“Operating without a Book of Rules!”
Efficient Management in Hospitality depends heavily on laid down Operating Procedures. Detailed guidelines approved by Management and at times the owners, result in Consistent, Uniform, Efficient and profitable Hotel ventures. These are Procedures easily accessible by relevant staff for guidance and uniform delivery of Service. The bigger beneficiaries of laid down Procedures are hotels that are not affiliated to recognized Hotelier Ing Companies.
Although being guided by competently installed Procedures is beneficial in any enterprise; it is an asset in the case of the Hotel and hospitality Industry. The high turnover of staff and being 24/7 with 365 day operations, constant guidance by owner/ operator is only possible with employee having easy access to written approved Policy & Procedures.
Problems however arise when Owners and Operators do not realize the importance of this serious aspect of Managing. This article is intended to emphasize with managements, the necessity to introduce practical procedures in their operations. The common belief is that Policies and Procedures are meant for only the higher decisions and decision makers at that level. However, by laying down guidelines / procedures even in sub sections of a department the management process becomes easier eg. The credit policy of the hotel; the Method of formulating a Hotels Sales & Marketing Plan etc.
By installing Operating Procedures each individual Hotel creates for itself an Identity, a Culture and a Brand that is unique. A continued perception of high-quality service by guests and customers due to the Uniformity and Consistency is often attributed to the comprehensive Procedures being in place. Other benefits when competent procedures are established in a hotel are a/ standardized services b/. empowering employees – building the required confidence c/. providing management, the training material for repetitive training d/. relieving management of mundane day to day problems, and e/eliminating or minimizing corrupt and wasteful practices
THE GUEST PERCEPTION and EFFECT ON BUSINESS.
That a hotel’s competitive edge is dependent most on its quality of service is indisputable. This much debated ‘quality’ arises from many things that a guest perceives to be not only happy with, but to be delighted with as an experience.
Research reveals that a majority of guests look for the following service attributes when it comes to selection and choice. In order, they may be listed as Recognition; Speed of service delivery; empowered confident staff providing efficient and courteous responses; durable standards, and uniformity.
Not surprisingly, these offerings take precedence over other choice factors that influence selection, such a cleanliness, food quality, attractive plant etc., other than of course, location. With the exception of Location, all other choice factors and operations need to be guided by Operating Procedures. The standardization and uniformity thus achieved leads to an automatic Branding of the property which is invaluable in attracting repeat business and Image Building. A reputation of quality contributes heavily to the success of Sales, Marketing and Profitability of the Hotel.
EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT
Employee satisfaction and contentment stems from the standard guidelines being available to them. These empower them to make decisions eliminating the need to seek Managerial permission for almost everything that causes service delays and frustration on the part of the employee and the customer. Employee confidence when written approved procedures are available, often in the form Departmental Manuals, reduces staff turnover and improves employee confidence not only in the performance of duties but also on the workplace. Indecision and
In the absence of Operating Procedures and Manuals, indecision at all levels results in poor service quality staff discontentment. Hotels the world over suffer relatively high turnover of staff
requiring the recruitment of persons from different cultures and systems. This often results in ‘a clash of cultures’ effecting the overall performance of a hotel. Availability of written comprehensive procedures, eliminates such situations by using the Procedures as TRAINING MATERIAL wherever relevant.
TRAINING & TRAINING MATERIAL.
Hotels spend large amounts of money on Training, even retaining outside trainers. Results however are not observed the way Managements expect. The Operating Manuals or Procedures which are the guidelines laid down by management constitute a large portion of the training material. In fact, if developed by a competent person or group these become training material indigenous to the particular hotel and therefore far more effective when used at repetitive training sessions. These would convey directly the way Management expect performance.
These are readily available training material for use by operational Departments not only helpful in single departments, but in cross training of the Hotels Policies applicable to all employees (e.g. cleanliness standards). Thereby the knowledge and competencies of employees at all levels would be enhanced to perform with professional finesse. This then becomes another contributor to the Image of the Hotel resulting in gaining popularity as a hotel that has highly skilled and trained staff.
SOFT SKILLS.
A common pitfall is that Managements tend to avoid certain functions in the different departments assuming their functions are well known and need not be recorded to be guided along. In an efficient Hotel almost, all processes are done according to Procedure. One area which is hardly considered is Procedures for
Soft Skills.
Soft Skills that affect performance too are ideally included in Procedures. Courtesy, Grooming, Reliability and even telephone etiquette could be guided by
Procedures in order to provide Uniformity and Consistency.
All Procedures however need to be reviewed periodically, lest they get outdated and irrelevant.
This writer is Chandra MOHOTTI who is The Managing Director of the Commonwealth Hotels Association and a Private Hospitality Consultant can be contacted on LinkedIn & chandramohotti@gmail.com. This writer is credited with having established comprehensive procedures in hospitality organizations.
Need for Procedures – Introduction (CM 08/14) CM/ 20/23
