Restaurant Associates case study - Customer Service Pilot

To develop and deliver a programme of training activity to all line employees and managers, with the following objectives:

• Significantly enhance the customer experience throughout the customer journey

• Increase sales awareness and actual sales

• Increase customer satisfaction ratings

• Improve team effectiveness & communication

• Bring about employee attitudinal change 

Pilot sites:

Addleshaw Goddard, Prudential, London Stock Exchange, HSBC and Norton Rose.

In order to meet the objectives a bespoke training programme was developed specifically for all members of Restaurant Associates Hospitality staff in the pilot sites.The programme included:

Effective Teamwork- maximising effectiveness & communication

Attitude - pride of self, role, team, and place

Sales - helping the customer by selling more

Service - getting it right, going the extra mile

The programme would be evaluated using a multi faceted approach:

Mystery Visits  - using objective external people

Sales statistics – to be carried out internally

Delegate feedback – to be collected by learnpurple as well as RA

Mystery visits

learnpurple carried out mystery visits in three of the five sites.  The key areas measured were: teamwork, communication, attitude, sales techniques and service levels.  Mystery visits were then carried out post training.

• Overall ratings improved by 47%

• Teamwork and communication improved by 55%.

• Service improved by 38%

• Up-selling improved by 41%

We are pleased to say that although not the key objective of the training programme, post training has shown higher productivity, motivation and employee retention levels.

Sales:

At the post-programme feedback meeting, most managers reported increased sales.

• In the case of HSBC, this was by as much as 20%.

Delegate feedback:

From the detailed evaluations carried out both internally and externally the  top line feedback was:

• Clear way to get information across whilst having fun

• A long awaited customer care programme

• Group involvement, team building no one was left out – also bonding with colleagues from other sites

• The simplicity and clarity of it all

• Delegates gained heightened self awareness and at the same time learned how to interact better with others

• Much valued opportunity to meet and share ideas with people from other units