Which way is north? How front desk training helps ROI

Mark S. Johnson of Tampa-based Signature Worldwide Business and Training Solutions.

NATIONAL HARBOUR, MD—Which way is north?  That’s what Mark S. Johnson of Signature Worldwide asked delegates to a Choice University seminar at the Choice Hotels International Convention at the Gaylord Convention Centre near Washington May 11.  Seated in a room with no windows, delegates pointed every which way.
 
The point of the exercise was to show that without leadership, people are directionless—it’s important to let them know where they should be going.  General managers should articulate success and, more importantly, articulate what success is.

Johnson’s presentation dealt with front desk staff—he stressed that in today’s economy every call is precious and by increasing front desk performance by just two two-day reservations a day, a hotel can dramatically impact the bottom line.

Favourable math

Here’s the math:  if a hotel captures two more calls a day, for two-day reservations at $75 per night, 300 days a year, it would add $90,000 to the bottom line.  If all 50 hoteliers in the room were to capture those calls, it would add $4.5 million.

Here are some of Johnson’s recommendations.  First, answer the phone in three rings.  And make sure the tone of voice is right—callers should be able to feel the energy and passion through the phone. When Disney employees walk out a door, there’s a mirror and the words, ‘on stage.’

“That demands a tone, a presence, a message to employees that they are on stage all the time,” Johnson said.  “There’s a huge ROI at the property level.”

Often hotels schedule staffing due to peak arrival and departure times, but it’s important to track peak times for phone calls and staff accordingly.  Johnson suggests tracking call volume at the hotel by hour of the day and day of the week.

The process involves tracking denials—where the caller says no—and regrets—where the hotel says no.  “Just checking” and “rates too high” would constitute denials, while “no availability” and “stay restriction” would fall in the regrets category.

“You’ll be surprised at the times that the phone rang the most,” said Johnson.  For example, the peak calling times might be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with a transient spike between 7:30-11:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm.  By adding a few payroll dollars, you can make a big difference.”

But don’t do the tracking every day, cautioned Johnson.  He suggested tracking three to four times a year for a week at a time.  “You’ll get accurate information, and at the end of the week you can have a pizza party.  The GM should be reinforcing every hour, just for that week—checking on it constantly.  You’ll have better operations because of it,” he added.

The hotel guest profile is changing

Front guest staff should remember that guests think differently, they make decisions and buy differently, Johnson said.  “When I go into a hotel room the first thing I do is grab the remote.  My 23-year-old son plops on the bed, finds that Internet is $9.99 a day and says, ‘you’re kidding me.’”

People often look online and book by phone—so it’s important that the hotel’s Internet and front desk rates align.
 
And it’s important to understand those 23-year-olds, since they will be major customers for the next 20 years.  Reach out to them and connect the way they want it done.

Be a coach and mentor

“There’s no such thing as a natural born sales person,” said Johnson. “Selling is a skill, like anything else, and sales people need coaches and leaders.  Selling takes practice.  Make time to rehearse—you will have a huge competitive advantage by doing this since your competitors aren’t doing it either!

“If you have an attitude, and give pats on the back for employees, it helps with rate integrity as well.
 
So do a better job of answering the phones, be on stage, talk about success and be a coach and a mentor” to your front desk staff.