Kim Bechtel is changing the world… one workplace at a time!

Great to be Part of Questus Hospitality

I am really pleased to have been invited by Corey to be part of the Questus Hospitality blogosphere. Corey has a unique vision regarding the hospitality sector and recruitment; and he has the drive and the determination to see his vision become widely adopted in that sector.

And, boy, can the hospitality sector use some help.

My first experience with the hospitality sector, other than waiters in taverns in Alberta in the 1970’s (don’t get me started there) came when I was invited by some colleagues in the Alberta government to review and comment on their investment in ‘competencies’ and ‘competency based training’ for the hospitality sector in Alberta. The concept was to provide certification for people who were, or wanted to become, servers, chefs, greeters, etc. It was believed that, by training someone to know the correct table settings, menu presentation, guest relations skills, we would enhance the customer experience in restaurants across Alberta. Yikes.

I don’t know if you have been in a restaurant in Alberta lately, but I have and my customer experience sucked. So much for twenty years of investment in competencies!

I was very pleased to hear from Corey that the hospitality sector has largely avoided the education obsession of most employers today. He tells me that experience is the key to moving up the ladder in the hospitality sector, and that talent is really the critical element to someone’s successful experience in this sector. That said, the restaurants and hotels that I have been in lately could use some very real help in hiring people with customer service talent, not customer service experience.

Here’s what I mean. I complain to a server or a front desk person and I watch with dismay as they mentally reach into their customer service training for the appropriate script to use to deflect or deflate my concern. “I’m very sorry to hear that you have had that happen.” They say, while clearly they’re only sorry because they have to take time from the very important task or document that they were engaged with when I interrupted them. No eye contact, no energy in their voice and very little warmth or concern to be found in their facial expression. And no offering of any help! Only excuses, like, “the kitchen is slow today” or “we’re short staffed today” or “I’m only new here”, accompanied by bland, disinterested or downright sullen body language.

The only criteria that should be the basis for all hiring in the hospitality sector is the talent for hospitality. Marcus Buckingham defines a talent as something you are really good at that you love doing. Someone with a talent for hospitality makes you feel as if you are at the centre of their universe. An example of someone with that talent is Tom with Enterprise Rent a Car in Lethbridge, Alberta, who had been assigned temporarily to their Okotoks, Alberta office. Senior management had left Tom with no cars and lots of customers, me included. I waited two hours for a car to arrive that I had booked five days earlier. Tom was doing the best he could with the inventory, but more importantly he kept me informed of what he was doing. When the car eventually showed up Tom offered a couple of perks to me for waiting, but what he said was what really helped. “I have been a customer and I know what it’s like to have something like this happen, and I just wanted to say I was sorry for your experience.” But what really made me want to be a customer of Enterprise in the future was that I knew he meant it, that he was the kind of person who really hated to have people have a bad service experience.

Hire for hospitality talent, someone who would tackle you before they would let you leave their home feeling unwelcome and unhappy. Then put them in front of your customers and watch them grow your business.

Kim Bechtel – Chief Idea Officer & CEO
http://www.yourhrco.com/
kim.bechtel@yourhrco.com
LinkedIn – http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/kim-bechtel/4/a78/80a