• All-new 2015 Lincoln MKC leads a compelling conversation that explores how The Lincoln Motor Company caters to its clients by offering customer service on par with the luxury spa treatment that visitors expect at Mandarin Oriental Atlanta Hotel
• Lincoln dealership team members, much like those at the Mandarin Oriental Atlanta, actively engage with their clientele in order to create a more memorable, more personalized customer experience
• Andrew Shaffer, Lincoln client experience manager, and Jeff Reid, Lincoln MKC brand manager, demonstrated how Lincoln as a brand and its newest vehicle – the MKC – operate with a customer’s comfort and convenience in mind

To consumers of luxury goods and services, high quality extends beyond whatever item they are purchasing. It envelops the entire buying process, and is defined by personalized service that resonates with the senses.

Luxurious soft fabrics embrace the touch. Fragrant aromas engage the sense of smell. And inspiring designs and colors influence visual impressions.

The Lincoln Motor Company and Mandarin Oriental Atlanta Hotel on Thursday showcased how comfort-driven personal service guides the ways in which both companies interact with customers. The second stop on the “Lincoln MKC: Engage Your Senses” tour treated guests to a pampering spa visit and a meet-and-greet with the newest Lincoln.

The all-new 2015 Lincoln MKC was at the center of the discussion in which representatives from Lincoln and Mandarin Oriental Atlanta shared insights regarding the importance of engaging a client’s senses to provide excellent personal service. The event included a visit to the hotel’s posh resort-style spa, a vehicle walk-around and lively discussion.

Jeff Reid, Lincoln MKC brand manager, and Andrew Shaffer, Lincoln client experience manager, spoke of how the luxury automaker is enhancing its personal service efforts, in terms of what customers can expect when visiting a Lincoln showroom as well as the in-vehicle amenities they can enjoy in today’s Lincolns.

“Lincoln vehicles are designed to be warm and inviting, and the all-new Lincoln MKC epitomizes those efforts,” Reid said. “From the luxurious materials to the intuitive technology, everything about the MKC was included with our customers’ comfort and convenience in mind.”

Reid and Shaffer joined Janice Dempsey, Mandarin Oriental chief concierge, and Jennifer Wayland-Smith, spa director, to draw parallels between Lincoln’s efforts and those that influence other luxury service industries.

Staff members at the Mandarin Oriental Atlanta hotel, for example, are trained to anticipate their guests’ desires upon arrival. Lincoln is adopting comparable goals with their dealership employees in an attempt to personalize the shopping experience for each customer.

“It’s important that we make a personal connection with our clients, that we engage with them in ways above and beyond what they’re accustomed to,” Shaffer said.

Lincoln’s affiliation with Les Clefs d’Or, the international association of professional hotel concierges, provides Lincoln dealers with specialized personal-service training, as does the automaker’s own Lincoln Academy and Brand Champion program.

Other programs designed to heighten the shopping experience for Lincoln customers are Lincoln Date Night, an extended test-drive that allows qualified buyers the chance to drive the Lincoln MKZ for up to 48 hours, and Lincoln Concierge, an online-based assistant that guides visitors through the car-buying process.

“I loved being a part of the ‘Engage Your Senses’ tour,” Dempsey said. “It was fascinating to learn how Lincoln is going to such great lengths to change the way it interacts with its customers, and how that thought process goes into creating luxury vehicles.”

The Lincoln MKC offers a number of premium appointments, such as Bridge of Weir^® Deepsoft leather, created specifically for this vehicle. Deepsoft is naturally milled leather, which enhances its natural grain. Combined with a light finish, this creates a soft, buttery touch associated with only the most luxurious of leathers.

Other premium features available in the MKC that contribute to its elegance and luxury are authentic open-pore wood trim throughout the interior, a new Wollsdorf leather-wrapped steering wheel with a softer, thicker grip, and unique door-panel stitching. 

Previously, the “Engage Your Senses” tour stopped in Miami for a visit with celebrity chef Minerva Vazquez. The tour is scheduled to continue with events in Washington, D.C., Boston and Chicago. The all-new 2015 Lincoln MKC is scheduled to be on sale in Lincoln showrooms this summer.