Communication Tips Every Guest Service contact associates should master in 2021

In this Article - Sharmila will be giving communication tips for the front office team in the hospitality industry. As a guest contact point, every professional in the hospitality industry or guest contact point should be an expert in communications.

I want to start with the first communication tips and the first would be communication at the moment the guest enters the hotel.

how do you greet the guest now when a guest enters the hotel his luggage is taken care of and the first thing he does is that he walks towards the front of his desk. This is the point where you have to be very careful to make eye contact.

We have seen from my own experience 90 percent of the time the person who attends the guest is looking at his computer screen, which is the biggest blunder. hotel Front office associates should give a break and look up, give a smile, and greet the guest.

The second communication tips for the hospitality Front office staff is to come out of their counter and come and stand next to the guest. The front office associate should know the name of the guest and try to use the surname of the guest with the correct title.

Now, this is a very very important communication tool, when the moment you use the surname and the title, it gives a personal touch. It leads to personal engagement and you will see how nicely the guest will reciprocate.

there is the third point now instead of asking the guest to do the check-in formality straight away you can give him an unexpected offer and what is that offer you tell the guest come let's go to the restaurant and have a cup of coffee or why don't you order something and have something to eat. And on the side. we will do your signing for the check-in formality, believe me, this will work wonders in uh big cities and five-star hotels normally they have started doing this but in tier two cities it matters a lot.

The third thing in communication tips is that you should remember is how friendly you get with the guest it is very important that you don't get over-friendly and you don't be very straight and curt because both the extremes will not lead to a very pleasing situation

You have to maintain a balance now you start talking to the guest and then comes another very crucial communication point, which one has to remember your tone of talking.

Front office staff need to maintain a balance in tone, It should not be very high pitched, it should not be very loud, it should not be shrill. Staff have to be soft gentle pleasing, something which is music to the ears of the guest.

The next communication tips that comes is that hotel staff, should know your product (your property) very well.

if you're ignorant you will not be confident and confidence is something which is very important for good communication. If the guest asks you something you should have it on your tips about every nook and corner of your property, about the services of your property, about the facilities in your property.

You cannot give the excuse like ah "i just joined three days back and i don't know"

Apart from Property, Staff should know the location and the city of your hotel very well. This is very crucial and very important again why, because if the guest comes and tells you that i'm coming to the city for the first time. If the guest asks, can you tell me if is there a decent coffee shop nearby?.

Staff cannot say, that oh i'm not from this city and i really don't know and i will check with my colleague. Even if you have joined the office a day before, it was your duty, to first find out where you are located you should be the GPS for your guest. Guests should not be looking at any map, and hotel staff should be the GPS.

Communication tips - How do you work on maintaining on having a good tone for?

there is a very very nice and simple rule, you go to your corner and be by yourself and record your conversation.

Ask a question to yourself and give an answer and record it. First few recordings you do audio for your voice modulation and then in the next or recordings you do video and then you see how good you're looking.

How balanced is your tone? Believe me, you will get a lot of confidence and you will be a good communicator. Remember, this is the only way you cannot copy from your colleagues.

You know yourself, you will be confident in your approach towards the guest. that will make you to be a much happier person if you have gained knowledge and you are able to communicate. The only thing, You have to do is to work on your craft. When you come to work, bring your best to your work.

About the Author - Sharmila Chand she wears a lot of hats. She is a senior journalist, a communication specialist, she has been an author and a columnist in various newspapers and magazines. Sharmila has been guest faculty at mass communications institutes and also the hotel management institute.