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The following section is designed
to help you respond to issues that
may effect satisfaction ratings
from your guests.
A number of issues may affect
performance at the front desk.
Some important areas to inquire
about include: written task
procedures; task checklists; task
sequenced time schedules; staff
and department evaluation tools
that measure performance
regularly; also, ask yourself if
guest feedback is discussed and
made available with the staff.
These operational items directly
relate toward many guest service
issues.
The following recommendations
and questions are based on some
common issues and problems
regarding the department.
Check-in, guest reception and
service
If there are delays with the check-in
process, guest reception or
problems with guest service:
Are the reservations for arrivals
accurate? Discrepancies can cause
unnecessary delays.
Are the reservations taken by desk
agents or by a reservation
department? Are these staff members
trained to be familiar with room styles,
features and locations throughout the
property? Do guests receive detailed
information about their reservation, at
booking, in order to prevent changes at
check-in.?
If desk agents take reservations: are
there too many other duties, in addition
to performing check-ins and
check-outs, that could effect their
concentration while taking a
reservation? Such as: answering
switchboard phones; back office work;
manual posting of house charges
versus being interfaced with outlet
registers.
Do guest arrivals have their room
assignments pre-selected? Are
registration cards pre-printed,
organized and prepared for arrivals?
Are rooms being returned to the
system, cleaned, ready, and timely
from housekeeping?
Is the system to receive rooms back
from housekeeping sufficient? For
example: if rooms are called in only at
certain times, but some had been
ready, this can cause an insufficient
supply available on busy check-in
days.
How are predictable guest questions
(facility features or area attractions)
handled? Are there printed materials
provided to guests that may only
require a review or a staffed
information area away from the checkin
desk for busy times?
Have types of guest traffic been
reviewed to see which ones might
interfere with the front desk and thus
need to be handled in another
manner?
Desk employees who are trained to be
familiar with the local area as it relates
to the property and who are
knowledgeable regarding the entire
facility can help expedite the guest
contact time involved with check-ins.
How many minutes does a check-in
take, on average? Are you
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satisfied
that your check-in times are equal to or
better than your competition? If not,
please contact Business Partner
Services.
How are groups handled? What is the
impact on the desk of group check-ins?
Is there a possibility of pre-assigning
rooms off the rooming lists?
What amenities are made available to
guests who are waiting on line? Do you
offer juice, coffee, and cookies or do
anything to "distract" the guests?
Staff friendliness,
guest services issues
Are desk clerks trained to quickly
make eye contact and acknowledge
guests as they approach, even if to
only inform guests it will just be a few
moments?
Does the property have a standard
greeting and style it trains its employees
to follow?
Are there follow-up procedures for
when guests can't be immediately
assisted with a request, to prevent their
needs from being forgotten and their
feeling neglected?
Is a system in place for communicating
guest dissatisfaction, which could
address issues while the guest is at the
property? Training employees to share
personality clashes, or other issues
they may have with a guest, to a
supervisor or peer and getting them
involved can sometimes make a
difference.
Desk employees who are trained to be
familiar with the local area as it relates
to the property and who are
knowledgeable regarding the entire
facility can help provide a better quality
of guest service to the guest.
Check-out, guest departures, folio
charges
If there are delays with the checkout
process:
Is there a way to offer an express
checkout service to guests? If there is
one, how many guests are using it? Is
guest awareness an issue?
Are errors in guests' final bills often
causing correction time? What are the
causes of any common errors?
Do desk clerks have the guests review
charges and confirm their settlement
method prior to settling the accounts?
Corrections after a settlement can be
cumbersome and even escalate further
mistakes, causing more time to be lost.
Are there other sources for guests to
review their charges prior to going to the
front desk? How many minutes does a
check-out take, on average?
Review what type of guest traffic may
interfere with the front desk that could
be handled in another manner.
Are room rates and billing methods
quoted, verified and agreed upon at
check-in?
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