Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills

Transcription

1 Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 1

2 Learning Objective To learn Insight into guest satisfaction and dissatisfaction Customer relations and regarding the service Understand guest psychology Training need for front office staff Managing Complaints Selling skills Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 2

3 Guest Satisfaction As per the guests needs the hotel needs to deliver the service. Understanding of various needs of the guest is this very important. Guest needs can be classified as follows- Physiological needs protection against heat, cold and rain, special food Economic needs value for money spent by the guests Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 3

4 Guest Satisfaction Social needs attending functions, meet others and socialise Psychological needs Enhancement of self pride Guest satisfaction ensures repeat business, increases clientele and maximised revenue for the establishment. Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 4

5 Guest Dissatisfaction The causes of guest dissatisfaction generally fall under two categories- Under the control of the hotel Unhelpful staff Cramped conditions Lack of choice of product Beyond the control of the front office of the hotel Location Weather Other customers Transport problems Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 5

6 Guest Relations Managing guest s relations requires understanding of Customer s need for recognition Should aim at individualising the customer Importance of smile staff must be friendly A positive attitude treat staff ad guest in friendly manner Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 6

7 Guest Relations Managing guest s relations requires understanding of Genuineness accepting the guest for what they are and not being judgemental Understanding the importance of customers expectation understanding the expectation and what is perceived by customer as service is very important Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 7

8 Role of Selling Skills The best time to sell facilities and services At various stages the front office managing the guest needs to ensure sales to the guest. Some of the stage- Initial enquiry ascertaining the requirements and preferences of the prospective guest and highlighting the facilities Booking discovering the requirements and suggesting alternative / additional options during booking stage Check-in informing the arriving guest of facilities and services about the facilities Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 8

9 Role of Selling Skills The best time to sell facilities and services At various stages the front office managing the guest needs to ensure sales to the guest. Some of the stage- Request response to guest of the facilities during their stay Check-out asking the guest if the hotel can help with onward booking Promotional calls promotional call with special offers to the guest registered earlier Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 9

10 Role of Selling Skills Product Knowledge Knowledge of the hotel s product starts with comprehensive knowledge of the hotel s rooms, other facilities and services- 1. Successful selling requires knowledge of all the additional benefits 2. Details of all these service may be kept handy in a product factsheet Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 10

11 Role of Selling Skills Product Knowledge 1. Reception and switchboard should also keep a directory of facilities and services provided by other sales outlets and departments of the hotel 2. Front office staff should determine the hotel s selling proposition. Some of those are follows- Attributes or benefits of the hotel Free undercover parking Award winning restaurant The free in-room internet access Types of food options Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 11

12 Role of Selling Skills Sales support Material Selling involves effective use of sales support material. It may include- Promotional and informational literature Advertising benefits Showing illustrative pictures Giving contact details for follow-up Brochures and lists of hotel services and amenities Following up on enquiry and emphasizing personal service Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 12

13 Selling Techniques Starting with rapport Use pace and lead Draw alongside someone before one draws ahead Make guests feel welcome and secure first Advise guests in their best interests Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 13

14 Selling Techniques Sell the whole package Understanding customers don t buy just rooms, they buy hospitality, security, status and comfort Manner and ability to build rapport will be powerful to sell total package to the customer Describe services and facilities in terms that appeal directly to what you anticipate the guest to be interested in Use appealing descriptive phrases when referring to rooms Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 14

15 Selling Techniques Pace the transaction Selling has natural shape and rhythm Natural to ask the guest whether he wants to purchase or making a booking It is thus made easy for the guest to take the decision Need to put together the offer that meets his stated needs Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 15

16 Selling Techniques Opening, Development and Dealing with hesitation (ODD) Opening Informing about the rooms and services availability to the prospective guest Development Answering about the questions about the rooms and facilities, stressing attributes that are most likely to appeal to the guest Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 16

17 Selling Techniques Opening, Development and Dealing with hesitation (ODD) Dealing with hesitation Dealing with the factors because of which the guest is unable to take the decision. One can offer the opportunity to inspect the room, might offer alternative options or stress the value for money Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 17

