EP Special Report:
Corporate Front of House forum -
Customer service in a climate of change

Proudly sponsored by ISS arena21

Customer Service pervades all services from cleaning through to security, and there are both internal and external customers with different sensitivities. In a climate of change bought about by M&A activity, rationalisation, increased terrorism threats and ongoing change, how can front of house teams bring all of these issues together? The following is a summary of the main points raised; if you would like to read the full version of the report click here.

The Forum was launched this week and has been setup as a unique event to explore the facets which help to drive five star services standards in the corporate world and set an organisation apart. The act of meeting and greeting people is seemingly a straightforward task. However, many recognise that front of house service is a key function in any business for many reasons.

The inaugural forum was held at 1 Lombard Street restaurant this week and attended by leaders involved in managing front of house services from a range of sectors including legal, banking and insurance.

The focus for the first forum was how to increase service levels to five star service standards. Derek Picot, Vice-President for Jumeirah spoke about the opportunities and challenges delivering this in luxury hotels. He argued that delivering superior customer service was about:

• Recognition of the guest's needs and individuality
• Profiling to ensure suitable qualities and skills of employees
  "We don't want anyone with 'emotional restraint', and our people need high scores on sociability."
• Guiding principles and ethics to ensure hallmarks of customer service
• Empowerment to deliver first class service
• Image - ultimately looking for people behind the desk which reflect the business
• Language training
• Ensuring that front of house staff can "seductively sell"
• Technical competence with IT systems and software which provides local knowledge

The real question, however, is how the aspirations of a luxury hotel can be translated into the corporate market place. Delegates certainly expressed their desire to ensure five star standards - and interestingly, the majority of delegates had hotel backgrounds. The group highlighted that a number of differentials between the two such as the lack of revenue base which to invest/the difficulty justifying the cost base and increased security requirements.

"The one true differential in a hotel is the customer service. Everyone says that they have great customer service but it's not just a process -it has got to be delivered at the right time and for the right reasons."

The forum's discussion

A number of thought-provoking points were made by the group around the following themes:

• Commerciality & Measurement
  "I moved from the hotel world into facilities and the biggest difference is the lack of money. There is no income and it is a cost base, so what do you measure against?"
  "Front of house and catering can make or break a business. This is why I have hired people from hotels and restaurants to manage our services."

• Empowerment and training
  "It does not matter if your front of house is in-sourced or outsourced, it is about the people and their attitude. In my experience these are better when they are outsourced, but ultimately it is down to the individual."

• Security
  "Two of the biggest differences between hotels and the corporate market is that security is the first contact visitors have on entering the corporate building, also receptionists are seated not standing this automatically impacts engagement."

The Corporate Front of House Forum will continue on a quarterly basis and
discussion will continue around topical themes.

Click here for responses to these questions and the full report