Posts Tagged ‘Customer service’

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Who are your salesmen (and Women)? Part 3

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Yesterday in Part 2,  it was all about gaining knowledge and skill to help the business overall,  today will be bringing together by confidence building with your staff.

 

Building Confidence

It’s all very well knowing what to do and say, but you know how sometimes when you come to say something the words just don’t trip off the tongue as you might hope!  Let your team practise in a safe environment, based on different scenarios.

In the UK we’ve had a recent TV series on front of house service hosted by Michel Roux. I recently watched an episode when the trainees were at Paul Heathcote’s restaurant, where they failed to sell the dishes of the day. The reason?  They lacked experience to spot the sales opportunities? Staff need to be able to identify all the situations that lend themselves as an opportunity to upsell – not just in their own department – but across all areas. For example: options on accommodation – room upgrades, special packages, champagne in rooms; in the restaurant – bottled water, suggestions for starters, accompaniments, side  orders, deserts, desert wine, specialist coffees, after dinner drinks; in the bar – branded beers, snack items, pasties with their coffee, and so on. Ask staff to look at opportunities for each other’s departments too; they often spot opportunities those closest fail to see.

Staff need to be taught the importance of timing – for example selling desserts – ask too soon and people say they are still too full,  and go straight on to coffee; ask too late and they have gone off the idea, and want to head up to bed or off home. Train staff to be perceptive to buying signals as well as knowing when the customer is simply not interested.

Whether an objection is perceived or real, staff need to know how to deal with these.  One awkward qu estion can shatter confidence, so train staff to get to spot and handle different situations. Help them to distinguish between a definite ‘No’, and a simple request for more information before buying.

The ability to build rapport will also help staff to sell.  Do they know how to demonstrate empathy and understanding of the customer’s
perspective, and how to gain trust by matching the response or offering to meet  the customer’s needs.

 

Tomorrow  is the final part will all be about reward and recognition for you staff.

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Who are your salesmen (and Women)? Part 2

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Yesterday in Part 1, we talked about how the scene is being set for the first impression of your business and also who contributes towards it,  today it is about increasing knowledge and skill base and how this will help contribute to improve your sales in all roles within your business.

 

Knowledge

In order to sell, upsell, or cross sell, as a minimum staff need to understand all the offers, products and services you provide. This goesbeyond just a laundry list; it needs to include some understanding of the features and of course the benefits from a guest’s/customer’s perspective. What’s included in a package, what are the different options, what are the recommendations or suggested combinations? A good understanding of your customers’ profile, needs and expectations will help this process.

When I’m working with some businesses I’m often somewhat alarmed by the lack of exposure staff have to other departments. Have any of your porters ever set foot in the spa, your receptionists ever sat in any of the meeting rooms, your chefs seen a bedroom, or your housekeepers walked around the grounds? How can staff ever hope to convey to guests all the
benefits of these facilities if they’d never had any first-hand experience? Experiencing them for themselves will not only make them more memorable, there will be more willingness to promote if they are confident to talk about them, and it will
certainly be easier to evoke an emotional a ppeal through vivid descriptions of taste, smell, feel, if they’ve been there themselves.

Of course, staff don’t need to be expert in everything, but it always helps if they ‘know a man who can’ so they can refer to or call on the appropriate person when needed to deal with a specific guest request or query.

Hospitality is an ever-changing business, and every day there will be specific and individual options, events, and situations. This is why it’s so important to have regular staff briefings so everyone knows what’s happening and when (see previous article “do
your staff know the score”). This includes knowledge of what’s available, what are today’s high profit items to be promoted, and just as importantly, what’s not available.

 

Skills

Teach staff the mechanics of upselling. How do they ask open questions to identify what the customer wants; how to listen actively to customers’ requests or preferences; how to respond, and make suggestions, or offer alternatives that best meet the customers’ needs.  Give them examples of how they would describe each of your products and services.
Rather than a script, allow them to develop their own dialogue, one that comes naturally to them, rather than something they have to remember and run the risk of forgetting.

 

Tomorrow in Part 3, will about how to bring all the elements together which have been discussed today and what can be put in place to support this.

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Who are your salesmen (and women)? – Part 1

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Over the next few days you will read about how you can get the best from your staff and find out how they could improve sales within your business.

When I’m delivering customer service or sales training in hotels or hospitality businesses I often ask the question; “Who here has a responsibility for selling?” Obviously all the people with the word sales in their job title put their hands up, but they are usually the only ones. Surely everyone in your hotel or hospitality business will have an impact on sales, regardless of their role, and whether they are front or back of house.