18 Selling Techniques Emphasizing the value for money Justification to the guest for upgrade to superior grade Need justification for extra expenses by explaining or demonstrating the benefits gained for the extra money Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 18

19 Selling Techniques Use of Good News On case of limited availability of the rooms, the front office can start with good news and then deliver the bad news Use of price psychology Quoting a high priced options along with other alternatives may help the prices look better Guests will feel they are getting superior quality, but at a reasonable price Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 19

20 Selling Techniques Offer lead in rooms Selling high or top down selling approach Start by quoting the higher rate option first and it guest goes for it you have made a higher value sale It is easy to convince the guest to consider the superior, once the guest has already settled on a standard If guests are clearly budget conscious, however, a bottom up selling technique may be more be effective Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 20

21 Selling Techniques Encourage sight / trial Front office needs to know that experience is the most powerful convincer If the guest is not sure of expensive room then an offer to show the photographs or persuade through referral or virtual tour of website can be a better option Hotel may offer incentives to try the hotel restaurant Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 21

22 Selling Techniques Lead the decision An uncommitted enquirer can be subtly steered towards a purchase decision by the sales person If the prospective guest says yes, one can start to ask questions about anticipated arrival time, the guest contact, how the guest would like to pay As the reservation is well on the way to being made and front office desk need to be helpful to ensure guest confirmation Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 22

23 Increasing occupancy Juggling bookings is done to maximise occupancy Skilled reservation staff can fit booking in the available space Allocating and reallocating rooms Offer alternatives when taking enquiries Reservation clerk need not turn away the business because the requested room type The reservation desk should be able to offer different types of rooms Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 23

24 Increasing occupancy Minimising no shows by Chasing Unconfirmed bookings Reconfirming the day before Charging non-refundable deposit Converting enquiries into sales, using the various selling techniques Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 24

25 Increasing average room rates and guest spend Up-selling 1. Up-selling means persuading guests to upgrade their reservation or purchase and therefore to spend more 2. The ideal time for up-selling is reservation and / or check-in 3. Front desk should be able to identify the guests who is planning a long stay and willing to upgrade for variety of reasons Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 25

26 Increasing average room rates and guest spend Cross Selling 1. Selling related or additional products to the one the guest has initially purchased 2. Cross selling persuades the guest to add extras 3. Involves informing guests about availability of addedvalue facilities and services of the hotel 4. The information about added facilities should be targeted to the guests enquiries or anticipated needs, in order to be effective Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 26

27 Repeat Business 1. Ideal opportunity for boosting repeat business is during the check-out activity 2. Provisional reservation may be offered to the guest if they are expected to return some time later 3. Front desk can provide the brochure and business card 4. Provide assurance of quick reservation any time in the future 5. Some of the hotels also provide for membership club benefits to ensure loyalty Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 27

28 Referred Sales 1. Travel agents, hotel booking agents and tourist information centres / bureaus can refer the guest to hotel 2. Central Reservation office of a hotel group can be able to refer the business 3. Satisfied guests may as well recommend another guests of the hotel services Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 28

29 Guests Complaints and Feedback Handling Guest Complaints Some of the guests may have unrealistic expectations, demand the impossible and enjoy fault finding and complaining Some of the guests may have genuine problems Reception is the first point of call for guest complaints Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 29

30 Guests Complaints and Feedback Handling Guest Complaints Hotel should welcome negative feedback / complaint as a tool for improving service and guest satisfaction in future Front desk can often handle minor complaints The receptionist can have guest moved to new room is case of a housekeeping or maintenance problem For issues with the hotel, compensatory action may be initiated by the front desk with authorisation Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 30

31 Guests Complaints and Feedback (..contd) Handling Guest Complaints If the guest problem is unrelated to the hotel, then the front desk may provide a listening year and empathy The guests complaints should be handled away from other guests to avoid disruption Hearing out to the guest and listening skills is very crucial for understanding the complaint Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 31

32 Guests Complaints and Feedback (..contd) Handling Guest Complaints The front should summarise the briefly the main points of the guests complaints The person handling the complaints should give a short and clear apology for the upset to clear the inconvenience The complaint should be fairly and constructively handled Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 32

