Mr. Walner

Human Resources, Recruitment & Training

Hiring for Service with A Smile

By Doug Walner, President & CEO, Psychological Services, Inc.

Customer service positions are often the first point of contact for guests and can make or break their experience at your hotel. If a guest is not treated well, a return visit to that hotel is unlikely. That, in turn, impacts reservations, sales, and even the hotel's reputation. Once negative word of mouth starts to spread, it has a ripple effect that can cause serious - and lasting - repercussions for the entire organization.

Hiring the wrong customer service employees can become a public relations nightmare when a frustrated hotel guest complains about an experience or tells friends about it. The Internet compounds the effects of negative word of mouth. A quick Google search will pull up reviews of nearly every hotel, restaurant or travel destination in the world. And some websites are dedicated to helping customers spread the word about their experiences. For example, popular websites such as planetfeedback.com or yelp.com post customers' comments from on their experience with a variety of industries - this is positive or negative feedback to which anyone online has access.

What types of stories are posted on these sites? Here's a quick sample:

"I recently stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites for a wedding. When we arrived, we were greeted by unfriendly, annoyed staff members at the front desk greeted that insisted we reserved a smoking room when I specifically requested a non smoking room for health reasons... considering the fact that not only your staff was incredibly rude (arguing with me and telling me that I REQUESTED a smoking room), the overpriced rooms were as nice as a truck stop motel. You might want to address the situation to save your reputation. There were many people from the wedding that had other complaints such as rude staff and requests that were made that were not met. 100% satisfaction guarantee - that's a joke!!" - Ann P.

Conversely, positive word of mouth can have an equally dynamic effect - and this is also directly related to the quality of customer service representatives on staff. Here, a couple comments from satisfied customers:

"My family and I just spent the last week in your beautiful hotel in San Francisco. We wanted to drop a quick note to let you know what a stellar staff you have, in particular Albert at the bell desk. While the entire staff was friendly and welcoming, Albert went out of his way to make us feel at home. By taking the time to answer our questions, recommend travel routes and even fixing a small problem with the room registrations, he really made our stay something special. In our future travels, we look forward to enjoying your hotel again. Thank you so much!" - Lucy E.

"Last month, I booked a stay at the Holiday Inn Select in St. Louis. Holiday Inn has always provided adequate for me, so I knew that I'd at least get a clean room and comfortable bed. This particular Holiday Inn surpassed all of my expectations. Staff was friendly and helpful. The hotel itself was spotless, with a beautiful indoor pool. We checked in on Easter Sunday, when most restaurants were closed. However, the Holiday Inn room service provided an excellent menu, delicious food, and timely and courteous service - our "waiter" went so far as to give us an extra brownie and scoop of ice cream for desert. Holiday Inn Select St. Louis was just a great place to stay. Great staff and great experience! Thanks! We will return again... - Melissa P

As these comments attest, the guests' overall experience had much to do with how they were treated by hotel staff. Albert at the bell desk left a lasting impression, so much so that they felt compelled to write about it and post it online. They didn't mention the cleanliness of the rooms, or any of the hotel's amenities. It was the service that left the biggest impression.

When there is a large amount of turnover in service positions, there is a learning curve that takes place. The newer hires are not always quick to learn their duties and responsibilities, and guests often bear the brunt of that inexperience. When those guests are paying substantial rates for their rooms, they expect to be treated well and not have to educate the hotel staff on what they should be doing. Their expectations are key. And, if they're not met, they won't return. Hence, the importance of hiring quality employees for service positions -- employees who are dedicated, motivated and are good bets to stay on in their jobs.

Unfortunately, in this fast-paced industry many hiring managers have neither the training nor the time to adequately interview job applicants. The turnover rate for service positions in the Leisure and Hospitality sector is high - 52.2% -- up nearly 6 percent from last year and second only to the Accommodation and Food Services sector. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it: pre-hire assessment testing can improve your hiring odds for employees that are service-orientated, to ensure a pleasurable experience for your guests and maintain that great reputation.

No one can guarantee that the people you hire will remain with your organization for the long term, but the odds for longevity are greatly improved if you employ a more systematic approach to interviewing, testing and evaluating candidates. The "stars" will rise to the top, leaving the more risky hires in their wake.

Finding the Best

In the service industry, exceptional employees require strong communication, problem-solving and numerical skills, along with subtler attitudes and traits that are crucial to their success - and to company's reputation.

For concierge services, characteristics such as service orientation, the ability to work well with others, trustworthiness with company resources and information, dependability and reliability are important. Identifying job candidates who exhibit these traits is all part of the process. But how does one identify star performers in important areas, weed out poor candidates and determine who is ultimately best suited for service-oriented jobs?

An increasing number of employers - in many industries - are turning to pre-employment assessment testing to help accurately establish the true value of job candidates. Assessment tests provide an in-depth view of a candidate, uncovering characteristics not easily seen during other hiring processes. For example, an employer may want to hire a candidate who not only has strong problem solving and organization skills, but who also works well under pressure - qualities difficult to detect during a job interview, when a candidate is more likely to exaggerate his or her abilities. These neutral, third-party assessments help identify candidates who possess the skills and attitudes that are vital to success, while quickly eliminating those who are unqualified.

Assessments for customer service positions typically focus on several fundamental abilities and work attitudes. These include getting along with others, perceptual ability, language skills, problem solving, following written directions, and visual speed and accuracy.

For its hotel and hospitality clients, PSI recommends an industry-specific battery of assessment tests that comprise a Customer Service Battery; a Basic Skills Test; and PSI's proprietary attitude assessment test, ViewPoint. ViewpointTM, covering four primary areas (Work, Service, Sales and Tenure), identifies applicants who are reliable, dependable, and trustworthy, thrive in a fast-paced work environment, and remain even-tempered in high-pressure situations.

While such tests are not typically the sole source of information, they often provide reliable and valid information and serve as a useful tool for eliminating sub-par candidates.

Companies -- especially those in the hotel and hospitality industry whose success is so closely related to guests (experience) -- need to make a conscious, informed decision about how they plan to run the hiring process and even more so when hiring employees interact directly with the customer in service positions. Pre-employment screening - in the end - provides a better return on investment, a more solid foundation for the operation as a whole, and will help keep those nightmare applicants out of your organization.

Doug Walner drives the goals and day-to-day operations of PSI. With nearly fifteen years of experience and expertise in the technology sector, Walner was appointed President in 2002 and CEO of PSI in 2005. Under his leadership, PSI has developed and introduced ATLAS™, a technology platform which provides comprehensive examination administration services, and web-based pre-employment selection products and management assessment tools. PSI has experienced revenue and profitability growth during his tenure. Walner received his Bachelor or Arts degree in History from Tulane University. Mr. Walner can be contacted at 818-847-6180 or doug@psionline.com Extended Bio...

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