The first step to providing engaging hospitality is seeing people as individuals...not as customers. Customers are no name bodies who shop, stand in line and fill out surveys. Individuals ask for coffee 135 degrees, like getting to know the manager and take the time to make personal videos and post them on Tripadvisor. Customers, in aggregate, don't connect with you, individual people do. Just like it's easy for an industry or business to discount the validity of customer opinion polls, it's easy for a person to forget an average experience...because there's no emotional connection, it's not personal. Taking the time to get to know someone forces you to treat them better, like a friend or neighbor. It forces you to have conversations...instead of transactions. It forces you to care...like it really matters what they think of you.
Individuals form opinions about your business based on how you treat them, not what your customer service policy is or mission statement dictates. And, the more choices they have, the more this personal part matters. Companies that excel in engagement, that take the time to demonstrate caring, will win.
Your job is to make every part of your business more personal and engaging...your website, the call center, the signage, the front counter, the menu...everything. Lead people along a path of meaningful delivery, from beginning to end.