News: Customer Service/Care
Customer service training needed in hotel sector
31 October 2007
Customer service training ought to be incorporated into the skill sets by which employees in the hotel sector are evaluated.
That is the opinion of a US consulting and training expert, Carol Verret, who notes that training is often too heavily focused on process issues, such as how to check a guest in and out, and how the reservations system works.
"We fail to incorporate customer service training into the skill sets upon which the employee will be evaluated," she lamented.
"We assume that [staff] understand that they need to smile and make eye contact as well as say 'how can I assist you?' - don't bet on it!"
Ms Verret said that comments placed in user-generated reviews can be used as part of the customer service training.
"Use the comments to reinforce positive training behaviours. Congratulate them when a comment includes remarks on the friendliness of the staff or how a staff member went out of their way for a guest."
Separately, a series of seminars is being run in Exeter, Devon, to give retailers an insight into better customer service in the run-up to Christmas.
