Archive for the ‘Level of Service’ Category
Holiday Lights Tour – Greater Phoenix Tradition
Monday, November 28th, 2011
The Christmas spirit is in the air now that Thanksgiving has officially passed. The month of December is filled with various holiday festivities and among them is the Valley’s tradition of displaying the most extravagant of holiday lights. As single family homes transform themselves into a Christmas wonderland, in the Greater Phoenix area you can expect anything from candy-cane houses, animation carved characters, a Ferris wheel, petting zoos, and various unique forms of live entertainment. One family house in Chandler is famous for serving popcorn, cocoa and cookies as they show holiday movies.
Arizona Celebration of Lights is a drive thru holiday lights display in Phoenix starts on November 19th and last through January 1st 2012. The organizers of this particular tour say that it is the state of Arizona’s largest display of holiday lights with more than 7,000,000 lights and 300 animated and still displays. On average about 140,000 people and 15, 000 cars pass through the display during this joyous season. This holiday tour lasts about a mile as you pass through five tunnels. They are open Sunday through Thursday and you can enjoy the holiday lights from 5:30pm to 9:00pm and on Friday, Saturdays and holidays their opened an extra hour, closing at 10pm. Glendale Glitters is another holiday tour in the area between November 25th and January 14th. A Holiday celebration in the historic downtown of Glendale is with 1.5 million multi-colored holiday lights throughout a twelve block area, from 6 to 10pm every evening. The majority of the holiday lights in the valley is spirited by single family homes, who open their yards to strangers in the spirit of Christmas, making it the best time of the year.
Accent Transportation can be apart of your Christmas as we will gladly tour you and your family around the extravagant holiday lights, giving you the peace to watch the lights from the back seat, relaxed and enjoying the company of your family and friends.
Choosing a Scottsdale Limo -for a night out.
Monday, November 21st, 2011
Limousine Service to the following Bars and Lounges in Scottsdale.
Axis/Radius – fusion of undeniable luxury and dramatic sensory experience spanning two lavish nightclubs. Vaulted, ultra-modern structures, joined by glass catwalk. Corporate Events, Holiday Celebrations, Initial Public Offerings, Employee Appreciation Parties, Meetings, Wedding Receptions, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Networking Mixers, Happy Hours, Birthday Parties, Rehearsal Dinners, Fundraisers, Concert and Sporting Event After parties – whatever the occasion, large or small, Axis/Radius will provide your guests with an impressive escape from traditional nightlife. Let us make your next celebration unforgettable… Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau®.
Full Bar, Patio, Bottle Service and VIP Section available.
Hours: Thu-Fri 10:00p.m. – 2:00a.m.; Sat 9:00pm – 2:00am.
Degree 270 – Located on the 14th floor, this chic lounge offers fantastic views of the Arizona desert and Camelback Mountain. Jump aboard “Flight 270” featuring wine pairings, domestic and imported cheeses, cured meats, chocolates and decadent desserts. Live entertainment… Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau®.
Food Available, Full Bar, Patio, Entertainment, and No cover change.
Hours: Open 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday
The Casablanca Lounge - Find yourself caught between past and future, in an elegant cocktail lounge that flirts with both timeless old-world style and forward-looking innovation. Enjoy barrel-aged beverages in our progressive bar, an exotic cocktail on one of our panoramic balconies overlooking Old Town Scottsdale and Camelback Mountain, or perhaps host a private event in our “Speakeasy” Room. … Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau®.
Food, Full Bar, Patio, Entertainment, Bottle Service, and VIP Section are available. No cover charge.
Hours: Wed-Sat 4:00pm to 2:00am; Sun 6:00pm to midnight.
Dos Gringos – “A Great Place to Day Drink” and “Arizona’s Original Patio Bar and Restaurant” offers a wide range of great drink specials every night. Our spacious two-story bar, with the addition of the Whiskey Room on the first floor, allows partygoers to enjoy that saloon feel or walk up the stairs to join the Rocky Point Beach Party. Whether it’s going to be a happy hour meeting place or a weekend party destination, Dos Gringos takes care of all your partying needs. Make sure to get here early as the place fills up fast. Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau®.
Food, Full Bar, Patio and Entertainment are available. No cover charge.
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am -2am; Sun 12pm-2am.
