Casino Training That Doesn’t Work – 5 Ways to Ruin Casino Employee Training Announced By Robinson & Associates, Inc.
Boise, Idaho (PRWEB) November 07, 2013 -- Quality casino training helps employees do a better job, but some gaming properties seem to go out of their way to make sure the training doesn’t work. Robinson & Associates, Inc., today announced five ways casinos can make sure their training fails.
"Every casino needs to do employee training, especially for customer service," said Martin R. Baird, chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, a casino consulting firm to the global gaming industry. "But when arranging the training, some casinos make serious mistakes that all but assure it will flop, leaving employees no better off."
Baird identified and announced five missteps that seriously hamper the effectiveness of casino training.
Use An Inept Trainer. Some casinos fail in training before they even start because they choose a trainer who can’t get the job done, Baird said.
"The quality of the trainer is the key to everything," Baird explained. "A trainer who is an outstanding facilitator and who understands the gaming industry is very likely to provide useful information in a way that benefits employees. I strongly recommend that casinos select trainers the same way they choose entertainers – make prospective trainers audition."
Make It Boring. Casino training should never, ever be boring because that simply doesn’t work, Baird said.
"I’m amazed at how many casino employees tell me they are surprised and pleased that our company’s training is fun and interesting," Baird noted. "That tells me something important. Their prior training was dull. Maybe that’s why they had to go through training again."
Boring training is a waste of time and money, Baird said. "The information could be excellent, but if it isn’t delivered in a way that keeps employees engaged, it won’t sink in," Baird said. "When that happens, staff members return to their jobs and continue doing things the way they always have, mistakes and all. Thus, the training was a waste of the casino’s money and the employees’ time."
Schedule Sessions of the Wrong Duration. The length of the training session can make all the difference, Baird said.
"Some people think training should be done in eight-hour increments to match the workday," Baird pointed out. "But a workday and a training day are two very different animals. You should base the length of the training on what you want people to learn, not on what is simple for the payroll department.
"Problems can also arise from a session that’s too short. If you try to cover three hours of material in two hours, you’re wasting everyone’s time. It can take 45 minutes to an hour for a group to get warmed up and start taking part in the training. If that only leaves an hour to cover the material, you could end up accomplishing absolutely nothing."
Lecture Instead of Facilitating Learning. Casinos need to stop putting the facilitator behind a lectern where he simply drones on, putting everyone to sleep, Baird said.
"Adult learning needs to be participant centered," Baird noted. "It should be active so participants experience the learning process using all their senses. Studies have shown that as a person uses more and more of their senses during a learning experience, their retention level increases. Think about how we learned as children. We touched, smelled, looked at, listened to and tasted everything. All of these activities increase the amount of data that the participant’s brain stores for future use."
Don’t Commit to the Training. Training will not work if senior management doesn’t back it 100 percent, Baird said.
"For training to be successful, employees must understand beyond any doubt that management is serious about it," Baird said. "A casino’s management must be totally committed to creating a guest service culture at their property.
"When the general manager participates in the training along with hourly employees, it sends a powerful message to everyone that this is important. When each person from the management team participates, word gets out that this is a mission, not a one-time event."
About Robinson & Associates, Inc.
Martin R. Baird is a casino consultant and chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc. For 20 years, Robinson & Associates has been dedicated to helping casinos improve their guest service so they can compete and generate future growth and profitability. A Boise, Idaho-based casino consulting firm to the global gaming industry, Robinson & Associates is the world leader in casino guest experience measurement, management and improvement. Recently, it announced Simply Share, a real-time customer feedback platform that makes it fast and easy for casino customers to share their experience directly with casinos instead of posting comments online at social media sites.
For more information, visit the company’s Web site at http://casinocustomerservice.com/train_info.htm or contact Lydia Baird, director of business development, at 208-991-2037 or lbaird(at)raresults(dot)com. Read about a variety of topics at Martin Baird’s blog at http://casinocustomerservice.com/casino_news.htm/, including casino-related articles, casino customer service training, mystery shopping, casino reputation measurement, casino training, service gap analysis and more. Robinson & Associates is a member of the Casino Management Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.
Tom Ellis, Ellis Communications, Inc., http://www.elliscommunications.com, +1 (417) 881-5635, [email protected]
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