Sponsored By Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software
Register your team and participate live, or view the recording, of Doug Kennedy’s next 40-minute training webcast scheduled for Friday, May 16, at Noon EDT. This webcast will be of interest to all hospitality staff, and being a “train-the-trainer” format, it is also beneficial to leaders.
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The word “epic” has found its place in the vernacular of our daily lives. It’s the name of a new Orlando theme park, an International ski pass, a company that produces popular video games, and another company that provides kids with digital access to books. It’s also a popular word used as an adjective, adverb, and noun, especially by younger generations.
In this webcast, Doug dives into an acronym he created from this word, and will share how the concepts of Empathy, Presence, Intuition, and Connection are foundational for creating truly memorable guest experiences, while also having a more fun and fulfilling work-life.
What many leaders call ‘soft skills’ are actually ‘heart skills,’ says Kennedy, and ‘heart failure’ is the leading cause of lost business! On the other hand, Kennedy explains, using these EPIC concepts to create meaningful micro-encounters is what matters most to guests. As automation continues to replace more and more “touch points” in the guest service cycle, each remaining encounter becomes that much more important. Best of all, Kennedy explains, Those wise enough to take these philosophies home at the end of the workday, just may find they are also the key to having a more fulfilling life. In this webcast, Doug will cover:
- Empathy can evolve through a better understanding of life across the desk, bar, or on the other side of a phone conversation, or email exchange. As opposed to the bad habit of “deanonymizing” guests, focus on re-humanizing them.
- Presence. Especially in today’s world where everyone is so connected to their devices, it’s harder than ever to be fully mentally present. Yet building a strong mental focus can be done, just as you would build muscles at the gym.
- Intuition. Traditional hospitality training always preaches anticipatory service, but intuition allows us to do more than hand over a bottle of cold water on a hot day; it allows us to instead “read” the guest’s emotions as well as physical needs.
- Connection. Many of us find that the best part of working in hospitality is meeting so many different types of people every day; we come to realize we are more alike than different. By looking for ways to connect on a humanistic level, we ensure that both parties to any “conversation” experience the reciprocal exchange of heartfelt hospitality.
Recordings of previous webcasts are available on KTN’s YouTube channel and are now also being distributed on your favorite podcast channel or on KTN’s Spotify channel.
Everyone who registers for this and all KTN webcasts receives a link to the recording, even if they cannot attend. The 40-minute format is perfect for “lunch and learns” or excerpts can be shared at staff meetings. The target audience is anyone who is interested in upskilling themselves or others, and the topic areas are broad enough to be relevant for all sectors of the lodging industry.
We are grateful to the generosity of our sponsors who have allowed us to offer complimentary admission, said Kennedy. It takes a lot of time to design, promote, and deliver these events, and so we would normally charge at least $99 registration per person, but this series is now completely free to all.
Sponsors include: Travel Outlook, the only KTN Certified call center, and Track Hospitality Software, a TravelNet Solution, whose products include a PMS and CRM. “
Complimentary registration can be accessed at www.KTNwebcast.com. Here are the additional topics scheduled so far.
Conquering Complaints, CONFIDENTLY
Friday, June 20 (Noon EDT)
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Join in as Doug Kennedy provides highlights from KTN’s brand new training workshop. We all know that it is ideal if the person who first receives a guest’s complaint can receive and resolve it. Forcing them to wait for a supervisor or manager often causes their frustration to grow, along with their expectations of compensation from someone higher up the org-chart. Yet without proper training, frontline staff may feel ill-prepared and unqualified, even if management has said they are “empowered” to do so.
Participants in this webcast will learn the root causes of guest complaints are situationally and emotionally based, and certainly not intended as a personal attack. Armed with a better understanding of their important role, easy-to-remember service recovery techniques, plus a few helpful hints borrowed from the field of psychology, your staff will gain the confidence needed for their important role.
This webcast covers:
- Why we should welcome guest complaints and recognize that they offer us a second chance.
- No, it’s not true that guests are getting more difficult. Rather, the automation of routine guest conversations has increased the likelihood that those who reach out to us humans are experiencing a problem or have a complaint.
- This incorrect perception is also caused by what psychologists call “Rosy Retrospection.”
- How to avoid commonly used “trigger words” and phrases that can cause guests to have a mental “spiral.”
- KTN’s Carrot Model for understanding the root cause of guest complaints, which reminds us of the often-missing part of traditional “service recovery” training.
- Yes, there are definitely some “guest bullies” out there, so this webcast also presents copying techniques such as using your “power of release” over negative guest encounters.
10 Practical Action Steps For Securing More Direct Voice Reservations
Monday, July 21 (Noon EDT)
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Despite predictions of its demise, the voice reservations channel is alive and well, and Doug will share ideas that frontline staff as well as revenue/marketing leaders can use to ensure you capture more than your “fair share.” For decades now, many have said, “Soon, no one will call anymore…” First was the emergence of OTA’s and smartphones, then the over-sold myth of homogenous “birth-year generations.” (Doug disproves this with data from McKinsey & Co.) Instead, guests’ motivation for calling is most affected by their travel story. The higher the rate, the longer the stay, the more people traveling, and the more emotionally engaged they are with travel plans, the more likely they are to call.
Smart leaders recognize that direct bookings save costly OTA commissions, enable upselling and cross-selling of amenities and activities, and allow you to “own” the relationship.
Join us as Doug shares ideas based on KTN’s unique opportunity to listen in to a diversity of real-world recordings of reservations calls every day as part of its remote call scoring assessment service such as:
Suggestions for Revenue, Distribution, and Marketing Leaders:
- How to audit your website and “top of funnel” factors that encourage voice bookings. Plus, how to document and prove the interplay of voice and online channels.
- Train your team that phone calls are opportunities, not interruptions to the “admin” type of work that falls on most reservations teams these days.
- Midscale, branded hotels, this one’s for you too! A surprising number of potential guests still call.
Training Tips for Those Answering Calls:
- How to turn calls appearing to simply be “quick questions” into qualified voice leads.
- Better understanding the needs of today’s overwhelmed, confused callers and your role in them deciding “this” is the right property and “now” is the best time to book!
- How to use updated versions of traditional probing questions.
- Closing techniques for a variety of call conversations and overcoming barriers to booking now.
For additional details, contact KTN at [email protected] or by phone (01) 954.533.9130 www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com
About Kennedy Training Network Inc.
KTN is the lodging and hospitality industry’s best source for hotel training programs and supportive services in topic areas of hotel sales, catering/event sales, hotel reservations sales, and hospitality & guest service excellence. KTN President Doug Kennedy has been a fixture on the lodging and tourism conference speaking circuit for decades. Hoteliers worldwide read his monthly hotel, tourism and hospitality industry sales training articles in this publication and elsewhere. Visit www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com or call (01) 954-533-9130.
Doug Kennedy
Kennedy Training Network (KTN)
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