Strategic Service Institute Testimonials

Andy Mueck Vice President, Operations - National Industries for the Blind

"Every aspect of the program exceeded my expectations ... tools we were introduced to ... lecturers were all phenomenal and engaging ... other company attendees. Most of the all the chance to build relationships ... new ones with the ASU CSL team and to strengthen my existing one (my NIB team). Thank you for providing such an outstanding venue!"

Daniel Diaz Director of Operations - Cardenas Markets

"My experience at SSI was nothing short of exceptional. Every speaker and lecturer was truly an expert in their respective field (Doug is amazing!). The amount of knowledge shared throughout the program is impressive - 15 pages of notes! I continue to review and reflect on these notes, even many months after the program's conclusion. Lastly, the conversations and networking that you get to experience during and after SSI, with other industry leaders makes SSI extremely valuable. I highly recommend it to anyone that is considering attending."

Jon Katz Vice President - National Industries for the Blind

"The Strategic Services Institute provides my organization with the customer-centric focus necessary to deliver the exceptional experience the marketplace demands."

Mark Langenbach Senior Manager, Service Operations - Lenovo

"First class event! I'll be back!"

Robert Willard Senior Manager, Global Service Accounts - Coherent, Inc.

"The course material, instruction and industry leader speakers where exceptional. A week well spent learning, networking and growing as a service professional."

Seth Rusackas Regional Service Manager - Siemens Healthineers

"The way this learning opportunity presented me with information and insights led to many "ah-ha!" moments that provided immediate solutions to some of our challenges, and created ideas for improvements that I would not have thought of had the information been presented in a different manner."

Jed Greenberg University Innovation Fellow - Arizona State University

"Doug was a terrific and knowledgeable host! I was really impressed by Amy's blueprinting tool as well as her presentation of it. I particularly liked the way she had us practicing the tool immediately with others at the institute. I also am really impressed by the 'CSL family' mentality and the willingness with which its leadership is willing to remain in contact with attendees and provide continuing support. This attribute sets the Institute apart from other training opportunities."

Tracye Varner Product Marketing Manager - National Industries for the Blind

"The W. P. Carey School of Business Strategic Services Institute delivered on their promise of excellence. Teaching the aspect of excellence can be easy but delivering excellence takes time and consideration. If you want to learn and see excellence in action, take the time to attend both modules. You won't regret it! I cannot express in words how valuable this entire week has been. The take away from this event has filled my toolbox with so any new tools and ideas!"

Edward Lopez Director, Customer Experience Insights - Freeman

"The SSI was precisely what I needed at this point in my Customer Experience career. The sessions combined proven Services Marketing and Management concepts with innovative applications of emerging technology. The interactions with facilitators and fellow participants reinforced the education and helped me apply the new concepts within my company. The entire SSI was executed with precision and respect for participants' time and attention. The supporting staff were friendly, and they make sure we enjoyed a great week. The SSI was well worth the investment of my time and funds, and I look forward to bringing my colleagues with me to a future SSI."

Gigi Speaks Director Experience Center - Arizona State University

"The level of commitment and sincerity displayed from those that presented was incredible. Everyone offered to assist in the future and on a one on basis to help us be successful!"

Lorin Brown Director Account Development - American Express

"Attending the ASU Strategic Services Institute was an outstanding way for our team to spend some valuable time immersed among talented individuals and CSL experts. Chaos in today’s service industry driven by changing expectations was reinforced. The surprise for me came in the thoughtful and execution-oriented way to put the customer ‘lens’ front and center with tools and approaches. Stand-out was the key role service leadership plays to ignite the internal culture for change and with a supporting cast of smart and capable folks to enable the journey."

Julie Taylor Omni Channel POS Manager, Discount Tire

"The last 3 days of the class was truly exceptional! I was worried about being away from work for 5 days, but by the end of the last day, I wish I could have stayed longer!"

Luis De Sousa Senior Manager, Claims, CUMIS

"This program truly enables one to stretch their mind and thoughts outside of their business or organization and realize the common challenges facing businesses in all industries today. The skilled presenters are able to provide specific enough scenarios to understand a concept, yet present content in a manner that enables a broad set of business leaders to understand how the concept may apply to them. Well organized, great networking and current, relevant topics. Highly recommended!"

