If there is one thing to impress and to actually express to a potential employer at one of the many ski resort areas you may be applying to this fall, it is that you pride yourself on providing excellent customer service!
Ski resorts, restaurants, hotels and all other service providers at ski towns across America are getting ready to ramp up for the winter season. Maybe you just graduated from college, are looking for a lifestyle change or just need a break from your current career. Whatever the reason you have decided to head out to the mountains and work in a service job this winter, know that the most important skill for you to possess is good customer service.
We are all capable of providing good customer service if we put our minds to it and the result will be a positive chain of events all the way around. You keep the guests happy, the establishment you are working in will have a positive atmosphere, guests will become repeat guests and your employer will of course be very pleased as well.
Having gained experience working for a ski resort, restaurant, hotel and vacation property management company, these are a few of the Best Customer Service Tips that have helped me along the way …
- Customer service starts with something as simple as a smile. Make it personal. Always start with introducing yourself, asking for their name, and letting them know that you are there to assist them in any way that you can (even when a guest becomes a tad rude, kill ‘em with kindness, it is usually the most effective response to a difficult guest).
- You will not always have the answer to a customer or guest’s question. Let them know you will get the answer to their question and get back to them as soon as possible. Never pass them along. Take ownership of the situation. Often when you pass them along, they get passed along a few more times and still never get the answer they were looking for. At this point, you have a frustrated customer or guest.
- Stay away from personal phone calls and talking about other guests in the workplace where everyone around you can hear. This is an experience my family just had at a well known beach vacation resort. The Front Desk Manager was making cell phone calls in between picking up the hotel front desk phone, spoke about other guests to fellow employees loud enough for us to hear and the bartender had her blackberry out texting in between making drinks for the guests. The general lack of professionalism at the resort was rather apparent throughout the entire stay.
- Listen more than you speak. Show genuine interest. Look them in the eye. Don’t rush them away.
- Most importantly, remember you are not doing them a favor. This is actually your job!
If you are a new college grad planning to stay for a season (or two or three), the experience you obtain assisting vacationing tourists will prove to be invaluable throughout the years to come as you go on to develop your career. You may be the sharpest tack in the box, but if you do not provide good customer service to your clients or customers in whatever field you choose to work in, your career may very well suffer. Your ability to communicate effectively with the people you work with is key to the future of your success. Mastering the art of customer service is priceless and what better places to further develop this skill than at one of the many incredible ski resort areas this upcoming winter!
Amy, well said!!!