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An increasingly 'open all hours' culture, on top of the already hectic schedule that's part and parcel of working in hospitality, means that some teams are finding it a challenge to make time for the traditional pre-shift briefing. But, could letting your team briefing slide have an adverse effect on your product and service quality?
In our opinion, regular team briefings are essential to ensure continuity of service and consistent teamwork amongst both front and back of house staff. Bringing everyone together in the same place, at the same time, means you can ensure your whole team are aware of and focused on key objectives for the shift ahead.
However, the team briefing doesn't necessarily have to occur before the shift. Natural lulls in pace at certain periods of the day could be a good opportunity to conduct mini-briefings with team members – even just five minutes can make all the difference.
Think of a briefing as a team pep talk. The right words at the right time can pull everyone back together, reminding them of the pace, atmosphere and communication specifications that are the trademarks of your guest experience. In order to ensure consistent quality, the whole team has to be on the same page, particularly if there are unexpected menu changes, dietary requirements or trading targets for the day. Without clear communication to all members of the team, you can run the risk of different members of staff telling guests different things, creating an impression of disorganisation and confusion.
It's important to be aware that if you're squeezing in team briefings where possible, you ensure they don't have a negative impact on your guests. It's all too easy for a guest to feel neglected if there is a lack of staff on the floor or nobody to greet them on arrival. Our research has revealed that there's not much that frustrates guests more than feeling ignored or invisible.
Team cohesiveness ensures consistent quality - though making this happen involves an investment of time and energy on your part. But when you see the effect it has on your guests, and the loyalty consistent quality inspires, the positive impact on your business will be clear.
