forward-looking, to anticipate evolving customer and employee preferences for "staying safe." To share your own feedback to support the hospitality industry's recovery, click here for a brief survey:  ARCET Global has appointed Alec Dalton as an Official Judge of the 2021 Customer Centricity World Series. This global program recognizes best-in-class organizations working on the cutting-edge of customer experience management.
The array of awards categories encompasses a broad spectrum of priorities in CX, including:
The Customer Centricity World Series coincides with one of the largest virtual CX knowledge-sharing events, with keynotes, panels, and access to over 150 CX case studies featuring qualifying finalists. The conference and virtual ceremony will be hosted virtually between May 18-19, 2021. Click here to learn more about the Customer Centricity World Series, to submit a competitive entry, and to register for the conference.  On October 2, 2020, in conjunction with its annual Alumni Weekend, Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) will celebrate graduates and industry leaders with a series of special awards. Alec Dalton is among the honorees and will be recognized as the "Young Alumni of the Year" for 2020. “As BU SHA approaches our 40th anniversary (2021) we are proud to boast about our alumni who are in leading roles in various sectors of our business,” noted Dean Arun Upneja. “Alec Dalton’s achievements as an undergraduate were notable; honoring his professional accomplishments so soon after his graduation is not surprising. We look forward to following along with him through what will no doubt be an illustrious career.” Alec graduated from Boston University in 2015 with dual bachelor’s degrees from the School of Hospitality Administration and the Questrom School of Business. His involvement in the SHA community included co-founding the university’s chapter of AH&LA, recruiting prospective students as a Dean’s Host, and ultimately serving as President of the school’s student government in his senior year. Alec earned membership in several distinguished organizations, including Eta Sigma Delta, Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Kappa Psi, and BU’s Scarlet Key Honor Society. Upon his graduation, he was conferred the Dean’s Leadership Service Award for his contributions to student life. In honor of his faculty advisor and trusted mentor, Alec now serves on the leadership committee for the Mike Oshins Freshman Experience Fund.  Other distinguished honorees will be recognized on October 2:
In addition to the awards ceremony, Alumni Weekend celebrations hosted by SHA include a kick-off keynote by Marie Perry (SVP & Chief Officer, Brinks, U.S. & Canada and Board Member, Ruth’s Chris) and two industry panels:
Click here to register for any of these complimentary, virtual events:  Between October 19-22, 2020, customer experience leaders from around the world will gather virtually for the inaugural conference of the Customer Experience & Service Association Middle East (CXSA). Titled E3, this event will "Educate, Engage, and Empower" attendees to enhance customer experiences in their own organizations. With great enthusiasm, Alec Dalton is pleased to present a masterclass entitled "Building a Better Business: Service Blueprinting and Its Benefits in Hospitality and Beyond." Service blueprints effectively help CX leaders understand those underlying processes, which further helps them find ways to improve both revenue and profitability. By attending this session, participants will be able to:
Consider joining this exceptional conference, with an array of world-class thought leaders and ample opportunity to network with CX colleagues across industries and continents. Click the link below to register, but contact Alec first before you do: he's happy to share a promotional discount off your registration fee! Recently, Alec Dalton connected with Janelle Mansfield, CEO and Customer Experience Evangelist of AmplifiedCX. During his segment in her series of "60 second" soundbites for amplifying customer experiences, Alec highlighted service blueprinting as a technique CX leaders can use for understanding the operational implications of their experiences. Check out the recording below, and continue reading to learn more. As Alec shared in the video, service blueprinting is an extension of customer journey mapping. Blueprints use process flow diagramming to show the steps customers take along their journey, as well (and perhaps more importantly) the steps the business takes in parallel. The benefits of service blueprinting include:
The following screenshot shows some of the basic elements in a simplified service blueprint:  Looking vertically, you can see an array of actions and lines that form the core components of a blueprint:
As the example shows, each of the actions and processes is connected with flow lines to depict the movement of tasks and effort as an experience is prepared, created, and evaluated. Additional features common on blueprints include metrics like the duration of each task, the quality of outputs, and customer satisfaction at key events. The level of depth a single blueprint provides explains why the tool is a prized addition to any CX toolkit. If you're keen to learn more, consider joining Alec's blueprinting masterclass during the E3 digital conference, hosted on Oct. 19-22, 2020 by the Customer Experience & Service Association Middle East (CXSA). You can also read "Service Blueprinting: Shifting from a Storyboard to a Scorecard", which he published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research in collaboration with Dr. Peter Szende.  Based on its worldwide acclaim, BookAuthority has named Customer Experience to its list of the "Best New Customer Experience Books" for 2020. This collaborative book, which became an instant international best-seller, shares world-class tips, tools, techniques, and trends from 22 CX thought leaders. From the cultivation of customer-centric cultures to the curation of marketing metrics, this book covers the breadth of CX strategy. Business leaders seeking to dramatically enhance their products and services will find ample tips, techniques, and other takeaways. In Alec Dalton's section, readers will specifically learn a five-step framework for improving the quality of customer experiences.