Edge Bar – Experience life on the edge, the new bar at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa. Relax on the deck and drink in the view. Toast the sunset with elevated mixology, specialty cocktails made tableside. Enjoy imaginative small plates like Buddha buns, roasted beet hummus or salmon & caviar parfait. An experience as stimulating as the view. Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau®.
Food, Full Bar, and Patio available. No cover charge.
World’s First Super SUV
Monday, September 19th, 2011We see the world altering around us every day with constant technological advances. Well on the 13th of September the Britain based car manufacturer Eterniti revealed at the International Frankfurt Motor Show for the first time the Eterniti Hemera, the world’s first super SUV. This new vehicle is going to be based on the platform of the Porsche Cayenne. It is to be hand made in London producing a remarkable 620 bhp (brake horse power) and a top speed of over 180 mph. Production will begin in early 2012 and will be available for sale by summer time. The automobile manufacturer Eterniti intends to become a boutique luxury carmaker, their production of the “limo-like” vehicle Hemera has a rear cabin, with twin reclining rear seats, twin iPads with wireless keyboards and a drinks chiller.
For a world without limits is the slogan for the Hemera. Although minimum information has been released about the Hemera, many other luxury interior components are expected. The engineering team is led by Alastair Macqueen, who was in charge for the making of the Jaguar XJ220 supercar and has won the Le Mans 24-Hour race with both Jaguar and Bentley. Eterniti is planning to establish its first facility in London featuring a showroom, car build and service center, and a separate area where customers can create custom specifications for their cars, which will be hand-built on site. More of these facilities are expected to open around the world in key international cities, one of them being Hong Kong, starting in 2012.
The UK based car maker Eterniti motors is trying to make a distinct name of its company, debuting its first car as the first super SUV in the world, something that other luxury car manufacturers have not done yet. It is anticipated to sale for an estimate of $238,000. Also due to its compact 4 x 4 dimension, the vehicle has an option of self-drive as well as chauffeured. But of course in this type of vehicle chauffeured drive would be desired.
This vehicle is talked about as revolutionary because it offers intense luxury. Accent Limo’s aim as a transportation company has always been offering clients with a world of pure luxury to get you to your destination in comfort and style. Each of our vehicles is equipped with In-Car Wi-Fi, XM Satellite Radio and GPS Navigation. We offer complimentary bottled water and the latest magazines such as Business Week, Forbes or Fortune and local and national newspapers to enhance your journey. Choose Accent if productivity while travelling is on top of your list when selecting your car service.
Phoenix hotels take top honor in service. Do you?
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
As you know, articles about customer service catch my attention. I truly believe that taking care of your customers should be your number one priority in business. That is one of the reasons why Phoenix-based Accent Transportation Services (@transaccent or http://www.transaccent.com/) has been able to thrive in a questionable economy.
Despite the economic challenges Arizona has faced surrounding immigration, two Arizona cities are listed among the top five best hotels for service across all of the United States. Those cities are Phoenix and Scottsdale.
When it comes to hotel guests who are pleased with the level of service, value and overall experience, Phoenix, Arizona is tops. These aren’t just your run of the mill budget hotels – these are three- and four-star hotels. The survey was done by hotel.info, which operates internationally.
Phoenix replaced Indianapolis at the top of the charts – it was ranked second last year. Rankings were based on a survey of customer reviews during the first half of the year. The top five cities, in order, were Phoenix, Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas and Scottsdale.
I found it interesting that even if a guest’s stay was quite pleasant, in assessing the price paid for their accommodation, many guests ultimately gave a critical review of their personal experience at the hotel. This begs the question, was the room truly a bargain, or should the offer really have been less expensive?
We can draw three lessons from the winners. First, value is subjective. Remember, these were not low-end hotels but rather three and four-star establishments. It is cliché but value is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, the value was directly defined by the customer experience.
Second, price does not equal value. When a consumer spends the type of money necessary to stay in a hotel such as these they have expectations. I would guess that the top five hotels have some type of customer feedback process and they make changes based on comments.
Finally, the competition is always improving. Phoenix was not ranked first in last year’s survey. So, how did they move up in the ranking amidst a bad economy and negative press surrounding immigration and travel to Arizona? They did it through good old-fashioned customer service. I would bet they didn’t guess what their customers wanted – they asked.
This survey is done every six months. I will be interested to see if Phoenix can retain the title as the best value and best customer service. Will Phoenix hotel operators continue to offer good service at a fair price or will they relax their focus on serving their customers?
