Whether buying a take-away coffee, sitting down at a restaurant to eat, or travelling through an airport, it’s the people-facing staff that transform the hospitality experience from the transactional to the magical.
Global CX specialist Ian Golding summed it up: “There are significant differences in the functional elements of a hospitality experience (based on price), the key defining factor that determines what a guest remembers about their experience are people.”
Employees, the training they undergo, and their own experiences, are key for great CX in the hospitality industry.
A customer-centric mindset is in the job description
It’s impossible to talk about hospitality customer experience without first discussing employee experience.
Everyone can probably recount the time they went to a restaurant and remembered how especially kind a waitress was, rather than what was eaten.
The same applies for negative experiences. Rude staff members can easily scar an entire hospitality experience.
“Whatever the price, the reality is that the thing the customer will always remember about their experience is the way the organisation they interacted with made them feel,” Golding explained.
Golding shared his own experience. Coming out of lockdown, he booked for his family to stay at the renowned Savoy in London.
Unfortunately, their room was opposite a building site, and they were woken up at 7am to loud noises. “We were so disappointed – what promised to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience was being ruined,”
When Golding told the hotel staff about the experience, they were horrified. “To cut a long story short, whilst we were out, the Savoy moved us to one of their Riverside Suites… It was incredible. They moved us because they could. They made a mistake, and they decided to rectify it – because they could.”
It is employees who foster and deliver the experience to the client. It is crucial that their customer service is excellent, and the experience is remembered for the right reasons.
How to develop an effective employee training programme
With employees fashioning the experiences that will impact the business, an excellent employee training programme is essential for success.
According to Zendesk, customer service training programmes should cover company culture, software, and product knowledge. It also recommends the programme should be between four and six weeks in length.
A great training programme should also focus on accurately equipping staff with valuable skills, such as communication, active listening, and conflict resolution.
Frequent follow-up sessions, online courses, and workshops are crucial to ensure great customer service skills and attributes are baked into the company culture.
Building employee community and dedication
Miral, a UAE-based hospitality organisation has developed a comprehensive training programme, called Yas Way, focused on empowering staff to deliver excellent service.
In 2021, the Yas Way Training Programme won a gold award in the Best Customer Service category at the International Customer Experience Awards.
Yas Way focused on four key service behaviours — intuitive service, engaging interactions, dynamic service delivery, and expertise.
“This programme is not just about providing information, but creating ‘Yas Captains’ who are passionate about Yas Island, knowledgeable about all the attractions, and committed to creating memorable experiences.” commented Fergus Bugg, senior VP of guest experience at Miral Destinations.
“By investing in our people, we’ve created a culture of excellence that not only meets but exceeds guest expectations,” he added.
The Yas Captains programme has been a renowned success with employees to deliver better customer service. Miral has been certified as a Great Place to Work, and recognised among the UAE’s top workplaces in the 2024 LinkedIn Top Companies List, ranked 1st in Abu Dhabi and 10th in the UAE in the 2024 LinkedIn Top Companies list.
It has achieved these accolades for creating a work environment that fosters growth, development, inclusion, and empowerment for its employees.
Miral is keen to build on positive employee experiences to drive customer satisfaction, as staff are provided with “tools, training, and autonomy to create those unexpected, delightful moments that turn a great visit into an unforgettable experience.” as Bugg described.