The hospitality industry is constantly striving to increase dwell time and spend per head. From upselling techniques to optimised floor plans to discounts and offers, there are many avenues to consider when aiming to maximise your profits. However, our latest research highlights one area in particular that offers real opportunity but perhaps deserves greater attention.
Our survey revealed that an overwhelming 96% of diners believe that effectively trained staff have an impact on the amount they were likely to spend while eating out, indicating a substantial opportunity for hospitality operators to increase sales through more effective training. More than half of respondents stated that they would have increased their spending on roughly a quarter of occasions had the staff been better trained, whilst a third would have spent more on approximately half their visits.
This news is likely to be of particular importance to those businesses with Gen X amongst their key demographic, with guests aged between 46 and 55 the most likely to be influenced by effectively trained staff. Independent restaurants seem to be ahead of the curve in terms of training, with 35% of diners believing that they have the best trained staff.
Chain restaurants came in second with 27% of the votes, followed by hotel restaurants with 22%. When it comes to bars and wet-led pubs, guests believe there is still some way to go – only 6% believed these establishments have the most effectively trained staff.
When it comes to the area of service that guests feel need the most improvement, the majority of respondents stated ‘communication style’. 39% stated this needed improvement in chain restaurants, 25% in hotel restaurants, 36% in wet-led pubs and 40% in fast food restaurants. However, 'speed of service' was also highly rated.
Overall, diners chose 'efficiency of service', 'knowledge of the menu' and 'communication style' as the clearest indicators that staff were well-trained. Additionally, 'knowledge of allergens', 'personalisation of service' and 'overall confidence and ability to gauge individual experience' were also highly rated.
Learning should happen at 3 main points relative to a guest experience:
(i) Before the experience – preparing team members for how to behave, what processes to follow
(ii) During the experience – by encouraging team members to be observant and learn from body language and interactions
(iii) After the experience – by reflecting on detailed reports of a guest’s experience.
A Learning Management System and tailored training content can be invaluable in helping you to deliver and track effective learning whilst promoting the values and behaviours that are important to your brand. The result should be that the guest notices when people have been effectively trained and that you don’t miss out on potential revenue.
