!44: Catalog Hunsaker Seats: November 2011

!±8± Why a Coast Starlight Train Adventure Is a Great Way to Experience the Pacific Coast

Have you ever considered traveling by train? Train travel is a great way to experience the great scenery that you would miss flying on an airplane and the Coast Starlight train ride is one of the most scenic train rides in the world. This Amtrak train ride occurs between Los Angeles California and Seattle Washington and passes through Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Portland Oregon. Throughout this comfortable train ride you will experience breathtaking views of the pacific coast and snow-capped mountains of the Cascades.

The Coast Starlight Train

The Train has recently enhanced their coaches and sleeping cars making your train ride more comfortable than ever. The dining car offers fresh cuisine served on real china and table linens. The arcade room will entertain kids of all ages with a variety of arcade-style video games. Passengers in coach will enjoy large comfortable seats, ample legroom and new larger pillow and meal services at their seat.

The Sleeping cars offer passengers a full range of exclusive services and amenities including complimentary on board internet access and an exciting alternative meal service, which are both available in the Parlour Car. They will also get a welcome gift and a personal amenities kit with shampoo, soaps and lotions. Those Sleeping car passengers will enjoy complementary meals (excluding alcohol) in the dining car or the Parlour car.

In addition to offering complementary meals and internet access, The Pacific Parlour Car offers A daily tasting of local wines and artisan cheeses for a nominal fee. This car, which is a "living room on rails" is a great place for sleeping car passengers to relax and socialize. Passengers will also get to experience marvelous views of the pacific ocean and snow capped mountains including Mt Shasta, Hood and Rainier while enjoying the luxuries of the Pacific Parlour Car.

Destinations

Some of the Best Destinations that the Pacific Coast Starlight train stops at between Los Angeles and Seattle include Santa Barbara, The San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Portland Oregon. I will mention each of these destinations briefly.

Santa Barbara California

Santa Barbara is a beautiful coastal town just about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The climate there is described as Mediterranean, and the city is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera. Some of the best attractions there include Mission Santa Barbara, which is one of the 21 missions built along the California coast between 1769 and 1823 and the annual Fiesta which is celebrated every year in August. Surfing also a big part of Santa Barbara culture.

San Francisco Bay Area

The Next major destination along the route is the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco is a compact city of hills surrounded on three sides by water. The city is know best for its chilly summer fog and its mix of Victorian and modern architecture. Some of the best attractions include the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Nob Hill, Cable Cars, China Town. You can also visit the infamous former island Federal Prison, Alcatraz, which is assessable by boat. The city also has many great places to shop and eat.

Sacramento California

Sacramento is the capital city of California. It is located in the central valley of Northern California where the Sacramento River and the American River come together. One of the best things to do there includes Visiting Old Town Sacramento where buildings dating back all the way from the 1850 and 1860s have been preserved, restored or reconstructed. There you can visit the California State Railroad Museum where you will learn about the history of the Transcontinental Rail Road. You can also take rides on the steam-hauled historic trains and paddle steamers. There is also the Crocker Art Museum which is the oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi River.

Portland Oregon

Oregon is also another great city that the Coast Starlight Runs Through just before going onto Seattle Washington. This City is near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and has some Amazing Bridges. You can also see Mt Saint Helens and Mount Hood from the city as well. The Climate in Portland is usually described as Oceanic or Marine West Coast, with mild damp winters and relatively dry warm Summers. Portland offers a variety of things to do while your there. You can visit the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry which offers a variety of hands on exhibits. You can also visit the Classical Chinese Garden. The Portland Rose Festival also takes place annually in June and includes two parades, dragon boat races and many other events.

Why a Coast Starlight Train Adventure Is a Great Way to Experience the Pacific Coast

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!±8± Customer Experience Measurement - Lagging Or Leading Indicators

We monitor customer satisfaction, net promoter scores and business results as barometers of success. These indicators are important in sensing evolving customer expectations and competitive scenarios. Yet, because these measures are things which stakeholders (i.e. investors and customers) have already experienced, they are in fact lagging indicators of success.

Lagging indicators are necessary but insufficient. They give us a sense of the big picture, but they are not actionable. To move the needle for these big-picture metrics we need to monitor correlated actionable metrics that allow us time to make fundamental changes. If we monitor the right actionable metrics, their progress - or lack thereof - can be predictive of progress in the big-picture metrics.

To leapfrog this lagging paradigm, we've got to peel the onion to identify root causes. Root-cause-based metrics are leading indicators because they allow constructive mid-course corrections prior to stakeholders' assessments. Multidimensional statistical analysis, data mining and modeling offer precious insights to key drivers of big-picture metrics. Have you ever noticed that an onion will sprout new growth from its center? Similarly, new growth in big-picture metrics originates from the most basic levels of actionability. Fishbone diagrams and 5-why analysis are essential tools for peeling the onion to its center.

Too often, a focus on lagging indicators results in unintended negative behaviors. For example, sales people whose bonus is tied heavily to survey ratings may feel tempted as they're wrapping up the sale to suggest that the customer give the highest rating possible. This not only negates the validity of the survey, but it can seriously damage the customer's affinity for the brand, and it makes the survey and bonus programs wastes of time and money. In other cases, a focus on lagging indicators tempts people to 'cook the books' or to pooh-pooh the market research. Recognition, bonus programs and metric dashboards with high visibility preferably include both lagging and leading indicators, weighted appropriately to spur intended results.

To prevent unintended behaviors - and more importantly, to motivate high-impact positive behaviors - it's imperative to focus our workforce on leading indicators of customer satisfaction, net promoter scores and business results. By doing so, we can put ourselves in the driver's seat amid evolving customer expectations and competitive scenarios, and drive higher ROI on customer efforts.