Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE AND THE GUESTS: PLANNING FOR QUALITY SERVICE
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exceeds their expectations) is a necessary first step. Establishing standards for
performance and helping employees understand the wants, needs, desires, and
perceptions of guests are critical.
•
Recognizing the role of the guest. Guests demand that products and services
meet predetermined quality standards that incorporate their needs, expecta-
tions, and desires. Achieving these standards should be the personal respon-
sibility of each member of the front office team. All staff members must
understand their obligation to satisfy guests and must exercise the necessary
authority to do so. Guests are the final inspectors and, as the definition of
acceptability may differ for guest, so also should the methods (work processes)
used to achieve an acceptable level of satisfaction.
•
Removing the barriers that inhibit pride in work. Most front office employees
want to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. They should be praised
when they achieve expected results, represented by the attainment of standards.
Managers help to build pride when they design work systems that allow their
employees to succeed and when they effectively communicate goals and assign-
ments to their staff.
•
Monitoring work to ensure that standards are attained consistently. FOMs must
ensure that their staff ’s own professional and personal needs are met to the
extent practical. They must support staff decision making and must provide the
training and coaching that is a prerequisite to staff empowerment. If measura-
ble standards are in place, it becomes relatively easy to assess the quality of work
outputs.