Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FRONT OFFICE AND THE GUESTS: PLANNING FOR QUALITY SERVICE
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What can I (the FOM) do to help staff better
respond to guest needs?
•
What are some actions that front office staff
can take when they are empowered to better
serve guests?
As the new FOM, Candida can serve as a role model
by treating guests and employees with respect and
dignity in the way that she would like to be treated
by her boss. Other activities may help her during the
first phase of the improvement strategy.
•
Schedule a series of staff meetings to develop
a mission statement about what the depart-
ment is attempting to accomplish and how it
intends to accomplish it.
•
Observe carefully during the initial days on the
job, analyze previous evaluations by guests,
and interview present guests to identify what
guests liked and disliked about their lodging
experience. This information may suggest
training needs that should be addressed
quickly.
•
Obtain group input in revising work processes
to better meet the needs of the guests. Front
desk agents must do what is necessary
(within reason) to please the guest.
•
Encourage the staff to make suggestions and
reward them for doing so. For example, dinner
and movie passes might be given to all front
desk agents who work more than a specified
number of hours weekly for each month in
which the guest comment ratings are at or
above a specified level.
A second phase of the new FOM’s improvement
strategy might involve staff in discussions about how
to make the department and the hotel an employer-
of-choice within the community, that is, a place
where employees want to work. Meetings and for-
mal conversations that address this issue will likely
yield responses that, over time, can be addressed.
As Candida implements improvement strate-
gies, employee morale and guest service evalua-
tions will change positively.