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Episode 267: Paul Rutter – Cruise Director, Customer Service Captain

Paul Rutter, the Cruise and Entertainment Director and Customer Service Expert, joins the show to share his journey spending decades living with his customers and co-workers. Hear about that clothing-optional cruise, how to provide an excellent customer experience, the biggest customer service mistakes businesses make, the most beautiful night sky Paul’s seen on the water, and what’s next for cruise ships. This episode covers everything from Alaska to Jerry Lewis. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What did Paul learn working on the naked cruise
• How do you maintain professionalism in challenging environments
• A Sea Day
• How can you show care and empathy towards customers
• Shore Excursions
• How do you get in the customer-facing mindset
• The Aurora Borealis
• FlowRider

Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Naked Cruise
  • [0:27] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:37] Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon
  • [1:49] Starting off shipshape
  • [2:31] What did Paul learn working on the naked cruise aka clothing-optional cruise
  • [4:49] Port of Call
  • [5:08] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [5:24] Clothing-Optional Communities
  • [5:41] Eye Contact
  • [6:09] Nude Beach
  • [6:18] Corona, Pacifico
  • [6:34] How do you maintain professionalism in challenging environments
  • [7:36] PHEW
  • [8:05] Captain’s Formal Cocktail Party
  • [8:38] You know who you are!

• Cruises & Customer Service
  • [9:27] How do you provide excellent customer service
  • [11:24] Sea Day aka Day at Sea
  • [11:39] Cruise and Entertainment Director
  • [11:47] Grand Cayman
  • [12:02] Tenders
  • [13:10] Destination Wedding, St. Thomas
  • [15:19] Dana Branstetter – Wild Business Growth Podcast #213: Wedding Recap
  • [16:11] Ha
  • [16:20] How can you show care and empathy towards customers
  • [17:15] Honeymoon
  • [17:31] Anniversary
  • [18:11] PR (Public Relations)
  • [18:41] How do you handle crises quickly
  • [19:16] Shore Excursions
  • [20:14] Refund
  • [22:32] What’s the biggest customer service mistake businesses make
  • [22:47] Ayayay, Max
  • [23:28] Corporate Trainer
  • [24:53] Crew Mess
  • [25:34] Employee Engagement
  • [26:04] Creature Comforts
  • [26:20] Nice one
  • [26:32] How do you get in the customer-facing mindset
  • [27:30] St. Martin, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • [28:05] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
  • [28:08] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity

• Rapid-Fire Q&A: Cruise Edition
  • [28:07] Bazinga
  • [28:35] Aurora Borealis
  • [29:40] Jerry Lewis, Phyllis Diller, Norm Crosby, Captain & Tennille, The 5th Dimension, “Cuchi-Cuchi” by Charo
  • [30:48] What would be Paul’s dream theme for a cruise
  • [31:00] Super Bowl, NFL (National Football League), Jazz Cruise, Earth, Wind & Fire, The O’Jays
  • [31:35] What would be Paul’s dream shore excursion
  • [32:28] IP (Intellectual Property), Trade Secrets
  • [32:54] What’s next for the cruise industry
  • [33:25] Universal Studios, Disney World
  • [33:40] FlowRider, iFLY
  • [35:52] Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon
  • [36:21] What are Paul’s Final Thoughts
  • [36:44] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [37:01] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [37:04] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [37:07] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [37:12] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Paul Rutter on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And play Cruis’n Exotica with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by MaxPodcasting Founder and Podcast Producer Max Branstetter (that’s me).

Episode #112: Dan Gingiss – The Experience Maker, Customer Experience Speaker

Dan Gingiss, the Customer Experience Speaker and Coach, joins the show to share his journey from marketing collectible figurines to creating remarkable customer experiences at McDonald’s, Discover, Humana, and more. Hear how to create extraordinary moments for your customers, make memorable moments while improving pain points, the difference between customer experience and customer service, Dan’s stories from being a licensed bartender, and his family’s secret chocolate chip cookie recipe. This episode covers everything from his favorite moments as a customer to Chicago Deep Dish Pizza vs. New York Pizza. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• Why Dan used to stare at figurines
• Customer Experience vs. Customer Service
• What makes a customer experience remarkable
• Dan’s son’s special birthday experience at a steakhouse
• Why is Dan a Pinball Wizard
• How Starbucks created perfect virtual Zoom backgrounds
• Pop vs. Soda
• What is Dan’s favorite cocktail to make

Connect with Dan at DanGingiss.com, on Twitter at @DGingiss, and on LinkedIn.