Steve Harwood Manager, Group Contact Centre, HB Group Insurance Management Ltd.

"I highly recommend this program!  Great tools to advance any service challenge you may be having."

Crystal Gustavson Miller Associate Director of Engagement, Student Success Innovations, Arizona State University 

"The presentations were incredibly insightful, thoughtful, and engaging. It was re-invigorating to be immersed in the topic of services leadership for an entire week and surrounded by industry leaders engaging in discussions about similar challenges we face.   The entire CSL team have been a true partner in the university's service excellence initiative over the years. CSL has generously supported many of our units in their efforts to improve student service and the overall student experience. The Center's expertise in this area is an incredible asset to ASU and we so appreciate their continued leadership."

Molly Bosley Business Operations, Jeppesen

“Best set of speakers assembled for any program I've ever attended. Be prepared to think deeply about your current offerings and where you can improve. I left feeling motivated and inspired to make a difference in my organization.”

Gillian Castle Manager, Group Sales & Business Development, The Co-Operators

“This organization practices what it preaches. Very well organized and run. Enquiries I had were handled quickly and professionally. Enough time was provided to work on our 'existing work problem' that we could go back and begin to solve it.”

Jeff Castle Associate Portfolio Manager, The Co-Operators

“Insurance professionals need to take this course. The course will pay for itself in client retention and net promoter score improvement.”

Suzanne Davison Director, Services Marketing, Intuitive Surgical

“For me the Advanced Course was very informative and definitely timely for what our organization is looking to move forward with. What I liked about this even over other conferences is they tend to tell you what you are supposed to be doing to be competitive in the market place but they don't necessarily tell you how to do it. At SSI you actually get practical tools to help get you there. Everyone in the program is very supportive and you get the feeling that the relationship doesn't end after the 2 days. You have their support for as long as you want it.”

Angel Grier Director, VWR International

"You all are an outstanding team and I am grateful for the opportunity! Thank you."

Jessica Lemus Technical Support Supervisor, Lutron Electronics

“Exceptional and inspiring program taught by passionate experts. I will highly recommend this program throughout my company for leadership teams in the services groups. The focus on understanding what the customer wants and how to deliver it gave me a new and exciting view of my career. I am so excited to start making meaningful changes within my team!” “This was the best management training program I have ever attended. The faculty and speakers were both knowledgeable and inspirational! I couldn't help but imagine all the areas where the tools we learned would help our organization better service our customers. I came away feeling even more passionate about the work I do every day.”

Tina Osborne Director of Operations, Allscripts

“ASU Services Leadership training was simply excellent, starting with a fantastic variety of speakers and salient topics coupled with the right amount of collaborative discussions and opportunities to focus on solving important issues. We were provided data driven tools that we could easily take back to our business to help impact positive change in a meaningful way.”

Elizabeth Segovia Executive Director, Customer Engagement & Services Business Development, Lenovo

“Attending ASU's Strategic Service Institute was definitely time well spent. I connected with peers at other companies, and gained insights and new ideas on how to approach common problems. I definitely walked away with practical tools that can be immediately applied to address challenges in my business.”

John Pigeon Manager, GX Implementation, A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.

“Overall, the program was well constructed to give the people in the room important tools and frameworks to think about the business of offering a service experience as part of your Business Model. The Speakers were highly engaging and shared their work through engaging stories and relevant Business Cases. I was also fortunate to be in the room with a number of Business Professionals, which allowed for great discussion and discovery as we worked through the topics being offered in the program and applied the tools to real-life experience." "One key take-away for me came from Doug's discussions on change management and how to engage the organization in seeking a new normal. I have not taken the approach that Doug discussed on the last day which is to think about the three change elements at each layer of the organization. We have been working on change at the highest and middle level but we have not been thinking about the case for change among Employees. This led me to further think about how we can focus on creating change Agents at the different levels of the organization so that change is less top-down and more of a shared vision.”

Stay Connected

Free Services Toolkit and Stay Connected

We welcome you to sign up to receive the latest news and updates from the CSL.

As an added benefit to signing up to our mailing list, you will gain exclusive access to our “Services Blueprinting Toolkit,” a versatile technique for service and innovation.

Sign Up

Contact Us

Center for Services Leadership
W. P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University

Email Us