Title Details

A Johnson and Wales University faculty member since 1999, Paul Bagdan has spent more than 20 years in the hospitality industry working in resorts, hotels and restaurants, including the Omni Sagamore.
Bagdan specializes in technology, service management and learning styles, and teaches courses in strategic management, marketing, human resources and customer service and has taught briefly in France as part of a faculty exchange. He also serves as faculty advisor to the Eta Sigma Delta National Honor Society.
In addition to being a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Bagdan is both a Certified Food Safety Trainer and a Responsible Alcohol Service Trainer for the state of Rhode Island. He is a member of the RI Hospitality Association and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), serving as Treasurer for the Northeast Federation of ICHRIE.

Acknowledgments xvii

Section I: Introduction, History, and Basics of Guest Service 1

Chapter 1: The Basics of Guest Service 3

Introduction 4

A Science and an Art 4

Integration of Customer Service 4

Meeting Guests’ Expectations 4

Overview of Hospitality—How It Relates to Customer Service 5

Examples of Bad Service 5

Excuses for Bad Service 6

Reasons Why Customers Do Not Complain 7

Good Service Can Make Up for Bad Food 7

Competitive Advantage of Service 9

Bad News Travels Fast 10

The Value of a Returning Customer 11

History of Service in the United States 12

Background of Service 14

Legends in Service Management 16

Case Studies 19

Chapter 2: Defining Guest Service 23

Defining Quality Guest Service 24

Aspects of Guest Service 24

Perishability of Service 25

Media Reports of Customer Service 25

Types of Service 26

Tangibles and Intangibles 27

Meeting Guests’ Expectations 28

Levels of Expectations 29

Order of Expectations 29

Inputs That Set Expectations 30

Scenario A: Fast-Food Restaurant 31

Scenario B: Fine-Dining Restaurant 32

Issues with Exceeding Expectations 34

Case Studies 36

Chapter 3: Problem Solving for Guest Service 39

Considering Different Points of View 40

What Do People Really Want? 40

Dealing with Guest Issues 40

How to Handle Complaints 40

G.U.E.S.T. 42

Types of Customers 44

Level I—Require Least Work 44

Level II—Require Moderate Work 46

Level III—Require Substantial Work 47

Handling Angry Customers 49

Staff Expectations 53

Is the Guest Always Right? 53

Can You Say No? 54

It’s All the Little Things 55

Watching for Red Flags 55

“Miss” Versus “Ma’am” Titles 56

Remembering Names 56

Psychological Theories 57

Transactional Analysis 57

Temperaments 58

Keirsey Temperament Sorter 58

Emotional Intelligence (EI) 58

Case Studies 59

Section II: Relating Service to the Sectors of the Hospitality Industry 67

Chapter 4: The Guest Service of Food 69

Introduction: About the Service of Food 70

Positions 71

Front of House 71

Back of House 72

BOH Staff Comparison 73

FOH Service Staff 74

Wares and Settings 75

Place Settings 75

Mise en place 78

Service Styles 80

American Dinner Service 80

Service Style Overview 84

Related Points 90

Volume 90

Technology 90

Case Studies 92

Chapter 5: The Guest Service of Beverages 95

Introduction 96

Beverage Positions 96

Wares 98

Beverages and Their Service 101

Knowing Wines 101

Serving Wines 103

Knowing Cocktails 104

Cocktail-Ordering Terminology 106

Knowing Beer 107

Knowing Coffees, Teas, and Waters 108

Corkage Fee 110

Final Thought 110

Case Studies 111

Chapter 6: The Guest Service of Lodging 115

Introduction 116

Service Positions 116

Porter 116

Front Desk 117

Rates 118

Checking-In a Guest 118

Checking Out 119

Podiums/Pods 121

Dealing with Front-Desk Issues 121

Back Office 123

Concierge 123

Housekeeping 123

