News for the Hospitality Executive |
5 Stars vs. 4 Stars:
January 2, 2013 As we begin 2013, I’ve decided to put together a compilation of my articles about the 5-Star service experience. Hopefully, they will help to re-ignite your commitment to provide consistently engaging service. Wishing you and your team continued success in 2013! 5 Stars vs. 4 Stars: What’s the difference? Key
point from the article: The true test of 5-star establishments is not
whether
they can create a single memorable experience.
It’s whether they can create memorable experiences repeatedly every
day.
What are the best ways to implement a 5-star mindset? First, recognize that 5-stars is not about an award or designation. It’s about a mentality…a way of working…discipline…and most of all, a healthy disdain for anything mediocre. Whenever you find yourself thinking, “Well that’s ok” or “It’s not that bad” or “It’ll be perfect next time”, then you’re drifting away from the 5-star mentality. Let me be clear, you don’t have to work in a 5-star establishment to have a 5-star mentality. I’ve seen 3 and 4 star establishments with the 5-star mindset. I’ve seen grocery stores and airlines with the 5-star mindset as well. 5-stars is about excellence and striving to be world-class in whatever you are doing…all the time. I recently stayed at the Wynn Las Vegas, and had a 5-star experience. One of the true testaments of a 5-star experience is how well the staff takes ownership and follows through. Shortly after checking in, I ordered room service. When the order came, the server was refined, yet very personable. She asked me where I would like the table to be set up, and I told her in front of the television. She then asked about my television station preference, turned the channel to the desired station, and placed the remote control right next to me. After uncovering my food and describing each dish, she asked if there was anything further she could do to assist. I had forgotten my lint roller at home, so I asked if the hotel might have one for me. She said that she’d be happy to take care of it, and I would have an update within a half-hour. Less than 15 minutes later, someone was knocking at my door. It was a laundry attendant with a silver tray and 3 lint rollers for me to use. Click here to read the rest of the article! 5 Star Leadership:
What does it
take to be a 5-star leader? Key
Point: There are many employees who want to work for a
leader who has high expectations and believes in them. Know that your
team can
be great, and never stop believing in everyone’s potential. That is the
true
mindset of a 5-star leader. Five-star
leaders share many of the same qualities. One
such quality is to believe that their team CAN be
great. Low
expectations promote average and low performance, while high
expectations
promote high performance. I’ve heard many managers of low-performing
teams
blame their staff for the teams’ low performance. “Oh, we can’t find
good people”,
“we don’t pay high wages, etc.” All of those excuses are surmountable.
I’ve
seen businesses in the same city or even on the same street, providing
the same
product, hire from the same labor pool, and yet have vastly different
service
experiences. Most times, the only
difference is the caliber of leadership in the building. I’ve even
witnessed a
5-star hotel go from exceptionally high service ratings to mediocre
ratings. The staff was the same, the
labor pool was the same, the tools were the same…the only difference
was the
change in senior leadership. The hotel
initially had a general manager who believed in the infinite potential
of the
teams’ service ability and subsequently treated the team like
world-class professionals.
The subsequent general managers didn’t, and the hotel has not been the
same
ever since. Click
here to read the rest of the article! 5 Star Employees Part 1 Key
Point: Being well prepared is the first step to serving with
excellence. 5-star employees are
consistently well-prepared, purpose-driven and passionate about their
work. One of
my previous articles was about “5-star leaders”, and those types of
leaders are
committed to only one standard: Excellence. They
expect nothing less from themselves or from their
team. While it is important to describe
excellent
leadership, it is also important to describe another key piece of the
service
excellence puzzle…the “5-star employee”. 5-star
employees are equally passionate with excellence
and take great
pride in engaging their customers with purpose-driven service. I can
still
remember the exact moment when I realized that there was a difference
between
an employee and a 5-star employee. At
the time, I was a banquet server in a luxury hotel and was given a tray
of hors
d'oeuvres to serve the guests. The chef
stopped me before I served the first guest. He asked if I knew what the
hors
d'oeuvres were and how they were prepared. It
became immediately clear that I only had a vague idea
of how to
describe the items. The chef then looked
at me directly in the eyes and said, “You are NOT a professional”.
Those words
forever changed how I viewed service delivery. After
that one-sentence from the chef, I went back to the
kitchen and
thoroughly acquainted myself with each hors d'oeuvres’ name,
ingredients, and
preparation. When I returned to the
banquet function, I saw the chef, pulled him to the side and thoroughly
explained each hors d'oeuvres. He then
said “Now, you are a professional”. Being
well prepared is the first step to serving with excellence. 5-star employees are consistently
well-prepared,
purpose-driven and passionate about their work. Click
here to read the rest of the article! Click
here for 5 Star Employees Part 2 RECENT
TESTIMONIALS From the
very first meeting with Bryan, one can immediately sense a passion for
what he
believes in. He is not only sincere and gracious, his knowledge of the
hospitality industry gives him an understanding at all levels of
operations
enabling him to identify with and relate to, all staff members. I have
nothing
but praise for his delivery and the results we have seen. His tutoring
and
follow up is consistent, allowing us to measure the success.
--Stephen
Boxall, The Ritz London Bryan delivers time
tested and
effective customer service principles in a captivating and entertaining
manner. His passion for outstanding
service is evident in his presentations and his
actions. Bryan truly
demonstrates a passion for service and he lives what he trains by
serving those
who attend. –Reese Thorne, Marriott Rewards Bryan
Williams has the
passion and desire to help leaders get the most out of themselves and
their
organization. Bryan provides strategic approaches to solving key
leadership and
development issues with innovative approaches to people development,
training
and internal communication. Bryan has had a tremendously positive
impact on the
culture of our company.
About Bryan K. Williams Dr. Bryan K. Williams is the Chief Service Officer of B.Williams Enterprise, and the author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar and Work Like You Own It! 20 Ways to Go From Meeting to Exceeding Your Customers’ Expectations. Bryan’s passion is world-class customer service, and has facilitated workshops and delivered keynotes all over the world for various companies. He speaks on a variety of topics related to service excellence, employee engagement, and organizational improvement. As a consultant, Bryan works closely with companies to design, develop, and implement sustainable service strategies. His company’s online store includes a growing collection of customer service products that are well-suited for your training library.
Both of Bryan’s books can be purchased at http://shop.bwenterprise.net/ |
B. Williams Enterprise, LLC Website: www.bwenterprise.net Email: [email protected] Facebook: BWEnterprise Twitter: @bwenterprise Phone: 240-401-6958 |