Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

Empower Staff with Service Authority
The concept of empowerment suggests that FOMs should facilitate—not direct—
the delivery of service by their employees. Staff members who are in contact with
guests require the ability to make quick decisions that focus on guests’ needs as they
arise. As it is not possible to anticipate what every guest will want all the time, it is
not possible to develop and teach procedures that recognize how to consistently meet
(or exceed) the expectations of every guest. Front office employees can be empowered
to help guests with reasonable out-of-the-ordinary service requests after they
(1) learn about their service mission, (2) receive the training and obtain the resources
required to meet the needs of most guests, and (3) show ongoing interest in provid-
ing exceptional guest service.
Several management strategies help support the empowerment of front office
personnel:
•
Accepting the philosophy that supports empowerment. FOMs who think that
employees don’t care, only want to perform to minimum levels of expectations,
and don’t want to make creative decisions, will find it difficult to implement an
empowerment tactic. Managers must gradually reduce the level of their super-
vision for qualified staff and encourage them to exercise the authority (power)
that they have received.
•
Pointing staff in the right direction. Informing front office employees about
their primary goal (e.g., to provide guests with a memorable experience that