I hope these tips will help your company improve its customer service or help you to evaluate the companies you do business with. As for Accent Transportation Services, we’ll continue to be obsessed with serving our customers through Phoenix airport executive car service, Phoenix and Scottsdale limo service and special event transportation.
Leave us a comment on Twitter at @transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent. We’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount for sharing your thoughts. After all, feedback gives us the opportunity to take our customer service to the next level.
What is Customer Service (Part II)?
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010In the first blog of this two-part series, I asked what makes a company stand out over others. My theory was that is was part price, part value and part services offered with a healthy amount of “presentation” as they say in the culinary world.
The Bloomberg Businessweek article “Standouts in Customer Service,” ranked the top 25 standouts for 2010. I thought this topic deserved further attention and have included a few tips from the winners.
No. 1: L.L. Bean: famous for its lenient return policies, L.L. Bean now offers free shipping on outbound deliveries and returns. In addition, when it announced the closure of a call center in 2009, L.L. Bean gave employees the option to work as home-based agents rather than outsourcing the work.
No. 2: USAA: this innovative company is giving customers the flexibility they desire by offering bank deposits via iPhone and is working on a way for customers to handle an entire accident claim via smartphones as well as making peer-to-peer payments.
No. 3: Apple: options such as Apple’s “Genius Bar” appointments as well as roaming in-store checkout clerks are new ways Apple is upping its customer service game. Apples reputation for customer service is further engrained by customer-friendly iPhone apps created by other companies.
No. 4: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts: there is nothing like a national financial crisis to put a hurt on luxury brands. The Four Seasons responded by easing meeting planner policies as well as cross-training back-office employees to do double duty.
No. 5: Publix Super Markets: a power player in the Southeast, Publix recently installed an inventory software system to automate order replenishments, which improved “out-of-stocks” by 19 percent. What is Publix’s customer service secret – ownership. The 1000-store chain gives all workers a grant of the grocery giant’s privately held stock.
Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service, Phoenix and Scottsdale limo service and special event transportation, which means this topic is of interest to us! As I reviewed the top 25 customer service winners, and specifically the top five, two common themes emerged. Those themes are doing business the way the customer wants it done (iPhone apps, no hassle returns and relaxing policies to earn trust) and ownership (providing employees an actual part of the company).
There a few things in the world that have more impact than helping employees see their connection to a company’s success or proactively changing how your customers interact with your services. We hope you’ve found this information useful. Let us know your customer service tips and what has worked for you. You can reach us on Twitter at @transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent. We’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount for sharing your thoughts.
What is Customer Service (Part I)?
Thursday, June 17th, 2010I’ve often heard that customer service is a lost art. It used to be something that a customer expected. However, of late, it has almost become an unexpected surprise.
Given that Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service, Scottsdale airport limo service and special event transportation that exceeds our customer’s expectations, I find this topic of interest.
There are plenty of insurance companies, hotels, financial institutions, credit cards and even car services to choose from. So, what makes one company stand out over another? What motivates a customer to select one over the other? Is it price, services, time or how about value?
It can’t always be about price can it? I realize we’re in a recession; however, at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.
The definition of “customer service” is straightforward enough. Dictionary.com defines it as: assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services. Obviously, there’s more to it than that.
I recently read a Bloomberg Businessweek article on “Standouts in Customer Service” (did I mention I’m a bit obsessed with serving customers…). Here is the link: www.bit.ly….. The magazine ranked the top 25 standouts for 2010. There were several on the list that did not surprise me (USAA, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Cartlon, American Express and the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) but several that did. The entire list can be found through the link above.
The article asserted that most would assume that 2009 would have been a particularly hard year for customer service. Companies slashed inventories, cut back employee hours, benefit and pay (all huge attitude motivators). However, customer satisfaction rose rather than declined.
Analysts believe that the recession motivated companies to focus on taking care of the customer. Discussions on cutting costs, outsourcing and automation turned into discussions on how to increase customer loyalty.
Good or bad economy, Accent Transportation Services (www.transaccent.com) believes in exceeding our customer’s expectations. We do this through value; we offer free in-car WiFi in all of our cars as well as complimentary recharging of your devices after a flight (laptops, iPods, smart phones, etc.), and other services. We don’t mind competing on price either! Tell us you read this blog, follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent and we’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount.
Stay tuned for part two of this article, where we’ll share some of the customer service tips and tricks from the top 25 customer service winners!
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