Engaging the Guest Emotionally

So they hope that LRA has the secret to training their doorman, desk clerk and housekeeper to smile and be friendly at all times, just as stated in the standards. "But," I tell them, "Your staff does not need to be trained to smile. Your staff already knows how to smile; they just aren't smiling. Or they may be smiling and they really don't feel like smiling." People do not learn to smile by reading about it, nor by carrying a pocket card to remind them, although those can be good reinforcers. Emotional behavior is learned by imitation and experience, and it has to be felt personally to be authentic. So when we work with an organization to "make the staff friendlier" we actually work to make the environment more supportive by improving communication, rewarding good service behavior and assembling a staff who like to serve others. In fact, more than half the training is aimed at improving the "people skills" of frontline supervisors, who have the greatest influence on workplace morale. Supervisors are the primary communicators of expected service behavior.

Typically for frontline staff members, we present a program to introduce a service message along with some specific "steps" to achieving guest engagement. Since each organization has their own take on service message, the programs must be customized to a greater or lesser extent. Clients have been enthusiastic about the LRA approach. The corporate head of Human Resources at one high-end hotel client described how our program addressed the needs of their staff as a "bullseye" because the message was so well suited to their needs.

Each program may have some differences in terminology, length and outline to fit seamlessly into a particular corporate culture - and the related cultural vocabulary and brand lexicon - we teach a basic underlying service model. The model we teach has the following stages, with each one leading to the next:

1. Make a great impression
2. Relate to each guest
3. Anticipate guest needs
4. Manage challenges
5. Impress and delight
6. Follow Up

In the Leaders classes we focus on preparing the leaders to help their staff engage guests. We teach coaching skills and the use of communication and reinforcement tools, such as agendas, message statements and presentations.

LRA is careful to put the right trainers and facilitators in front of each class because the student's experience in the classroom - like the guest's experience at the front desk - has much to do with the quality of the interaction. From the positive reaction of the many different organizations we work with - from Regal Hotels in Hong Kong, to SaskGaming casinos in Saskatchewan, to Omni Hotels throughout the U.S. - LRA has created an effective model to help improve employee interactions and - by extension - the guest experience at our client organizations.

Constance Billé is Director of Organizational Development & Training at LRA Worldwide, Inc. | Feedback? Email Conni at [email protected].