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· Misc

It never gets done by itself

I was looking at the monthly results of a client on their mystery shop calls. My first reaction was to send her a quick email to congratulate her as the team of 44 hotels reached a 2017 yearly average of 83,6 %.  The fact that they are scored on 15 skills makes it an even bigger accomplishment.

Here is what I wrote to her:

I’m seeing the scores for your teams: 88.3% in February, month-to-date, 86.6% in January and an average of 83.6% for year 2017!  Is the bar too low or are they just very good at what they do?

I know she is competitive, but she also has at heart the results of her teams and the desire to see their company deliver the best services to their guests.

They have been on our programs for more than 15 years.  We started with many training events throughout the year and now we are completing 5 calls per month, per hotel. Every call is listened to ,87 times (9 calls out of 10). I’m not sure if they listen to the perfect calls (37,6% - 859 calls in the year). Quite impressive; one call out of three hits the mark!

You want to know how she accomplished that?  Here is what she replied:

This is one of my big rocks for the past year and my goal for our team is an average of at least 90% for our hotel group.  I am slowly getting them there but have yet to hit it.  (Can be very challenging as you are fully aware!)

They came close last year.  They reached 87,2% in December.  Her email goes on:
I am hoping the majority is good at what she does.  I have been working diligently with all the GM’s, I host a minimum of 3 – 4 webinars a month (even one at 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM for the night auditors, if required), they have been listening to calls more, etc. A small section on my training is focused a bit on self confidence.  I have found that those who are not very successful in the program are the ones that have either not been trained properly or that struggle with confidence.  The better they feel about themselves the more successful they become in their role.

Is there possibly a trend or something you are seeing that I might be missing?  I would be interested in your thoughts.

It would be hard to ask a program driver to do more than that; her constant support pays off.

As a training expert, I saw a lot of good things in her approach to improve the skills of the staff.

There are many factors that would prevent one from performing.
1. No training – and you do that.
2. Lack of confidence – what can you do?  Support, motivation and recognition.
3. Lack of support – again, you seem to do that but what is happening at the hotels (behind closed doors) might not help.  Is there constant support?
4. They’re not buying it – this starts at hiring (when possible). Many new employees, ask why should I do that?  Why trying?  What’s in it for me? This is the most difficult one to tackle.

Lastly, do you provide small tests to assess their knowledge?  We now have a great program called Facilica.  It sends to the staff (on smartphones, tablets, laptop) periodical questions that supports the training they received.  At the beginning, more questions are sent, then it fades out slowly as they get the right answers.  The pace depends on what we wish to accomplish.  You get the results from all employees – who answered what, who struggles on what, which hotel performs best, who really does not get it, etc.  It maintains the knowledge after the training and brings a different metrics and adds to the mystery shop results.

Turns out, she built some tests that will assess her staff’s understanding. I know they will continue to do well, because the support is there…from the top.

Francis Prézeau

Signature Canada is a leader in training employees to deliver legendary customer service while increasing sales. Since 1986, Signature’s unique training methodology has provided a measurable ROI for our customers, compelling them to return year after year. www.signaturecanada.ca