Last week, I spent a wonderful three days at the Delano Beach Hotel in Miami. I had been there before, but never as a guest. It was like no hotel I have ever stayed in. Aside from the constantly bumping dance music in the background (that just forces you to shake your tailfeathers) that seemed to get louder as the day got on, the thing that struck me most was that I have never seen so many beautiful people work in one place. But they weren't just beautiful, they were friendly. These two traits don't always coexist. Whether it was the attractive staff who open the doors for you every time you walk in and out of the pool area, the lovely waitresses by the pool who take your drink orders, or the stunning beauties who supply you with towels at the pool, they were always smiling, warm and inviting. The room staff always left a fresh apple in my room and everyone was eager to please the guests.

What kind of experience are you creating for your customers? It was a pleasure walking through a hotel where not only are the staff nice to look at, but they are nice to be around. In one of the trendiest hotels in an area known for seemingly superficial values, I received one of the greatest customer experiences of my life. An environment that was warm and comforting, combined with leading edge and hip. It was something I will always remember and I will definitely be returning to the Delano. Hopefully sooner than later. Are customers saying that about the experience that they have with you? If not, what changes are you going to make?

Is it possible that the US healthcare system is moving further and further towards the Canadian model of publicly funded healthcare for all? Look at the signs and we shall see. But let's be honest, Canada has a two-tier system. Those that want to (and can afford) to pay for private heatlhcare, can. We have Cleveland Clinic, Medcan, etc. This is a good thing. If you provide the option for people who can afford it, it will remove some people from the public system to reduce wait times for those that can't afford private care. More to come on this in the coming days....

For those organizations going throught the transformation of implementing a new system, here are a few things to consider in order to ensure success:

1. Get users involved early and often
2. Ensure you review the business processes
3. Identify key implementation considerations, which could be challenges, roadblocks or even opportunities
4. Have a strong project lead that can drive things forward
5. Ensure you have the right mix of business sense and technical knowledge
6. Identify who is most impacted by the new system and enlist them as ambassadors
7. Do a phased go-live, not a big bang on the first day
8. Prepare for issues, so have back-up processes at the ready
9. Allow users to test real-life scenarios in the system before you go-live
10. Develop different training modules based on different types of users

There are many more that I could list, but this is a very good starting point.