As a food and beverage operations manager working for a hotel that caters to a high-end clientele, I am often asked how to improve customer service in hospitality. My answer is simple. You just have to be prepared to deliver exceptional service every day.
My job description as a hospitality manager means that I am constantly evaluating the way we treat our guests. We always want to make them the best experience possible. We want to leave a good impression so that when they return home they can tell all their friends about our great service. We are constantly striving to improve the way that we treat our guests and that means we are paying attention to each and every one of them. When I say we are paying attention, I mean that literally and figuratively speaking.
Customer service starts before the guest even steps foot into your venue. The first impression the guest has to make on you as a manager or business owner is with the front desk clerk. This is the person that will usually be in charge of the guest’s table, so if you are looking to improve customer service in hospitality here is what you need to do. Always make sure that the front desk clerk is friendly and willing to address any concerns the customer may have.
As you know, customers in any hospitality environment are nothing to mess with. They have demanded attitudes and they want their needs met with respect. As such, your front desk should be courteous and responsive at all times. They will most likely keep track of the preferences and the food allergies of your guests so don’t take this for granted.
If your front desk takes a few days to respond to a specific question from a guest, move on to someone else. You can’t afford to have a dead-end service experience. Remember, you have many other responsibilities that need to be met as a manager of a hotel or restaurant, so you cannot spend hours dealing with the minutiae of everyday guests. If you take a few minutes to remember some of the more basic requirements of your guests, you’ll increase your chances of having a pleasant experience. After all, it’s your reputation on the line when you do not provide a first-class service experience to your guests.
You need to make sure that your staff is courteous and friendly to all guests. You also need to be knowledgeable about the foods your guests desire to have. Finally, you need to be able to accommodate any dietary or medical requests of your guests. By following these simple suggestions, you should be able to improve customer service in hospitality in any type of industry.