Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 1 Front Office and the Guests: Delivering Quality Service

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Front Office Staff Provide First Impressions Hoteliers achieve service-related goals when they: –Know what service is (from their guests’ perspectives) –Develop processes to deliver it –Provide the necessary equipment, tools, and training to help staff members consistently deliver it –Establish a benchmark to indicate “where they are” as they begin their journey toward the consistent delivery of desired service –Monitor service improvements and guest satisfaction levels

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Front Office Staff Provide First Impressions Tactics to ensure a positive first impression: 1.Provide a genuine welcome. 2.Design registration process to be fast and accurate. 3.Assure that no “little things” create aggravation. 4.Don’t tell the guests what to do. 5.Pledge assistance to meet the guests’ needs during their visit.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Guest Interaction Scenarios: Be Professional Role-Model: The act of behaving in a manner that is consistent with the behavior that is desired of others. Dialog Training: Teaching employees about what to say in conversations and/or how to respond to common situations that occur on the job.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Guest Interaction Scenarios: Be Professional Just following procedures vs. Performing like a hospitality professional

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Delivering Service During Guests’ Visits Telephone skills In-room needs Other information requests Emergencies Other service opportunities

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 All About Uniformed Services Bell services attendants –Petty Cash: A small amount of cash available on-site that is not co-mingled with cash banks for revenue centers and is used to make small, miscellaneous purchases. –Daily Function Board: The place(s) in the lobby and other locations within the hotel used to post information such as name of function, time, and room number for events scheduled on a specific date. Concierge staff: –“Virtual Concierge”

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 Managing Guest Complaints (Service Recovery) Service Recovery: A sequence of steps used by hotel staff members to address guest complaints and problems in a manner that yields a “win-win” situation for both the guest and the property.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Managing Guest Complaints (Service Recovery) Service recovery model: 1.Acknowledge the guest. 2.Carefully listen to the guest’s problem. 3.Isolate the guest, if necessary. 4.Remain calm; give undivided attention. 5.Ask questions, take notes, if necessary. 6.Empathize with the guest.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Managing Guest Complaints (Service Recovery) 7.Apologize for the problem, and accept responsibility for resolving it. 8.Do not justify or place blame. 9.Provide problem-resolution options. 10.Provide time frame for remedial action. 11.Monitor problem-resolution progress. 12.Follow up with the guest. 13.Learn from the experience.

Woods et al., Professional Front Office Management © 2007 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 11 Evaluating Guest Service Guest comment card systems “Mystery shopper” systems Franchisor “report cards” Ask employees and guests