On a very busy check-in day at a hotel, there are only two reservation clerks wo

Question

On a very busy check-in day at a hotel, there are only two reservation clerks working the Front
Desk. In the middle of the peak check-in/out point, the Hotel Manager for the Clerks visits the
Desks and informs one of the Clerks that he needs to leave the desk immediately to report to HR for
important, mandatory in-service training. The Clerk, a White Male, refuses and continues to work
the reservations. He tells his fellow Clerk, an African-American Female, that he will not leave her
to handle these activities alone. She insists that she can handle the front desk, but he continues to
work at the desk. Ten minutes later, the Manager returns to ask the Clerk why he has not gone to
HR. The Clerk says these words, “That training is useless and can wait until another day. I am
needed here to assist my Team Associate – its busy”. He walks away and mumbles something
inaudible and returns to the desk to help the other Clerk. What should the Manager do?

Explanation / Answer

The manager must appreciate the dedication of the clerk towards his job, the positive synergy between the two clerks and their ability to handle large volume of customers of the hotel. For any organization, customers are of highest importance. And, providing superior level of customer service is what differentiates organizations operating in hospitality domain or any other customer service industry. In the given scenario, although, the clerk is right in his approach towards giving priority to attending customers first as it was a busy day at the check-in and there were only two reservation clerks working at the front desk, his attitude towards training should be a point of worry for the manager.

Yes, mandatory in-service training can be provided on some other day also, but trainings are important and helpful in the long term. Once, the volume of the customers is over or is little less than the current volume, the manager can engage in a one-to-one communication with the clerk telling him that he appreciates his intentions and efforts of giving priority to the customer service. But, also convey him about the importance and objectives of training programs. How the in-service training would help him in better attending the customers and solving their problems in a more effective manner. The in-service training would keep him informed with the various types of customer needs and how to address those needs in the most efficient way. Thus, training would create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders of the hotel such as employees, customers, etc.

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