Training Counts
I recently returned from a trip to another country where we stayed in a very good hotel in the centre of town for the first time. Our check in was somewhat “fraught” as the member of staff on duty didn’t seem able to find the reservation we’d made for my wife, myself and our daughter. I suspect that part of the problem was that we’d used an internet booking site to make the booking, but it became clear that a lack of experience was also contributing. In the end, we managed to sort things out.
What particularly impressed me was that, throughout what was clearly a very stressful situation for the staff on duty, his voice remained calm and he seemed to be going through a mental “troubleshooting checklist” to resolve the problem. He didn’t try to hide behind excuses, he stayed calm and finally referred to a colleague with more experience who was able to find our reservations.
Training had obviously “kicked in” with the young man and he followed it perfectly. Although he lacked experience, someone had clearly told him that, no matter what, he should remain calm and keep telling the customer what he was doing (which he did). The net effect that was that we, as guests checking in, felt that he was doing everything he could to identify the problem and find a solution. Through no fault of his own, it was simply technical knowledge that was lacking (or forgotten).
Yes, it was annoying that we experienced this at the start of a holiday we’d been planning and looking forward to, but the situation could have been much worse. Throughout we were handled with respect and kept informed. Often, I’ve found that when there’s a problem, people withdraw and don’t want to tell one what’s going on, or where the problem is and this is how problems escalate into crises and complaints.
Training can’t be underestimated in these cases, and yet the training budget is the first to be cut when times are hard, with the resulting impact on quality of service. For me, this was a clear-cut case of “training pays”. We’ll certainly stay in that hotel again.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My websiteprovides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 13:49
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