Monscierge Blog
Experience a better way to Connect
How To Get Lost on Your Next Road Trip
Sometimes the best thing you can do is find places you didn’t know you were looking for
We live in a strange time when you think about it. We’re not exactly living in the future science fiction prepared us for –– no flying cars or teleportation.
Listening Skills: How Humility Can Be Very Powerful
When you want to make a difference… just listen.
Mother Teresa was a mere 5 feet tall and is known as one of the most humble people in the world, living her life with an attitude of complete joy toward serving others.
Insider Scoop: Get Your Travel Tips from Locals
How travelers can take advantage of local movements to plan their trips with expert recommendations
A quick Google Image search for “buy local” returns logos and images for campa
How travelers can take advantage of local movements to plan their trips with expert recommendations
A quick Google Image search for “buy local” returns logos and images for campaigns spreading across the country –– covering every state, county and city from Santa Monica, California, to Monadnock, New Hampshire. This local push in communities isn’t new; it’s just received a lot of publicity in the last couple years as a strategy to improve local economies. It’s good news for communities and the green movement. It’s also good news for travelers. With the rise of local awareness, there are more ways than ever to get the insider scoop on cities. Locally owned business registries are expanding in content and viewership –– not to mention new blogs dedicated to local restaurants, events and markets are being published every day. Searching keywords like, “keep it local [city]” or “local businesses [city]” should produce some great results to help you plan the itinerary for your next trip. But, my favorite way to find out about a new city, with the best results, is to check out their weeklies online. Every major (and pretty much every minor) city has one. Weeklies are rich with local favorites (antique shops, cafes and boutiques), restaurant reviews and event calendars. You’ll get a good feel for the local flavor –– and attitude. But best of all, weeklies are written by the people who love the city they live in. While their recommendations may not be likely to populate the first couple of pages of an online search, they’re the most valuable. (Search “[city] weekly” –– even those with tricky names should be easy to find in any search engine.) So, my advice: get your recommendations from the experts and travel your next destination city like a local. Not only will you have the most unique and quality experience –– you’ll be supporting local businesses. It doesn’t get any better than that. [Disclaimer: Some readers may find the opinions and topics covered in some weeklies to be offensive, sarcastic or in poor taste.]
Customer Service: What Happened to Serving the Customer?
Raising the expectation – why the culture of a company should be focused on serving the customer
I used to hear the adage, “The customer is always right,” but it seems now that whenever I’m standing in line at a retail establishment or holding in a phone queue, the phrase has become, “The customer is a necessary evil.” What happened to the focus of serving and making the customer happy?
Having a customer is a privilege for any company, and serving that customer should be the company’s mission and purpose.