I ’ve been skiing in Vail, Colorado, one of the best skiing areas in the world, for more than 50 years. George Gillett Jr. acquired the resort in 1985. But when I first met him in 1978 and asked him what he does, he said, “I am in customer service.”

Gillett is out of that business now. And though Vail Resorts now owns 42 mountain resorts, it has lost its focus on the customer experience. I was skiing at Vail last January, and most of the employees there do just enough to not get fired. A lift ticket is $295. If you call 970–754–0015, your call gets outsourced to a call center in the Philippines.

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