I love it when the outcome exceeds what we anticipated. Recently, an airport client wanted to increase the customer service skills of all the concessionaire (retail, food and beverage) employees. He said he wanted a customer service training program designed that their internal trainers could deliver.
After interviewing the key stakeholders, I learned that the real objective was to increase the revenue per customer and ultimately, make this the airport of choice among the airports in the region.
I saw that just a training program would not accomplish what they wanted. I added and designed a pre-training secret shopping program and analyzed the data to design a customized training program, developed a customer comment program to track the ongoing results of the concessionaires’ customer service and upselling, designed a monthly employee recognition program, created the training program, including pre- and post-testing, delivered a leaders guide and train the trainer. I developed a new hire training guide for managers to train their new staff on the basics expected from them. I monitor the progress of the program quarterly to make any needed modifications.
The client is thrilled with the results. Nearly 210 frontline staff and managers have been trained by the airport’s internal trainers. The client says the program is far more comprehensive and effective than he originally imagined, and the project stayed within his budget. While there are always several factors affecting revenue, following are some of the results related to the implementation of the program.
- On time, on budget, and with a more comprehensive solution.
Within one month concessionaire revenue increased beyond all my fees for this project. - 26-31% increase in retail gross sales
Comparing the previous year’s data corresponding to the same month after the launch, the airport-wide retail gross sales showed a 26-31% increase per month for the months reported so far. - 12-17% increase in food & beverage gross sales
Comparing the previous year’s data corresponding to the same month after the launch, the airport-wide F&B gross sales showed a 12-17% increase per month for the months reported so far. - 13-17% increase in food & beverage sales per passenger
Comparing the previous year’s data corresponding to the same month after the launch, the airport-wide F&B sales per passenger showed a 13-17% increase for the months reported so far. - 18% increase in customer service knowledge among concessionaire staff
Participants showed a 18% increase their knowledge of the preferred ways to treat customers. This contributed to their acting differently toward the customers, thus the customers buying more.
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Great insight. I believe in the cliche that says: Under Promise and over deliver. Set the expectation that the cusotmer agrees with and then exceed it. My buddy, Rick Berarra, has a book out called “Over Promise, Over Deliver.” He says the expectation should be so compelling that you would be impressed if met. Then it is not only met – it is exceeded. We are all saying the same thing. Don’t just meet expectations. Exceed them.