DSSMI holds Seminar

The seminar was planned to inspire those on the front lines of the hospitality industry; the people that give Saratoga Springs the fine reputation it has today.
The seminar was hosted by Erika Dietz, a local business woman with more than 20 years of motivational speaking experience. At an early age, Dietz began her career in customer service as a tour guide for senior citizens' cruises along the Erie Canal.
"It was a glamorous job," Dietz said in jest. "I knew that I could make a difference in the community by a tweak in thinking. It's easy to look at a retail job as just a transaction but it's so much more than that. We all need to look at a moment as a larger piece of the picture."
Dietz explained that while we speak to the guests to our community as sales associates or waiters and waitresses, their impression of their experience will resonate as the impression of the whole city.
"The people that we interact with while they are visiting will remember Saratoga for the attractions, but we make the experience memorable," she added. "People will remember the ones who went out of their way to help just as much as they remember the ones who didn't care."
As an example, Dietz spoke of Kim Tribley and Anne O'Connor of Impressions of Saratoga. The two sales associates were awarded at the seminar for their exceptional customer service skills at Impressions. Not only did these two women help a customer, they helped out other businesses that, in other communities, could be considered competition.
"We thank Anne and Kim for their exceptional customer service," Dietz said. "They have helped to make Saratoga a great place. This shows that we have more influence together than as individuals. We all need to elevate our level of human caring."
Behind the scenes, Dietz spoke of the people who are helping to draw people to Saratoga. The Convention and Tourism Bureau and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce were mentioned as major motivators for people to come to Saratoga Springs for their conventions and vacations, however Dietz added that, while they do the leg work, it is the employees on the front lines that shape the memories of the guests.
"Saratoga Springs is up nine percent from this time last year. That has to do with the people that guests encounter on a casual basis - the concierge or waiter. Our guests are still coming to Saratoga and remember the kind of place this is. It's our job to get people to come back in months other than August. Tell the people you meet about the Victorian Street Walk or skiing in the state park to get them to come back during the off season. It all has to do with our attitudes and views of Saratoga," Dietz said. "Where Saratoga goes from here comes from our attitudes and is in our hands. We all need to unite to make a difference with every encounter we make with a guest."