Hospitality Back-of-House Conversations

 When it comes to customer service, most of the attention is focused on the customer, and rightly so. Conversations with customers are at the heart of creating happy loyal customers.

Key communication suggestions for customer satisfaction

1. Be customer-focused even with irate customers. This can be especially challenging if faced with an unhappy customer or if you’ve just had a run-in with a colleague. So, take a moment to pause, breathe, and get curious: What does the customer need? How might you let them know you see, hear, and understand them. What can you do to support them in this moment and the future?
2. Listen and ask generative questions to help shift the tone and direction of the conversation. Ask questions that help you make the invisible visible (like what happened and what do they need), create shared understanding, and invite them to help you inspire possibilities for resolution.
3. Talk about what’s important to the customer; focus on solutions and satisfaction.

Leadership and Team Conversations Also Matter

Not as much attention is paid to the conversations that go on between employees and managers. These conversations often prime employees to be either open and best prepared to meet even the most irascible customers…or not. For the best customer service, make sure the front and back of house are engaging in conversations worth having!

Whether you are a manager or not, every interaction you have with your colleagues either primes them for positivity, leadership, and great customer service or triggers defensiveness, shame, and blocks their ability to connect with customers.

Think of your words as messengers that influence

the biochemistry of the nervous system.

Words and conversations that communicate others are valued, respected, safe, and belong fuel the brain with neurotransmitters and hormones that give people access to emotional intelligence, the ability to connect, to be creative, and to use critical thinking skills, which is exactly what they need when dealing with an unhappy customer.

This doesn’t mean ignoring problems, overlooking errors, or dismissing poor quality work. It simply means addressing these kinds of situations from a place of curiosity, positive relationship growth, learning, and opportunity (within the organization or elsewhere).

As with customers,

first pause, then breathe, and get curious.  

Ask generative questions and focus on the desired outcome. Here are a few examples,

• You catch an employee sleeping on a couch in the lobby when they are supposed to be working.
  • Are you okay?
  • What’s going on that you’re so tired? Depending upon the answer, the conversation might proceed in different directions.
    • My newborn kept me up all night last night. Do you need to take a personal day? Maybe you can rest during your breaks/lunch; where might be the best place for you to do that? Do you and your partner need any support with newborn care?
    • I don’t know why I’m so tired; I wonder if I’m sick. Do you need to take a sick day? Do you have other symptoms? When was the last time your saw your doctor?
    • I didn’t mean to fall asleep; I’m so sorry. What might you do the next time you’re on break and tired? Where else, besides the customer area, might you rest?
  • Front desk employee keeps making the same mistake over and over.
    
    • How exactly do you perform this particular activity; what is your thought process as you do it?
    • Would it be helpful to hear how I used to perform this operation, how I thought about it and did it?
    • What might you do to change your thinking and process so that this step is done correctly?
    • Would it be helpful to go back a repeat the training module for this activity?
  • One of your colleagues is very competitive, puts you down, and always finds fault with you.
    • When is a good time for us to talk?
    • Would you be willing to figure out how we might have a more collaborative working relationship, one where we support and encourage one another?
    • If we had a really good working relationship where we both felt collaborative and mutually respected and supported, what would that look like? How would it show up in our interactions? Conversations? What would I do? What would you do?
    • What do I currently do that feels supportive and collaborative to you?
    • What else might I do so you feel more supported and like we’re in this together serving the customers?

To learn more about fostering conversations among employees, download our free Conversation Toolkit and consider attending our fall Conversation Bootcamp (available in Spanish) or reading Conversations Worth Having (Spanish translation Conversaciónes due transforman). A fun way to teach employees how to ask generative questions that support a culture of positivity and possibility is to play Shift This! with them.

When employees feel safe, positive, and valued they are primed to provide excellent customer service. Conversations make all the difference!

By Cheri Torres, PhD. As a customer, I can usually tell if the “back of house” has their employees and customer service personnel’s back. In addition to offering great customer service, there is a confidence that shows—the kind of confidence that says my colleagues believe in and empower me to serve you best. That makes me a loyal customer!

Photo credit Unsplash.com crew-szCvt1gP2d4-unsplash

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