Heartfelt thanks to the Alexandria campus, in particular to Alice Conway, Director, Event Management, for inviting me to speak to the Hospitality and Culinary schools. You can imagine how delectable the refreshments were when created by this professional group of professors, staff and students. You can see photos from the event, including these yummies, on my media page courtesy of John Drew, Professional Image.
How do I structure a talk for folks teaching in or training to work in two industries that already focus on customer service to a greater degree than most other businesses? We focused on two behind-the-scenes positions – telephone operators and dishwashers. We talked about pulling back the onion skin from the basic equipment training required to expanded onboarding to include an awareness of how important a role these positions play in the customer service mission of an organization. Among some considerations to enhance their training would be to include a voice demeanor discussion for telephone operators. How about a face to face meeting with all department heads that these operators are directing calls to? Perhaps a dialogue with the new dishwasher regarding how clean silverware is paramount? Water stains and dried egg yolk between the fork prongs could make or break the tone for the customer’s dining experience!
Employees will be more invested when we ensure they understand that their role is vital to the overall success of the company. How to accomplish this? Providing effective training will set the stage for stronger employee investment to your customer service objectives. In addition, a professional and thorough onboarding will make new hires feel valued. Don’t we all want that?
