b'FOGHORNFOCUS: CUSTOMER SERVICEWashington Area, Courtneysoon found that all kinds of storiesproduced a treasure trove of material DeFrancis, found the experienceemerged. for the destination stories. With the a revelation. They took us for iceThose stories developed into audioinsights and perspectives of the team, cream, sat on park benches, wentscripts that dug deeper into the per- we were able to really get a sense of out on the water, and walked Oldsonality and lifeblood of the destina- this global powerhouse city on a very Town Alexandria with us. It wastion. It was like getting to know ourpersonal and accessible level.so much fun, we forgot we werecity all over again, says DeFrancis. Multicultural and accessibility working. Talking to people at the sitesScriptwriter for the project,aspects were considered in the stories and following visitors around, weIyna Caruso, found the experienceas well. Sometimes what resonates with someone from North America is different from what is important to people who come from Asia, says Berlin. We look for sites that foreign visitors will find intriguing, and we dig for stories about those as well.One of the most popular tours offered in the spring is the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Visitors come from all over the world to see the 3,000+ trees in bloom. People are deeply affected by the sight, and there are as many stories about the people who come to see it as there are about the history of the trees in Washington, D.C., says DeFrancis. It really reminds some of home, and others are just overawed by how beautiful it is.Developing stories that are thought provoking or heartwarming or histori-cally interesting are only part of the process of creating a customer experi-ence that lasts for years in the hearts and minds of passengers. Execution is key. The challenge was to write audio www.rigidized.com/marine.php commentary that could easily be marine@rigidized.com shifted to another tour or boat with the touch of a few buttons in the pilot-house. Listen Technologies Navilution system allowed a seamless transition. Whats more, the system uses GPS so stories are matched with to the location of the vessels location. This ensures that visitors aboard a vessel hear only about what they see. One of key benefits of this GPS-driven system is that it provides a consistent quality and content in our narration across all of our sightseeing tours, which is essential in a multi-vessel business such as ours. This providing durability and beauty to NYCs newest ferries has certainly helped to enhance our guests experience and satisfaction in 16 NOVEMBER 2019FOGHORN'