 

First impressions

Guests’ and prospects’ first impressions will certainly  influence their level of spending. This is not just down to how the phone is answered or the welcome from reception on arrival, but it’s what your guests see and hear from behind the scenes. What response do they get from off-duty staff when they drive into your car park, or even down the high street close by. Wherever your staff are where they can be recognised as staff (because they are in uniform, or have already had dealings with your guests) they are bound to make an impression.

Picture the scene: you drive along the street approaching the hotel and you see two staff in uniform fooling around with loutish behaviour. You pull into the car park only to find that all the choice parking  spaces close to the hotel entrance are filled with (dirty) staff cars. You park at the far end of the car park and whilst struggling with your heavy suitcase you pass by another member of staff who does nothing to acknowledge you. Tucked away in a corner you see a little huddle of chefs and waiters puffing on their cigarettes. On entering the hotel a member of staff is leaving, but fails to hold the door for you, let alone greet you.

Check-in is swift but you’ve booked a standard room on a room only basis, and you are given no other information about any of the services or facilities that the hotel has to offer.

So within the space of about five minutes just how many opportunities have been lost to create a great first impression and create the right mind-set for your guests to want to spend their hard earned cash?

 

What contributes?

Your staff’s ability to encourage sales will be dependent on a number of factors:

  • Their behaviours, conduct and appearance
  • A knowledge of your customers’ needs and
    expectations, and of the products and services
  • Their skills and confidence in the sales process
  • Being given the right incentives, support and
    recognition

Behaviours

Let’s just reflect back on the scenario described earlier.  Do you think any of this behaviour was a deliberate ploy to undermine the sales process? No; it’s far more likely that these members of staff are completely oblivious to the potential impact of their behaviours. Communicating your expectations of staff’s behaviour, both on and off duty, should form part of their induction. Bring this to life by getting them to put themselves in the guests’ position and to identify what impression they give, and what guests might expect.

 

Part 2 tomorrow, will be about how knowledge and skills all help towards better sales within your business.

 

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Show you appreciate your guests’ custom

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Your relationship shouldn’t end the minute they walk out the door. Keep in touch with your guests. The first and most obvious way to make contact with them after they’ve left is to write and thank them for their business. Not a mass produced impersonal e-mail, but a personalised letter sent by good old-fashioned snail mail with a handwritten signature. Even better if the whole thing is handwritten on a thank you card.

What better way to show your appreciation (and giving an incentive to return) than with a voucher of some kind for them personally or to pass to a friend or colleague if a return visit in person is unlikely. Again make this personal; there’s little value in offering a complimentary bottle of wine to a teetotaller, for example.  If they have been celebrating an event extend this to their next anniversary.  Or if they only ever stay on company business on expenses, tailor the offer to something they’ll benefit from personally. If you missed out on the opportunity for the little finishing touches mentioned earlier, now might be the perfect time to send them the information, gift or little extra that leaves them with that lasting memory of “Wow, what an amazing place, that was amazing service”.

Delivering outstanding customer service generally stems back to getting people engaged, enthused and focused. This is what the Leading for Peak Performance 29 Day Challenge is all about, and starts on 29th February http://www.zealcoaching.com/coaching/leading-for-peak-performance-29-day-challenge/

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Going the extra mile for your hotel guests

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

What can you do to make their onward journey all the easier? Assisting with online airline check-in, arranging taxis, looking up train times, printing out directions for the onward journey; checking the travel updates; looking up an updated weather forecast of their next destination; and doing all of these things the night before they leave and offering to do it before being asked.  Helping them get on their way by scraping ice off their windscreen (or washing off the squashed insects, depending on your climate and time of year); writing out a list of your favourite coffee or lunch stops en route to their destination; highlighting the worthwhile detours to visit a hidden gem that they won’t find in the guidebook, or to avoid a tedious bottleneck; sending them off with a little travel goody bag of a bottle of water and a snack if they a long journey ahead of them, or a little puzzle or game to keep the kids amused for a moment or two.

 

Delivering outstanding customer service generally stems back to getting people engaged, enthused and focused. This is what the Leading for Peak Performance 29 Day Challenge is all about, and starts on 29th February http://www.zealcoaching.com/coaching/leading-for-peak-performance-29-day-challenge/

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Making the most of your seasonal staff

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

This week the Christmas party season gets well under way.  Even if you are not as busy as in previous years the chances are you’ll be taking on some extra staff.  But are they an asset or a liability?  If all you do is give them an order pad and tell them to get on with it, they could be doing more harm than good to your Christmas profits.

