Elnian Gilbert

If you Googled Zingerman’s Customer Service, you’d mostly find nothing but praise, from the likes of Saveur and Forbes magazines to a plethora of unknown but passionate foodie and business bloggers. Through their incredible 30 year growth from a small corner delicatessen to a community of 10 businesses with over 750 employees and $55 million in revenue, Zingerman’s has continued to be widely recognized for treating their customers like royalty. It begs the question – how do they do it?

In this keynote, Elnian Gilbert reveals the answer to just that question. Elnian will share the concrete and repeatable steps Zingerman’s has taken to embed the idea of exemplary customer service into the very DNA of the organization, in other words, to create an organizational culture of great service.

This message, delivered with Elnian’s infectious passion for customer service, humor, and down-to-earth approach, is sure to leave listeners believing that they can transform the customer service in their organizations and inspired to do just that!

As an Ann Arbor native who started working in the service industry while still in high school, you could say that Elnian has both service and Zingerman’s in her blood!

Her past customer service experience ranged from retail to non-profit to higher education, ultimately finding a home at Zingerman’s in 2006 as seasonal holiday help at Zingerman’s Mail Order.

It was at Zingerman’s that Elnian discovered an appreciation for working in a business that had three bottom lines – Food, Service, and Finance – which led her to, with characteristic determination, seek opportunities to continue working at Zingerman’s after her stint at the Mail Order business. When a position at ZingTrain opened up, she jumped at the chance, and has been an integral part of ZingTrain ever since!

Elnian now shares Zingerman’s approach to business in ZingTrain’s public 2-day seminars and workshops as well as delivering customized training and facilitation for clients across the country (and Canada!) Her particular areas of focus are Customer Service and Training, with a growing interest in vision facilitation. Elnian’s clients include a wide array of industries, such as libraries, information technology, health care, financial services, specialty retail, co-operative groceries, manufacturing, wholesale, and all levels of education.

Recent Client Comments :

“I liked the relevance of the topics covered, as well as the down-to-earth presentation and the simplicity of the concepts. Elnian was great – her facilitation style kept the audience engaged and comfortable. Many people thanked me for bringing this program to our school, and especially liked Elnian’s ability to relate to what they were going through.”

Lara Slee, Michigan Department of Education Safe & Supportive Schools Grant Regional Coach