33 Interpersonal Skills in managing Guest Complaints Control over emotions and remain calm Control of body language- maintaining confident and attentive attitude Listen attentively Demonstrate empathy towards the guest Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 33

34 Interpersonal Skills in managing Guest Complaints Demonstrate tact and discretion while handling the complaint Communicate assertively and balancing one own rights Service orientation and ability to constructively manage the customer complaint Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 34

35 Guest Feedback Guest feedback is very important to improve marketing and delivery of products and services of hotel. There are various sources of gathering feedback in various ways- Guest and occupancy statistics provide indirect indicators Information comments made by guests at the reception or directly to Front office staff Unsolicited feedback may be provided by guests who have had particularly positive or negative experiences Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 35

36 Guest Feedback Guest feedback is very important to improve marketing and delivery of products and services of hotel. There are various sources of gathering feedback in various ways- Online hotel review sites and traveller blogs Feedback questionnaire are very useful and systematic way of gathering information about the guests Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 36

37 Staff development and training Identification of traits and skills of employees and further development is very crucial for effective guest service and satisfaction. Front Office staff and desk manager should have the following qualities Ability to accept criticism Good and presentable personality Patience Listening skills Willing to sale Team coordination and Time management Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 37

38 Staff development and training - Employee Induction Purposes of Induction 1. Help new recruits to find their bearings in a new job and environment 2. Help new recruits begin to fit in to the culture and norms of the team and hotel 3. Support recruits in beginning to do the job 4. Identify on-going training and development needs Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 38

39 Staff development and training - Employee Induction General plan for employee induction will include - Pinpointing the areas that the recruit will have to learn about in order to start work in the job Showing the recruit round the hotel premises and facilities Briefing the recruit on relevant employment policies and procedures Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 39

40 Staff development and training - Employee Induction General plan for employee induction will include - Introduction to the key people in the hotel Appointing a particular colleague or supervisor as a mentor Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 40

41 Staff development and training - Employee Induction (..contd) General plan for employee induction will include - 1. Planning and implementing appropriate training programs to familiarize the recruit with the hotel product, procedures etc 2. Hotel procedures, policies and systems need to be introduced to employee 3. The recruits coach, mentor or supervisor need to monitor initial progress as demonstrated by performance and as in reports Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 41

42 Staff Training and Development Important Steps Step 1 Identify and define staff members learning or training needs Based on what they need to be able to do to perform their job competently What they can currently do Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 42

43 Staff Training and Development Important Steps Step 2 Define the learning required Specify knowledge, skills or competences Step 3 Define training objectives What must be learned and what trainees must be able to do after training exercise Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 43

44 Staff Training and Development Important Steps Step 4 Plan training programs with training equipped with the necessary inputs Venue needs to be fixed with time slots Training approaches, techniques, styles and technologies that will be used to make training more effective Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 44

45 Staff Training and Development Important Steps Step 5 Implementation of the training programs Step 6 Monitor, review and evaluate training Evaluate the success of the training programs in relation to the learning objectives Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 45

46 Employee Handbook Employee handbook provides general guidelines concerning employees conduct. The handbook cover the following- Pay categories, evaluation procedures Vacation time Sick leave, holidays and paydays Use of controlled substances Interaction with guests Resolving disputes with guests and other employees Insurance benefits Uniform requirements Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 46

47 Policy and Procedure Manual The policy and procedure manual provides an outline of how the specific duties of each job are to be performed. The policy and procedure manual addresses such concepts as the following- Safety and security measures Operation of the property management system and other equipments in the front office Reservations Written and verbal communications with guests and other employees of the hotel Checkouts Registrations and posting Preparation of the night audit Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 47

48 Summary A satisfied guests attracts more guests Hospitality industry management needs to be very cautious while dealing with the guests To ensure guest satisfaction, the hotel staff should be equipped with necessary skills An orientation program and training is necessary for the staff to be equipped with the necessary skills and traits A period evaluation method is required to ensure effective training and development of staff Chapter 6 Interpersonal and Selling Skills 48