Service Culture Matters Even More in a Downturn

How does an organization create a successful service culture? Read on to find out what the combination of hiring the right people and then training, empowering & supporting them can do for a business.

“The Great Resignation” and Its Impact on Customer Service

Everywhere you go these days there are signs of “The Great Resignation.” I have seen actual physical signs that read something like this: “We are short staffed. Please be patient with the staff that did show up.” And then there are the less obvious signs like absurdly long waits, poor problem resolution and just generally bad customer service.

Just last week, my husband and I stopped into a local restaurant on a date night. In the entryway, there stood a crowd of people waiting to put their name in. We watched as server after server passed by us, looked at the crowd, and just kept on walking. Eventually, someone came to take names, but she only took information from the first group of people waiting and then left again. We ended up walking out to find a different place to eat. This experience is not unique. Places everywhere seem to be struggling.

Organizations Need to Re-Evaluate Their Culture

When I recently purchased my son’s birthday balloons at a party store, the order was lost. Luckily, I had come back into the store to get something else and stopped at the desk to reconfirm the details, or I may never have known until the day of the party. While there, I went so far as to write everything down for them and told the person helping me that it was important the order wasn’t lost again. Lo and behold, on the day of the party, the balloons didn’t arrive.

I called the store for help and was placed on hold for a long time. I hung up and called back twice with no answer. Finally, when I did get a person on the line, she almost implied the issue was my fault. Experiencing poor service like this makes me think how organizations might miss out on a huge opportunity right now to re-evaluate their culture and push for a focus on service.

Personal Experience Fuels the Drive for a Service Culture

Let me share a story. In August of 2008, I was hired as the new Front Office Manager at the Sheraton Louisville Riverside Hotel, a former Ramada Inn located just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Soon after I started, in the fall of 2008, the housing bubble burst, and the stock market crashed. With the financial crisis, hotel occupancy rates fell dramatically, and corporate travel managers sought to renegotiate their contracts to include more concessions for their travelers (things like breakfast included, complimentary late checkout or business center services, etc.). It wasn’t long until our hotel was forced to lay people off. Managers worked shifts in every department, and we faced the bare minimum in staffing levels. Things looked bleak, and I was thankful to have a job. Still, I was excited to have my own department to lead, and I was determined to be the best manager I could possibly be.

In 2008, Jeffersonville, Indiana was known to as “the sunny side of Louisville”— not even its own little spot, but more an extension of its big brother city across the river. Our Sheraton didn’t offer valet parking or in-room dining options like some of the fancier hotels across the bridge, and we still charged for breakfast and Wi-Fi! It was ok, but it was the people inside that made our hotel special. Our GM Shawn and HR Director Tanya were like the mom and dad of our team. Tanya was committed to providing consistent brand training, and Shawn managed with an “ask for forgiveness” style, giving the Front Office the empowerment needed to solve problems as they arose. He didn’t take things too seriously and kept a light atmosphere at work, which was balanced with Tanya’s ensuring that everyone was “on brand.” Early in my tenure, Shawn reminded me that the employees in my department didn’t work for me; in reality, I worked for them. He said, “as long as they’re happy, they’ll keep the guests happy—and you’re doing your job.” That stayed with me to this day. He basically gave me the blueprint for being a great manager. Support your team, and success will follow. With Shawn’s blessing and Tanya’s hiring guidance, I went to work to give the best possible experience to each of our employees and every guest that walked through the doors.

In 2009, just one year later, we received recognition from Starwood Hotels & Resorts for having the highest overall guest satisfaction scores of any Sheraton in North America. The scores came directly from guests who completed online surveys after their stay about their experience at our hotel. We beat out much more upscale properties with much nicer amenities. I was beyond proud of what our team had accomplished in the face of a recession, with the lowest possible staffing levels; not only did it give us bragging rights, but it became a great selling point as well. Our service became something that the Sales team could leverage and that was key to our future success.

How to Achieve Service Culture Success, Even in Difficult Times

So, how did we do it? It was a combination of hiring the right people and training, empowering, and supporting them. Here are a few ways that we did those things:

It Starts at the Top:

Every leader in the hotel talked the talk and walked the walk. They led by example, supporting each other and the crew. With Managers working shifts, we were in the trenches with our team and that helped to build camaraderie.

Hire the Right People:

We hired positive attitudes over experience and worked to train those who needed a little more guidance.

Training:

Not only did HR provide consistent brand training, but we utilized unique training methods (i.e., role playing scenarios) to make sure everyone was comfortable and knew how to handle things.

Empowerment:

We felt empowered to resolve issues and were given the tools to do so.

Communication:

Shift exchange meetings and problem documentation were key to making sure nothing got lost in translation.

Work Hard/Play Hard:

We celebrated our successes and found ways to create more perks. For example, we built relationships with local restaurants who hosted us for dinner so we would be more knowledgeable and able to recommend them.

Rewarding Our Team:

We created a rewards program to encourage staff to go above and beyond.

Supporting Internal Customers:

We supported cross-training as well as team members’ goals outside the hotel.

Fun During Our Shift:

We kept things professional, but we didn’t forget to have fun on shift.

Service Culture:

Every employee understood how they could create the best experience for guests, and they did so consistently. Our team bought in and wanted to give the best because they felt supported. They personalized the guest experience and made each guest feel at home.

The Sheraton will always have a special place in my heart because of the people I worked with and their commitment to service. It isn’t the building—it’s the people inside it that can make the difference. It’s never too late to create a better culture in your organization, and there are so many benefits to be reaped from doing so, especially when strong customer service is being overlooked all around. For more on Service Culture, consider taking our new course, Creating a Service Culture: Developing a Service-Oriented Organization. The course outlines how to clearly define what great customer service means for your organization and will give you the tools to ensure that it is performed consistently.

Nina Weierman is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, freelance writer and mother. She also writes about running, parenting and travel. Read the other blog posts she has written for us here.

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