Teamwork is key. Introduce new staff to the whole team, defining everyone’s areas of responsibility to ensure no gaps and no duplication of effort.  Avoid the frictions that occur when someone hasn’t pulled their weight or others are seen to ‘interfere’ with your way of doing things.

Everyone needs to know what’s expected of them from day one. Clarify basic standards of dress, staff behaviour, time keeping, break allowance, staff meals, security, food safety, health and safety.  Don’t leave them floundering or too scared to ask for help. Establish a clear line of reporting, and who to go to for help and guidance when needed – ensuring, of course, that this person will be patient and supportive when asked.

First impressions count. Specify your establishment’s standards for welcoming and greeting customers, including the booking procedures if this is part of their role.

What is their role in up-selling, and what are the products you want them to promote, including any future events?  If your core team are incentivised, make sure you include seasonal staff in the scheme. People can’t sell something they don’t know exists. Ensure a thorough product knowledge – what does your establishment offer – times of service, complementary products, etc.  Let your staff taste the dishes, explain what accompanies each dish and what it should look like, what prices include and what’s extra (especially with fixed menus or party packages).

Run through the payment procedures, including any security procedures or checks needed. Establish protocol in dealing with difficult situations, customer complaints, and awkward customers.  Define the line between handling themselves and when to seek intervention from a manager or more experienced staff member.

Avoid being let down at the last minute – Provide out of hours contact numbers and establish procedures for sickness reporting.

Maintain your reputation as a good employer. Treat seasonal staff well, and they will be willing to come back next time you need an extra hand. Give them something to look forward to and keep them interested for the whole season.  Involve them in any after work social activities and maybe some incentive awarded at the end of the season.

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Mary Portas, I forgive you

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

When I watched Mary Portas Queen of Frocks last week I was concerned to see her reprimanding one of her team in front of the cameras. Of course in a fly on the wall type of program, the camera sees everything and it’s snippets like that that often make good TV. But it was a subject of debate amongst me and some of my colleagues last Wednesday.

But after this week’s episode all is forgiven. So why my change of heart? Because Mary states “The heart of it is customer service…. investment in the staff is beyond anything the most important thing.”

Alleluia! Someone in retail recognises the importance of customer service, and that it won’t happen by accident. You have to invest in your team.  And they’ve been learning from some of the best examples, spending time at the Savoy, and who better than under the guidance of Sean Davoran, Head Butler.

She goes on to say that it’s important that they know their product; and this is more important than being a salesman. I agree; and the same applies in hospitality; if your team are knowledgeable, confident and enthusiastic about the product or service you are offering that’s far more important than years of ‘sales experience’.

The proof of the pudding of course is what gets delivered. In fact I’m off to the initially maligned Guildford Army Navy store later today. Let’s see if any of Mary’s principles have rubbed off yet elsewhere.

For more articles and resources http://www.zealcoaching.com/products-resources/

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How to Reward Referrals

Monday, September 5th, 2011

As an absolute minimum, ensure that you thank anyone who makes referrals to encourage them to continue to do so in future. Don’t wait to see if this actually leads to business, as what you are looking to reward is the referral process. The more referrals you have the greater the likelihood of gaining new guests.

Consider what other tangible incentives you might give that are of high value to the person making the referral, but don’t cost you the earth. Naturally you’ll want to ensure that the cost of the incentive does not outweigh the life time value of the referral.  But bear in mind what you give as a thank you may also be a way of adding to the life time value of the person making the referral too.

The nature of this incentive will obviously depend on where the referral came from.

For guests they might include such things as a gift, discount off their next meal, a room upgrade, an invitation to an exclusive event. Perhaps team up with one of your joint venture partners; this could be services or maybe branded products. A win–win–win for you, your joint venture partner and the customer.

For corporate users make the incentive something your guest can benefit from personally. It’s little incentive for them if it is something they’d normally put though business expenses. So can you offer something as a thank you which will encourage them to come back on a personal visit and maybe bring their family and friends too?

For suppliers, joint venture partners or other local businesses you may want to look at alternate ways to say thank you. This might be an opportunity to get in front of some of your other customers or guests through promotional activities or hosting joint special events. Talk to them directly to see how you can return the favour. Just by asking the question will in itself show you appreciate the referral.

Encourage your staff too to make referrals. Let them show they are proud of where they work. The reward obviously needs to reflect the value of the business; recommending your restaurant to a friend doesn’t warrant the same level of recognition as inviting a friend or relative for a wedding show round and subsequent wedding booking.

