Mon, October 26, 2009
Like most people, I find Beijing’s service standards (or lack thereof) maddening. After half a dozen years in the restaurant industry, I still have to make a concerted effort to ignore the lack of staff efficiency, hospitality or give-a-d@#n factor in my dining encounters. The conundrum lies in how to encourage good service in a city where tipping is not standard. Please don’t get me started on the “service charge” levied by many places in town—that’s another blog/rant for another day. Additionally, the life experiences of most waitstaff—and I don’t mean the number of years working a job, but the opportunities they’ve had to receive first-class service—is rather limited. How do you teach someone the elements of good service if they’ve never experienced it for themselves? Though, I admit, these problems don’t keep me up at night, at a recent outing to the new Fizztastic brunch at the Wangfujing Hilton, I chatted with a man who wrestles with these issues on a daily basis: Hilton’s Director of Operations, Philippos Arghirides. We lamented over service standards, finding and retaining talented people and how Hilton invests in the future of its personnel. In a follow-up interview, Philippos listed some Hilton service philosophies, and the special programs currently running at the Wangfujing hotel:
On customer service:
“We believe that our guests should have a seamless and hassle free experience where ever they are, and that all our team members should be willing to assist in any way possible. Attitude and a smile are the cornerstones of all our team members and it’s something that can not be taught easily.”
The service industry in Beijing:
“The service industry has evolved dramatically in the main cities of China, and that is mainly due to the fast development of the country, the exposure and opening to the rest of the world, but most importantly because our guests/clients have become more exposed to different levels of service. Their expectations are higher and they are more demanding. But, I believe that, now days, there is a better balance in the equation of: service + product = price.”
Staff training:
“All our team members go through the same 3 day orientation program, Hilton identity, history and culture, safety and security, guest handling training and grooming standards. They are then placed in their respective outlets and undergo technical training (product knowledge) and service training (answering phones, making reservations, guest interactions). We also conduct extensive English training for all our Team Members.
Another initiative we have implemented as part of our training is the “Be our Guest” program. All our team members participating in this program stay over in our hotel’s rooms for 2 days. They have the chance to experience the journey that a guest will go through, from the check-in, the room and dinning venues to the spa and the check out. At the end they complete a report that is shared with all the department heads. In many cases we have received valuable comments and feedback that has improved the average guest’s stay.
Our latest “out of the box” initiative was the “YES” campaign, implemented in September. This campaign has been designed with our guests in mind and how each of us can help to improve their stay. It is a campaign targeting any problems the guest might have and how we can help to solve it by saying and acting in a “YES” way. Through the YES campaign our employees are empowered to take ownership and deliver better service. The campaign is divided in 4 steps: 1. See it: See the problem – issue 2. Own it: even if it is not within my department – jurisdiction I can do something about it 3. Solve it: I can always be of help, be personal and find solutions 4. Do it: Implement and act on the solution”
The steps the Hilton and other fine hotels and restaurants have made to improve the guest experience, while also investing in their employees training gives me hope for the future of Beijing’s service industry. I always receive great service at city stalwarts like Maison Boulud, Mosto and Aqua. Where have you received great service? Leave a comment at The Dish.