To explore the incredible insights from these CX leaders, order a print or Kindle copy on Amazon.
In the pursuit of quality, customer experience (CX) leaders should consider the costs to build effective business cases. Watch as service scientist Alec Dalton shares how to identify and balance the costs of “good quality” and “poor quality" in the pursuit of optimal CX investments. This presentation was first delivered on Aug. 21, 2020 during a CX community event hosted by the North American Customer Centricity Awards. It mirrors concepts Alec presents in the best-selling book Customer Experience 2.
 With its annual conference approaching on the horizon, the North American Customer Centricity Awards looks forward to connecting worldwide professionals in customer experience management. On August 21, between 9:30-10:30 AM EDT, join international colleagues as the conference organizers host a CX Community Event to share thought leadership and provoke discuss within the industry.
Alec Dalton will delve into the cost of quality in CX with his presentation, "Dollars & Sense." In the pursuit of quality customer experiences, CX leaders should consider the costs when building effective business cases. Attendees will learn how to identify and balance the costs of “good quality” and “poor quality,” in pursuit of optimal investments. This presentation parallels his writing in the recent best-selling book Customer Experience 2. Another keynote presentation will come from Eryc Eyl, Senior Solution Director of E Source. His segment, "Let's Get Real About Employee Engagement," will explore ways to authentically engage employees with a customer-centric strategy. Moderating the event will be Diane Magers, Founder and CEO of Experience Catalysts and former CEO and Chair Emeritus of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. Click the button below to register for this complimentary event.  ARCET Global has announced the appointment of Alec Dalton as a Judge of the 2020 North American Customer Centricity Awards. These prestigious awards recognize best-in-class organizations and programs on the cutting-edge of customer experience management.
The array of awards categories encompasses a broad spectrum of priorities in customer experience management, including:
The North American Customer Centricity Awards coincide with one of the largest virtual CX knowledge-sharing events in North America. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 conference will be hosted virtually on October 8th. In addition to awards-related programming, the conference will include four keynote presentations and a panel discussion amongst customer experience leaders. On October 9th, an online awards ceremony will celebrate the leaders pioneering "next practice" CX. Click here to learn more about the North American Customer Centricity Awards and register for the conference. A titular focus on customer experience management isn't the only similarity between Alec Dalton's newest book and its predecessor: Customer Experience 2, the sequel to last year's acclaimed bestseller, has also attained high rankings on Amazon internationally. Within the first week of sales, the latest volume became a "#1 Hot New Release" in several countries. It also reached the top spot in several categories, including #1 in Customer Service (US), Customer Services (UK & France), and Consumer Behaviour (Canada).  Available digitally and going to print soon, Customer Experience 2 presents even more perspectives from top CX professionals. Readers will explore an array of topics on the cutting-edge of CX strategy, from the role of behavioral science in experience design to best-practices for building effective CX business cases. 24 industry leaders lend their voices in Customer Experience 2, which was edited by Naeem Arif, Ian Golding, and Andrew Priestley, and which includes a forward by Greg Melia, CEO of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. Alec's contribution focuses on CX metrics and measurement. He translates Armand Feigenbaum and Joseph Juran's theories on "the cost of quality" in a manner that applies to building CX business cases. Readers will learn how to identify and balance the costs of "good quality" and "poor quality," in pursuit of optimal investments.  To order your own copy of the book and its precursor, click the links here:
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