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Pumped-Up Employees Want to Provide Great Casino Guest Service
When it comes to changing a behavior, the desire to change is not enough. Reinforcement is the catalyst for transforming the motivation to change into action.
Pumped-Up Employees Want to Provide Great Guest Service;
Call in the Reinforcements to Transform Desire Into Action
For Immediate Release
May 9, 2003
Contact: Tom Ellis
Ellis Communications, L.L.C.
Phone (623) 780-4558
E-Mail tellis@casinocustomerservice.com
When it comes to changing a behavior, the desire to change is not enough. Reinforcement is the catalyst for transforming the motivation to change into action.
At casinos, training can get employees excited about adopting new habits that lead to outstanding guest service, but management must step up to the plate and do what is necessary to keep the process going.
As guest service training slowly becomes a fading memory, employees may start slipping back into their old behaviors," says Martin R. Baird, president of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Robinson & Associates, Inc., a guest service consulting firm for the gaming industry. They dont have the long-range vision thats needed to make the goal of great guest service a reality. But management does and it has the responsibility of providing the reinforcement that keeps employees on track."
Following are seven tips from Baird on the importance of using reinforcement to create quality guest service and how to do it.
Number 1 -- To keep the process of providing great guest service moving forward, management must take responsibility for it and lead.
Number 2 -- After employees learn their new guest service skills, all of management from the top down must be trained on how to manage exceptional guest service. Most managers function under the dictator approach," Baird says. Do it or get fired. That isnt a great way to motivate or to encourage a positive guest experience."
Number 3 -- Managing for great service is a learned mindset and it requires a commitment to using a carrot rather than a stick. Find people doing things right," Baird suggests. Look for that person who is smiling at guests and recognize them for that immediately. Find the employee that has a great attitude and praise them in public so they know it was noticed."
Number 4 -- People dont change for the fun of it. Change takes effort and when employees are asked to make that effort, management must create positive situations along the way to make it more fun," Baird says. This will also make the effort seem easier."
Number 5 -- Reinforcement of great guest service is not limited to front-line managers. It needs to be done at all levels of management so it becomes part of the culture, Baird says.
Number 6 -- Because managers cant work 24 hours a day and observe employees at all times, create a third-party system for rewarding the new behaviors. Use mystery shoppers to get unbiased, useful observations of employees on the job," Baird notes.
These shoppers look for specific behaviors that were covered in the training. They then rate employees based on managements criteria."
Number 7 -- Shoppers create additional reinforcement. What they see is the real thing, not faked performance because a manager is nearby," Baird says. From this shopping, people have additional opportunities to be rewarded for doing the right thing."
Owned by Lydia and Martin Baird, Robinson & Associates, Inc., is a guest service consulting firm that provides specialty guest service training, management skills training, presentation skills training, team building programs and employee incentive and recognition programs for the gaming industry. The Bairds have a Web site, www.casinocustomerservice.com, thats devoted to helping casinos improve their guest service so they can compete and increase revenues. Robinson & Associates may be reached by contacting Lydia at 480-991-6421 or at lbaird@casinocustomerservice.com. Robinson & Associates is a member of the Casino Management Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.
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