Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE AND THE GUESTS: PLANNING FOR QUALITY SERVICE
Revised Registration
Process
Goal: Higher Levels
of Guest Satisfaction
Measure Defects
Few
Take
Corrective
Action(s)
Many
Assessment:
Cross-Functional
Team
Guests’ Needs and
Desires
Existing Guest
Registration
Process
Guest Surveys
• Needs
• Requests
Benchmarking
Analysis of Current
Procedures
• Actual Features
• Ideal Features
Management Approval
Employee
Training
Resource
Acquisition
FIGURE 3
Overview of registration process revision with emphasis on quality guest service.
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•
After management approves the revised procedures, the procedures are incor-
porated into the revised registration process.
•
Once defined, procedures are incorporated into employee training programs
and should be used consistently to register guests. Any necessary resources
(e.g., equipment or supplies) should be obtained.
•
Will the goal (higher levels of guest satisfaction with the registration process) be
attained more consistently? It is impossible to know unless an evaluation system
is developed and implemented. The number of defects can be assessed by, for
example, guest survey data and FOM interviews with hotel guests. If evaluation
of the revised registration process suggests only few problems, minor corrective
actions may be taken. For example, assume that the average length of a guest’s
wait in the registration line has been reduced significantly; the only time that a
wait is excessive is when there are large numbers of guests to be checked in at
the same time. Also assume that these times are generally known and that the
front desk is fully staffed in anticipation of the large volume of business.
Corrective actions might include setting up (1) a temporary registration center
in another area of the lobby (if computers that interface with the hotel’s elec-
tronic property management system are available or (2) a complimentary
refreshment station in the area of the registration line, which may reinforce the
hotel’s service emphasis. What if evaluation of the revised registration process
indicates that more there are more defects or suggests that problems in the pre-
vious process have not been addressed effectively? Then, as illustrated in 
Figure 3, the steps in process revision need to be repeated.
Steps in the registration process development are cyclical. Over time, input from
guest surveys, additional benchmarking, and analysis of current procedures by anoth-
er cross-functional team may yield still further improvements in the registration
process and, in turn, higher levels of guest satisfaction.