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Casino Improvement Index
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Recognition Program Motivates Casino
Employees to Help Their Property Improve Its Performance
By Martin R. Baird
When we consult with casinos about their guest service needs and how
to keep customers coming back, the conversation inevitably turns to
employees and their state of mind. We’re often told by casino
management that employees would provide better guest service if they
were happier. Or they say that it’s all about employee attitude –
guests have fun when employees show up for work in a good mood but
their gaming experience suffers when employees have a bad day.
This is important because employees deliver the service that
encourages customers to return. That is a critical element of any
effort to improve the casino’s future performance.
So we ask management a simple question: how can we improve the
overall employee attitude? It’s almost funny because the answer we
always hear is, “Pay them more!” Without taking another breath,
management quickly adds, “And we can’t do that.”
It hurts me to say this but, sorry, that’s the wrong answer.
I know some of you are thinking that I’ve never been to your casino
or interacted with your employees. That could be true, but I do know
after working with casinos from Oregon to New York that most
employees have similar basic needs. And study after study shows that
pay is not at the top of the list of those things that make
employees happy. When surveyed about this topic, employees’ answers
cluster around better communication and awards and recognition.
People, at their most basic need, want to feel appreciated. I see
this at every casino that brings us in to help with guest service.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are few people who would turn down an
offer to make more money, but that is not the primary motivation
when it comes to job satisfaction. People want to be recognized for
the hard work they do. It’s as simple as that. But this one simple
thing is very important when you work at a casino. Believe me,
dealing with people who may be drinking and losing money is no walk
in the park.
So the studies show that employees want to be recognized, that they
want incentives that will spur them to go above and beyond the call
of duty. Thus, the correct answer to our question about improving
employee attitudes is: establish an employee award and recognition
program. But before you jump into this with both feet, there a few
dos and don’ts you should keep in mind when developing your program.
The first area of concern is bias. Any form of bias – real or
perceived – will bring the greatest award program to an ugly end. It
can be the kiss of death in communities where employees from one
family work at the same gaming property. If my brother runs the
program and I receive the award, it will look fishy even if I’m
truly deserving of it.
We recommend using an outside mystery shopping company to evaluate
employees’ on-the-job performance. Mystery shoppers have absolutely
no interest in who is recognized and who isn’t. It’s critical to the
success of the program to remove any bias from the process.
Here’s something else to think about. You’ve removed the bias by
using an outside service but how will the shoppers know what to shop
for? You need to have very clearly defined employee-performance
expectations established for the shoppers. For example, we had to
define smiling for one of our clients. We took it as far as
explaining that a smirk or “fake” smile is not acceptable. Shoppers
need to be trained on what to look for at your property and you must
set aside time for that. The data you receive will only be as good
as the specific requirements you set for the shoppers.
The next critical element of your program is that you should set
your people up to win. During the first baseline shop, you might not
tell employees that mystery shopping is happening, but after that
they need to know they’re being evaluated. We are proponents of
providing employees with guest service training before the award
program is kicked off. I want the employees to become familiar with
the skills they will need to pass a mystery shop. The whole purpose
of the program is to provide the best guest service possible for
your customers, so give your employees the tools they need to do it
right!
While you’re rolling out your program, please note that it is
designed as an award and incentive program, not as a way to “catch”
employees doing the wrong thing. It’s sad, but some properties lose
their focus and start using the shopping reports as a way to punish
people. If, during the mystery shopping process, you discover that
some people have yet to jump on the guest service fun bus, use the
information to help them. Try
one-on-one coaching sessions. If there’s a common problem, the
shopping data can be used as a resource to design new training to
help with specific needs. You want to use this information to help
employees grow into better guest service ambassadors.
An award and recognition program is a very valuable system for
improving your property’s guest service. When employees are publicly
recognized for doing a great job, they appreciate it. They feel good
and they want to do it again. This is a very valuable tool when used
correctly.
My final comment is that an award program will be effective only if
it has the long-term support of management and the resources to make
it happen. It’s detrimental to the property to start a program and
stop it mid-stream.
Now you know the right answer to motivating employees to provide
better guest service. This is not an easy process. Nor is it a fast
one to set up and implement. But if done correctly, an award and
recognition program can do wonderful things for your guest service
and for the morale of your most important resource, your employees.
Martin R. Baird is author of “Advocate Index™: An Operational Tool”
and chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a
customer service consulting firm for the gaming industry. Robinson &
Associates helps casinos determine their Advocate Index, a number
that indicates the extent to which properties have guests who are
willing to be advocates, and then implements its Advocate
Development System to help casinos create more guest advocates. The
Advocate Development System uses the proven methodology of Advocate
Index in combination with best business practices to chart a course
for growth and profitability. More information about the Advocate
Development System and Robinson and Associates is available at the
company’s Web sites at www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com and
www.casinocustomerservice.com. A copy of “Advocate Index: An
Operational Tool” may be obtained by calling 206-774-8856. Robinson
& Associates may be reached by phone at 480-991-6420 or by e-mail at
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com. Based in Annapolis, Maryland,
Robinson & Associates is a member of the Casino Management
Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming
Association. |
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