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Over the next two days, American Express Business Travel will recognize more than 600 of its top performing front line corporate travel counselors during the American Express Pacesetters 2008 event. Pacesetters is one of the longest running corporate employee awards programs of its kind, recognizing award winners from all corners of the globe. The Pacesetters will spend two days with each other networking with their peers and supplier partners from around the world and hearing first hand about our business priorities from American Express’ senior most leaders.
“Our front-line travel counselors are the face of American Express to our customers,” praised Priyan Fernando, President, Global Customer Group and Chief Operating Officer for American Express Business Travel. “Day in and day out, these employees have consistently displayed superior customer service results, shown exemplary leadership ability and have set the pace for how we strive to provide customer service excellence, which has earned each of them the honor and distinction as Pacesetters.”
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| From left to right: Crystal Hamilton (PHX TBSC), Margaret Gorski (PHX QSC), Christa Haley (PHX), Michael Martlaro (PHX TL), Colleen Leep (PHX TL), Kathy Perea (PHX), Natalie Groff (PHX), Barbara Price (PHX) |
The standard of excellence established by the Pacesetters has helped to create a culture of service that allows our clients to travel with confidence knowing that they have the support of an unparalleled network of counselors around the world, available at any time. Equally important, the role of the travel counselor also includes providing travelers with a live voice and an immediate contact for help, peace of mind and personal assurance for those times and situations when travelers may experience challenging or upsetting circumstances.
“Annually, our global travel counselor workforce has more than 75 million interactions with travelers. Recognizing that we are only as good as the last satisfied customer, each customer experience must be flawless,” Fernando noted.
“Aspiring to perfection requires an upfront investment in our travel counselors to ensure that they are fully supported at all levels, including training, technology, operating configuration and more. Our success is predicated on their success.”
New employee training and development strategies have recently been introduced and technology investments have been made to enhance the customer experience. The ‘Great Call Experience’ is a common set of servicing protocols that was implemented to complement the travel counselor’s consultative capabilities. The ‘AXcess After Hours’ service was made possible through technology enhancements enabling counselors to consistently provide customers with quicker handling times and a personalized experience.
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| From left to right: Heather-Marie Flecknor (Calgary), Bryan Collins (PHX), Jennifer Dyck (Calgary), Bill Fleming (QSC), Ann Demuro (QSC), Carlos Lopez (Univision Onsite, LA), Kathryn Kolb (PHX) |
The Pacesetters event kicks off July 8th and runs through July 10th. During the multi-day event, four principles will be emphasized as pivotal to delivering best-in-class service:
Global: Provide a consistent customer experience in every part of the globe
Scale: Operate together, globally, as one integrated service center of excellence
Brand: Create a premium experience every time
People: Passion and Experience
This year, a total of 604 Pacesetters representing 31 nations will be honored. Countries included among those 31 nations are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