Enjoy the show! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro
  • [0:29] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com for help using your podcast as a business-building tool
  • [0:40] Connect with Dan at DanGingiss.com, on Twitter at @DGingiss, and on LinkedIn
  • [0:55] Winning at Social Customer Care by Dan Gingiss
  • [1:14] Customer Experience (CX)
  • [2:01] Discover, Humana, McDonald’s
  • [2:44] Marketing
  • [2:52] B2B (Business-to-Business), B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
  • [2:59] Healthcare
  • [3:20] Social Media
  • [3:57] Direct Mail
  • [4:08] Sunday Coupons
  • [4:15] Digital Marketing
  • [6:27] Email Marketing
  • [6:32] What is the key success factor to marketing
  • [6:55] Danbury Mint – “Dan” Company #1, Betty Boop Figurine
  • [7:21] Kellogg School of Management
  • [7:55] Big Ten (B1G)
  • [8:08] Product Development
  • [8:20] The Old Red Barn Figurine
  • [8:44] Mailing Lists
  • [10:07] Facebook, Google
  • [10:11] Analog Marketing
  • [10:42] Digital Media
  • [10:58] Disney
• Customer Experience (CX)
  • [11:26] What’s the earliest experience Dan had with CX
  • [12:01] Experience This!
  • [12:25] Customer Service
  • [12:57] Amazon, Netflix
  • [13:11] Netflix DVDs
  • [13:59] Jeff Bezos
  • [14:22] Amazon Prime
  • [15:44] Customer-Centric
  • [16:03] Dannon – “Dan” Company #2!
  • [16:32] Danimals
  • [17:52] What is the difference between Customer Service and Customer Experience
  • [18:29] Contact Center, Call Center
  • [19:47] Finance, Invoice, Receipt
  • [20:31] Solopreneur, Entrepreneur, Consultant
  • [20:37] Should you focus on making memorable moments or stopping pain points
  • [21:06] SaaS (Software as a Service)
  • [21:22] The Leaky Bucket
  • [21:32] Ghosting
  • [21:43] Sales, Net Sales
  • [24:31] Experience Journey, Brainstorming
  • [24:42] What touchpoint should you focus on for creating remarkable customer experiences
  • [25:14] W.I.S.E. (Witty, Immersive, Sharable, Extraordinary)
  • [25:41] Sipsmith Gin
  • [26:24] The different types of tonic
  • [26:38] Garnish bar
  • [27:23] Sipsmith Gin Instagram
  • [28:42] Selfie Spot
  • [29:24] Maitre D’
  • [29:46] Chocolate bonbons
  • [30:04] Snapchat
  • [30:46] Data
  • [33:15] CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • [33:24] Charles Schwab
  • [33:50] Stock Market, Starbucks
  • [34:42] Simple, Practical, and Inexpensive
  • [35:32] Signage
  • [37:20] Consumer Businesses
  • [38:30] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [39:02] How did Dan become a licensed bartender
  • [39:16] Bartending School
  • [40:04] How do people at parties react to Dan bartending
  • [40:27] “Pinball Wizard” by The Who
  • [41:04] Why is Dan The Ultimate Host
  • [41:24] 80s music
  • [41:35] What is Dan doing when he feels most creative
  • [41:42] Ryan Foland on the Wild Business Growth Podcast
  • [42:48] Sunday Newspaper
  • [43:02] Business books
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [44:21] Dan favorite
  • [44:39] Zoom
  • [44:49] Starbucks Rewards
  • [44:56] Starbucks Zoom Virtual Backgrounds
  • [45:07] Nitro Cold Brew
  • [45:13] “How to Work From Home… From Starbucks“
  • [46:02] The Third Place
  • [46:57] Does Dan prefer Virtual Backgrounds or not
  • [48:12] Memes
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [48:48] Chicago Deep Dish Pizza vs. New York Pizza
  • [49:16] Pop vs. Soda
  • [49:30] Midwest
  • [50:26] Traditional Gin Martini
  • [50:38] Dan Gin-giss
  • [51:11] What is Dan’s biggest pet peeve
  • [51:30] His family’s secret Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe
  • [52:17] More ridiculous name puns
  • [52:28] Connect with Dan at DanGingiss.com, on Twitter at @DGingiss, and on LinkedIn
  • [53:02] What are Dan’s final thoughts
  • [54:15] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [54:18] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [54:24] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [54:29] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but dreading the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Dan Gingiss on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!