TerraFirma talks with Karla Dougherty, Chief Customer Officer, Xclusive Services, about her career journey in hospitality and what’s ahead for Xclusive Services.
Q. Tell us about your journey to your role at Xclusive Services.
I’m from Nicaragua, and I started my career there in hospitality with the International Hotels Group. I was with them for five years and realized I was very passionate about the (hospitality) industry. After I moved to the US and completed my master’s degree, I was contacted by a staffing firm recruiter who specialized in hospitality. I didn’t even know that “staffing” existed! That role was truly a journey of growth—I moved up through the ranks, from entry-level management positions to the executive team. We went through a few acquisitions, which was insightful, and I also learned about manufacturing and light industrial staffing. After working with Butler Street Consulting as a client, I later joined them to help advance their growth in hospitality and light industrial consulting and training. I recently joined Xclusive Services, and they’re transitioning from original ownership to a second owner. I was intrigued about the challenges and opportunities that went with that, and excited to help them along that journey and their next steps. I saw Xclusive had a great track record of moving folks through the ranks from entry level to leadership roles, as I did early in my career, and that really resonated with me.
Q. How will you use marketing to help drive the continued success of Xclusive Services? What is Xclusive Services doing now in terms of marketing efforts?
I have a very customer-centric approach, and marketing is obviously part of that. As I’m fairly new to this role, I’m currently absorbing the company culture and brand strengths. I’m meeting with customers to better understand their post-Covid needs, since the political and economic landscape have changed. Marketing is a powerful tool, and every interaction with a customer or potential customer is what I call “a moment of truth.” You’re creating an impression, along with what they should know about and expect from you.
Every moment-of-truth interaction, be it virtually or in-person, should be cohesive and consistent; we should all be saying the same things. My goal is to work closely with our marketing director to help ensure there is a seamless way of communicating our brand’s differentiators and value proposition. To that end, we’re in the early stages of revamping everything from our website to how we connect with candidates and existing customers. We want to make sure we are making impactful touchpoints immediately when customers and candidates engage with the Xclusive brand and communicate with them over the platforms they live on. Part of this includes working on our Net Promoter Score (NPS), as well as in-depth analysis like Voice of the Customer (VoC) research. So far, these indicators have been positive, and we’re learning what customers perceive as our brand’s value.
Q. What has surprised you about the staffing industry?
In terms of staffing, I continue to be surprised about industry volatility and the importance of keeping an ear on what the customers’ needs are. For example, particularly with hotels, how small things can impact guest satisfaction, customer service and financial operations. Our services need to positively impact those metrics, even when those priorities shift.
Q. What new things are on the horizon for Xclusive Services?
We are looking at different and innovative ways to focus on our customers, as well as expanding into new services for them. We’re also investing in company culture, redefining our mission statement and core values to ensure we are value-led, people-oriented and focused on excellence and accountability. We’ve also introduced expanded benefits, bonus incentives, and more employee recognition within our culture, to ensure we best serve our customers and exceed their expectations.
Q. What was your first job?
When I was in college, I was a translator for a consultant who came from the Netherlands to Nicaragua, translating from Spanish to English. It was a great experience, and he’s now the director in China for the United Nations!
Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
As we start the new year, it’s important to have a positive attitude and proactive approach toward all the changes happening in the staffing industry. Determine where we need to invest, what/how we need to develop, and be more intentional to make sure that we know the best way to tackle those challenges. We should define what that looks like and have an intentional action plan versus (re) acting from fear.