Guest Service

Service Standards Guest Conflict Resolution Empowerment Diversity Awareness International Guests Management’s Role in Guest

Service

Perhaps no duty of the rooms division is more vital that that of guest service. Guest satisfaction is crucial in maintaining loyalty. Guest loyalty ensures repeat business. With the wide range of hotel choices in the market today, repeat business ensures a steady revenue stream. All rooms division employees, and others considered front of house, must be aware of their impact of guest satisfaction.

A hotel that clearly defines its guest service guidelines will be able to hold employees accountable, which helps to manage and evaluate them

Many hotel chains have developed their own service standards and although the name of these programs differ, one theme is consistent amongst them all: Guest service is paramount to hotel success

Guest interaction can be verbal or visual and rooms division employees use both methods to accomplish guest service

Verbal communication allows for gaining insight into a guest

These conversations may not be lengthy, but the aware employees can glean much about a guest’s personality in the course of a conversation

The most important verbal tools in ensuring guest satisfaction are perhaps the simplest and can often be overlooked by rooms division employees who are deeply involved in other tasks

The basic rules for verbal communication are: Use an appropriate greeting Personalise the conversation (use the

customers name) Thank the guest Listen Avoid jargon

Use an appropriate greeting: employees should greet every guest appropriately whether in person or over the phone.

They should identify the time of day: “Good morning/afternoon/evening”.

When greeting a guest over the phone, an employee should also include their name and department: “Good morning, front desk, this is John, how may I help you?” This reassures the guest that they have reached the appropriate department

Personalise the conversation: this helps to set a relaxed tone in the conversation, however using an appropriate title (i.e., Mr. or Ms.) is important

During check-in or checkout, the guest account will let the employee know the guest’s name

Many phone systems will identify the guest’s name and room number, as will many POS systems

Guests greeted by name are subtly reminded that the hotel values their business

Thank the guest: thanking the guest in a sincere manner is also very important

Employees may conduct a variety of guest services in a day, and each of these transaction should be completed with a “thank you”

Thanking a guest for staying at a hotel also implies that the hotel appreciates their business

Listening: this is the only way a receiver can hear the message that the transmitter is sending, so employees can listen for subtle hints and signals a guest gives out during communication

The employee creates a comfort level when they listen, and letting the guest initiate the tone of the conversation also puts him/her at ease

Failure to listen properly can cause problems

The seven common listening errors are: Failure to concentrate Listening too hard “Jumping the gun” Lagging behind the conversation Focusing too much on delivery or appearance Omitting Adding

Avoid jargon: employees should avoid using industry jargon when the communicate with guests

Using hotel terms in conversation may not convey the intended message

Communicating visually is as important as communicating verbally, as visual communication can reinforce what is being said verbally

The complete delivery of guest service can be accomplished by incorporating both means

The rules for effective visual communication are: Communicate with a smile Be aware of body language Observe the grooming standards

Communicate with a smile: a genuine smile that accompanies a greeting or thank you reinforces the message

Smiling at guests helps create a comfortable atmosphere

Be aware of body language: observing guest body language is like listening with eyes, it can give the employee clues on how to communicate with the guest

Common body language signals include the following: Crossed arms may indicate a defensive posture A guest who leans across the front desk during

conversation may be aggressive Strong and consistent eye contact may indicate

confidence Strong firm handshakes may also indicate confidence Red eyes may indicate fatigue

Observe appropriate grooming standards: hotel employees are viewed as an extension of the hotel so a guest’s perception of an employee can contribute to the guest’s overall perception of the hotel

The first and often most long lasting perception a guest makes on an employee is the employee’s appearance, so most hotels have instituted grooming standards

Guest service continues with basic duties A front office employee must have a good

working knowledge of phone etiquette, and the common expectation in most hotels is that a phone must be answered within three rings

Employees must also have a good knowledge of hotel facilities, outlets, activities and an awareness of their surroundings to assist them with answering the many questions guests may have

Service received from employees is one part of the guest experience, and in addition, many physical aspects of the hotel must function well to ensure the guest receives the whole product

At some point, one or both of these parts may break down

Resolving a conflict to a guest’s satisfaction can “turn” around an unhappy guest and make him/her a satisfied guest

The resolution is best accomplished by adhering to the visual and verbal rules of guest service

It is assumed that if the employee is fully trained, the following rules should be followed to meet or exceed a guest’s expectations Listen first Summarise Make no excuses Resolve the problem Document the conflict

Training, experience, personality and other things contribute to an individual employee’s ability to satisfy a guest

Hotel management must support that effort One way management supports an employee’s

ability to satisfy a guest is by integrating empowerment in all duties

Empowerment is defined as the ability and authority to satisfy guest complaints/requests within preset parameters

Employees learn to implement empowerment techniques in how they communicate and that certain phrases and words should be avoided

There are other ways of communicating the same message (see next slide)

Phrases to Avoid Phrases to Use Instead“I don’t know.” “That is a good question, let me find

out for you.”

“We can’t do that.” “Well, I haven’t encountered this before, let me research it and find a resolution that you are happy with.”

“You have to.” or “This is hotel policy”

“Next time, here is how you can avoid this situation.” or “I think the best way to handle this would be…”

“No.” “We are not able to reduce your rate but I am able to upgrade your room”

“That’s not my job.” “The person who handles that is (name). Please let me get him/her.”

The diversity of guests makes it vital that all hotel employees appreciate the differences in people

Most reputable hotels will put their employees through diversity training, which teaches employees that they mast understand and appreciate the differences in people

Helping the employees overcome stereotypes such as racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and others helps to create a comfortable environment

A hotel by nature is a “home away from home” to international guests

Using good customer service skills helps to put these visitors at ease

Hotels should share a list of all multilingual staff with front office managers

Where appropriate, extra collateral should be provided in the guest’s native tongue

Verbal communication will be difficult and nonverbal communication can be difficult due to cultural differences

Managers should become involved in guest complaints only after an empowered desk agents attempted to resolve the issue first

A manager who involves themselves before the guest agent has a chance to resolve an issue defeats the purpose behind empowerment

Some guests may simply prefer to address to a manager

Managers must lead by example by showing that complaints are not a burden, but an opportunity to improve service

All complaints should be investigated, evaluated, and responded to

If the Front Office Manager is unable to resolve the situation, it should be passed along to a more senior manager

The escalation of an issue can and often should go all the way to the general manager

The guest service philosophy of a hotel should be communicated to constantly and consistently

This communication should begin with the first day of employee orientation where all new employees should be given the hotel’s service philosophy

A hotel’s guest service message can be summarised succinctly in the hotel’s service mission statement, which serves as the rule and/or goal of the guest service philosophy

The mission statement should be posted in all service break areas, in the cafeteria and the change rooms

Managers exhibiting ownership of the service mission motivate their employees by example

Guest service training continues beyond orientation and introduction of the service mission statement, and should be constant

Larger hotel chains have complete divisions at a corporate level dedicated to creating and implementing guest service programs

Smaller chains and independent hotels can take advantages of other resources such as: On-the-job training Role playing Commercial videos Guest speakers Continuing education/distance learning

Motivating employees to embody the service mission statement in their day-to-day duties helps ensure guest satisfaction

A good way to motivate is through guest feedback, and most hotels have some version of a comment card in the guest rooms

These cards encourage guests to rate and/or rank the services received during his/her stay

They also solicit the names of employees that have impacted the guest’s stay

Employees or departments that are mentioned should be rewarded or recognised in some way

The employees can be proud of these rewards and a healthy competition can ensue to see which employees can get the most rewards