Doug Kennedy’s Next Staff Training Webcast: Conquering Complaints, CONFIDENTLY

Sponsored By Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software 

Register your team and participate live, or view the recording, of Doug Kennedy’s next 40-minute training webcast scheduled for Friday, June 20, at Noon EDT.

REGISTER HERE

This webcast will be of interest to all hospitality staff, supervisors who handle escalated guest situations, and managers to train and mentor their teams. 

Join in as Doug provides highlights from KTN’s newest on-site training workshop. “We all know it’s ideal if the person who first receives a guest’s complaint can receive and resolve it,” says Kennedy, “and forcing them to wait for a manager only causes their frustration to grow, along with their expectations of compensation from someone higher up the org-chart.” Yet without proper training, frontline staff may feel ill-prepared and unqualified, even if management has said they are “empowered” to do so. 

Participants in this webcast will learn the root causes of guest complaints are situationally and emotionally based and certainly not intended as a personal attack. Armed with a better understanding of their key role, easy-to-remember service recovery techniques, plus a few helpful hints borrowed from the field of psychology, your staff will gain the confidence needed for their important role. This webcast covers: 

– Why we should welcome guest complaints and recognize that they offer us a second chance.

– No, it’s not true that guests are getting more difficult. This incorrect perception is also caused by what psychologists call “Rosy Retrospection.”

– Rather, the automation of routine guest conversations and requests has increased the odds that those who reach out are experiencing a problem or have a complaint.

– How to avoid commonly used “trigger words” and phrases that can cause guests to have a mental “spiral.”

– KTN’s Carrot Model for understanding the root cause of guest complaints, which reminds us of the often-missing part of traditional “service recovery” training: providing validation for their emotional (over-) reactions.

– Yes, there are definitely “guest bullies” out there, so this webcast also presents copying techniques such as using your “power of release” over negative guest encounters. 

Recordings of previous webcasts are available on KTN’s YouTube channel and are now also being distributed on your favorite podcast channel or on KTN’s Spotify channel. 

Everyone who registers for this and all KTN webcasts receives a link to the recording, even if they cannot attend. The 40-minute format is perfect for “lunch and learns” or excerpts can be shared at staff meetings. The target audience is anyone who is interested in upskilling themselves or others, and the topic areas are broad enough to be relevant for all sectors of the lodging industry. 

“We are grateful to the generosity of our sponsors who have allowed us to offer complimentary admission,” said Kennedy. “It takes a lot of time to design, promote, and deliver these events, and so we would normally charge at least $99 registration per person, but this series is now completely free to all.”  

Sponsors include: Travel Outlook, the only KTN Certified call center, and Track Hospitality Software, a TravelNet Solution, whose products include a PMS and CRM. 

Complimentary registration can be accessed at www.KTNwebcast.com. Here are the additional topics scheduled so far. 

10 Practical Action Steps For Securing More Direct Voice Reservations

Monday, July 21 (Noon EDT)

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Despite predictions of its demise, the voice reservations channel is alive and well, and Doug will share ideas that frontline staff as well as revenue/marketing leaders can use to ensure you capture more than your “fair share.” For decades now, many have said, “Soon, no one will call anymore…” First was the emergence of OTA’s and smartphones, then the over-sold myth of homogenous “birth-year generations.” (Doug disproves this with data from McKinsey & Co.) Instead, guests’ motivation for calling is most affected by their travel story. The higher the rate, the longer the stay, the more people traveling, and the more emotionally engaged they are with travel plans, the more likely they are to call. 

Smart leaders recognize that direct bookings save costly OTA commissions, enable upselling and cross-selling of amenities and activities, and allow you to “own” the relationship. 

Join us as Doug shares ideas based on KTN’s unique opportunity to listen in to a diversity of real-world recordings of reservations calls every day as part of its remote call scoring assessment service such as: 

Suggestions for Revenue, Distribution, and Marketing Leaders: 

– How to audit your website and “top of funnel” factors that encourage voice bookings. Plus, how to document and prove the interplay of voice and online channels.

– Train your team that phone calls are opportunities, not interruptions to the “admin” type of work that falls on most reservations teams these days.

– Midscale, branded hotels, this one’s for you too! A surprising number of potential guests still call. 

Training Tips for Those Answering Calls: 

• How to turn calls appearing to simply be “quick questions” into qualified voice leads.
• Better understanding the needs of today’s overwhelmed, confused callers and your role in them deciding “this” is the right property and “now” is the best time to book!
• How to use updated versions of traditional probing questions.
• Closing techniques for a variety of call conversations and overcoming barriers to booking now. 

Cooking Up New Hotel Sales

Friday, August 22 (Noon EDT)

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This month’s webcast, which primarily targets hotel group and event sales staff, will also be relatable for sales professionals in all areas of the accommodations and tourism industries. Using cooking and fine dining analogies as a fun alternative to traditional sales training terminology, Doug will share innovative, actionable ideas your sales team can use to maximize revenues and capitalize on every sales opportunity. 

By zooming out and looking at how the profession of hotel sales is rapidly being automated by big tech solutions powered by AI, participants will be challenged to use these concepts in the near-term to ensure a long and prosperous career! 

– Don’t lose your hotel sales job to DoorDash! Keep human engagement at the core of the dining experience!

– Discover your ‘recipe’ for success.

– Stock up on key ingredients and select the right cooking utensils.

– Welcome, surprise, and delight them with amuse-bouches.

– Find out what the patrons truly enjoy eating.

– Spice up your menu descriptions.

– Adjust the menu for special dietary needs and preferences.

– Serve up a sweet-tasting dessert.

– Present the check with a smile! 

For additional details, contact KTN at [email protected] or by phone (01) 954.533.9130 www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com