What might appeal to them may be dependent on the profile of your team. A cash bonus might work for some, but is soon forgotten whereas a couple of tickets for a show or concert, or a night in a sister hotel or meal with a JV partner will be far more memorable – and visible to other team members too to encourage the same from them.

Once you have a referral system in place, keep track of where and how you’re getting successful referrals. This will enable you to find out what works and what doesn’t, so you can continue to refine the process.

For more articles and resources http://www.zealcoaching.com/products-resources/

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How to encourage referrals

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Yesterday I was asked what type of incentives hotels can provide for loyal customers to encourage them to become ambassadors and drum up business for you. But before we cover that, let’s consider why and how you’d encourage this type of loyalty.

We all know of the importance of online reviews, but I’m not talking here about general comments open to anyone. And offering any incentive for positive reviews will soon get you into hot water with most of the online review sites.

I’m referring here to your regulars, those who are already loyal to you, and if given a little encouragement are happy to refer you to friends, family and colleagues.

Referrals are a great way to build your customer base – if a person comes to you as a result of a referral, you don’t need to go out and find them. This is a much easier way to market a hotel! The person who made the referral has already experienced what you offer and will do the selling for you.

Referrals build loyalty with the people who recommend you – they will want to be seen to stand by their referral by continuing to come to you themselves.

Give people a reason to talk about you

So how do you get people talking about you, and how do you get referrals? As I’ve stated before, they won’t say good things about you unless you meet and exceed their expectations. So first, do something exceptional.  Identify things that are of high value to your guests but low cost to you so you can give added value. Give people that reason to talk about you.

If you don’t ask you don’t get

But referrals won’t always happen unless you ask for them.

If you don’t ask you often don’t get. So don’t be afraid to ask people directly who else they know who may be interested in specific packages or services you offer.

The obvious people to ask for referrals are your existing guests. Focus on those guests or customers who are your ‘perfect guests’ as the people they refer will be a better match to your preferred type of guest.

Think about other people who know you well enough to recommend you. This might include colleagues, suppliers, local businesses, joint venture partners, your own team and others in your network.

This will be easier the better they know you and when they fully understand the extent of everything you offer. So let them experience this first hand. A prime example is your local tourist office – they won’t want to recommend you unless they’ve experience your hospitality first hand. The same goes for local businesses of joint venture partners, who may have customers needing a place to say. So invite them to a showcase event or to a more personalised invitation for dinner, overnight or event.

The same goes for your staff too, they need to experience what your guest experiences. When was the last time any of your team ate in your restaurant, slept in one of your beds, or was pampered in your spa?

Tomorrow we’ll look at how to make the referral process easy.

For more articles and resources http://www.zealcoaching.com/products-resources/

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Continue to build the relationship after your hotel guests have left

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Show you appreciate your hotel guests’ custom; a little thank you note of some description goes a long way, even better if it is personalised in some way; hand written better still. This is an ideal time to ask for feedback, testimonials for reviews too.

Keep in touch. Tell your customers what you are doing. What have you done as a result of customer feedback, what’s new, what awards or accolades have you received.

Promote events. Let your customers know what you’ve got coming up in the future. Even if they won’t be there to take advantage of it, it may prompt a return visit or they may pass the details on to others who might be interested in the event.

Help to build rapport by taking the opportunity to meet with your customers or prospects in other environments, too. And remember that a lot of networking is done online today, so consider how to use social media to help you build your relationship with your customers.

Reward loyalty. The very least you can do is to remember your regular customers. Capture their details and preferences – do they like a particular room, prefer a specific table or need a special pillow? Remembering these small details can make your customer feel valued.

Why not help your customers to celebrate? Note their birthdays and anniversaries on your database, and then invite them to the hotel to receive their special gift or offer, e.g. invite wedding couples back for their first (and subsequent) anniversary, invite customers to celebrate their birthday and get a cake or free bottle of bubbly, invite businesses to celebrate any awards, keep a note of special anniversaries for local businesses – their AGM, awards dinners, anniversary of their launch. People don’t normally celebrate alone, so these provide ideal opportunities to bring in new customers.

Make your offers worthwhile to encourage people to bring their friends or colleagues and make up a big party. Receiving a birthday card with a voucher – or an invitation to celebrate a forthcoming anniversary – is a pleasant surprise, and adds a very personal touch. If you can hand write these, even better (it can make a huge difference and really demonstrate your interest in your customer).

Building your customer relationship is an on going process, and there’s no denying it takes a bit of effort, but effort that will reward you with more business, and it’s still one of the simplest ways to market a hotel.

Learn the 7 fatal mistakes hoteliers make in getting more business on this complimentary tele seminar

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