Case Studies 128

Chapter 7: The Guest Service of Events 131

Introduction: Special Pressure from Events 132

Pre-Event Services: Setting up the Event 132

Assess the Environment 133

Managing Touch Points 135

Predict the Outcomes 137

Plan Success 139

Monitoring the Weaknesses 142

Assessing the Quality 144

Case Studies 147

Chapter 8: The Guest Service of Travel and Tourism 151

Introduction 152

Definition of Tourism: The World 152

Step 1: Know the Product 153

Step 2: Know the Client—Understanding the Guest 156

Step 3: Know Yourself—The Travel Professional 158

Step 4: Blend the Goals to Best Meet the Desired Goals of All 159

Case Studies 162

Chapter 9: The Guest Service of Casinos 165

Introduction 166

Types of Casinos 166

From Criminal to Respectable 166

Complex Entities 166

Floor Positions 167

Unique Environmental Characteristics 168

Main Goal 168

High-Tech 168

Free Drinks 168

Food and Beverage 169

Rooms 169

VIPs 169

Meetings and Events 170

Atmosphere 170

Other Activities 171

Security 171

Out-of-Town Gamblers Versus Local Gamblers 171

Case Studies 174

Section III: Assessments and Planning 179

Chapter 10: Research and Tools 181

Introduction 182

Setting Up for Research 182

Why: Collect Background Information 182

What: Determine What to Measure 183

Who: Choose the Population 183

How: Chose the Method and Measurement 183

Tools and Techniques 184

Affinity Diagram 185

Benchmarking 186

Brainstorming 187

Check Sheets 188

Control Chart 189

Cost-Benefit Analysis 190

Cost of Error 191

Delphi Method 192

Fishbone Diagram 193

Flow Chart 194

Focus Group 195

Force-Field Analysis 196

Gantt Chart 197

Multi-voting 198

Pareto Chart 199

Poka-Yoke 200

Process Reengineering 201

Pros-Cons Sheet 201

Root-Cause Analysis 202

Scatter Diagram 203

Secret Shoppers 204

SERVQUAL 206

Six Sigma 207

Surveys 207

External Awards, Certifications, and Recognitions 210

J.D. Power Award 210

Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award 210

International Standards Organization (ISO) 211

Forbes–Mobil Guide Ratings 211

AAA Ratings 212

Case Studies 214

Chapter 11: Strategic Planning for Service 219

Introduction to Service Strategy 220

Strategy Defined 220

Strategy is Natural 221

Importance of Strategy 221

Lack of Strategy 222

Strategy Applied to the Customer Mindset 222

Continuous Improvement 222

Analyzing Position and Market 224

SWOT Analysis 224

Identifying Your Competition 227

Integration: Implementing a Service Strategy 228

The Strategic Service System: Purpose, Product, Plan, People 229

Resource Viewpoint 233

Case Studies 234

Chapter 12: Developing a Staff 239

Introduction 240

Hiring 240

What Do Hospitality Companies Look for? 240

Communication 242

Visual 243

Body Language 243

Vocal 244

Answering the Telephone 246

Training, Managing, and Developing 247

Demonstrate Personal and Procedural Expectations 248

Integrate and Initiate into the Culture 249

Internal Customers 249

Demonstrate Service Standards 251

Monitor, Assess, Support, and Reward 253

Team Management 255

Types of Teams 256

Team Stages 258

Types of Team Members 258

How to Make Teams Work 259

Conclusion 260

Case Studies 261

Chapter 13: Marketing and Establishing an Image for Service 265

Introduction to Service Marketing 266

Marketing and Customer Service 266

Marketing Defined 266

Changes in Marketing 267

Everyone Has Customer Service 268

The Four Steps of Marketing for Quality Guest Service 268

Step 1: Analysis and Identification of Wants and Needs 268

Step 2: Establishment of a Marketing Plan 273

Step 3: Implementation of Controls to Position—The 4 Ps 276

Step 4: Follow-Up—Service After the Sale 281

Case Studies 282

Glossary 285

Index 293