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What delegates thought of the Ed Steven masterclass

27 Jan 2012

The Glasgow Service with Style Masterclass with Ed Steven attracted a full room of delegates from across the tourism and hospitality sector. Following the chat (find out more of the details here) we talked to guests to find out what they had learned from Ed.

Ian Boardley, of Encore Hospitality Services, said: “I was impressed by Ed’s commitment from the outset to superb customer service. He recognised that this is vital for business success. His story of rugby player to restaurateur was really interesting, too.”

Julie Tait, of Culture Sparks, added: “I thought Ed revealed the strength in consultation with regards to staff, training and feedback. He talked about constant reinforcement, positive feedback and recognition, all of which are important factors in improving staff commitment and motivation. I think this is a classic example of: Plan the Work and Work the Plan, and how practical commonsense is so often successful in business.”

Chris Wallace, front of house manager at the Grand Central Hotel, said: “It was Ed’s 10 for 10 idea that I really liked. Time-lining staff to attend at least two of four meetings with managers and other staff each month makes a great deal of sense and it is something that I will take back with me into the workplace. I think I might try to bring in the 10 for 10 idea.”

Elaine Wilson, front of house supervisor at Hilton Glasgow, was also inspired by the 10 for 10 concept. She added: “I learned from Ed the importance of being in constant touch with staff and how to connect with staff in different ways. I think he is inspiring.”

Julie Gilliland, events manager at Pollok House, said: “I like the way that Ed thought of ways to motivate staff, for example, the 10 for 10 idea and the kitchen rewards scheme. These are inspired ideas and I can see how beneficial they would be to staff motivation and team spirit.”

Ruth Morris, event co-ordinator at Pollok House, remarked upon the idea of emailing customers to gain a snapshot of the business. She said: “Directly contacting the customers to ask about their recent experience of a business is a good idea.”

Valerie Boa, curator at Mclean Museum and Art Gallery, said she found Ed’s talk very inspirational. She said: “I was impressed with Ed’s ideas about how to encourage staff to work together as a team. The incentives and training ideas were interesting and I can see how this would work in practice. My staff are already friendly with the public but I want to take a closer look at training and I have taken on board many of Ed’s tips. This was a very useful masterclass session.”

Claire Cuthbertson, HR manager at the Grand Central Hotel, has more than 260 staff and so she has to rely on other staff and managers for training and motivational techniques. She said: “I  can see how important it is to drive the ethos of training and incentivising from the top downwards. I can’t do all the training of staff but I can aim to get all of my managers thinking in the same way about training as I do. The other key factor that I liked about the talk was the emphasis on friendliness. This is something that Grand Central Hotel takes very seriously. Friendliness doesn’t cost a business anything but it does reward with great customer service and therefore a boost to a business.”

Sue Beatt, of People Solutions and The Whisky Ambassador, agreed with Ed when he talked about product versus customer service. She said: “Businesses should aim to provide the best product but it is also very important to offer the best customer experience. People remember how they are treated by a business or company and this is an area in which companies can shine if they do things right.”

Euan Henderson, facilities manager at Merchant’s House, said: “Ed’s masterclass was very relevant and really interesting. I took note of what he said about the great customer experience of North America and how we can all strive to offer this type of superb customer experience. I also liked the 10 for 10 concept. Innovation in ideas for staff training is a great thing.”

Neil Ballantyne, manager at Kelvingrove Museum, found the masterclass to be very pertinent, especially as Neil himself used to be a rugby player. He said: “I wasn’t as good as Ed by any means but I could relate to the sport ethos and the benefits when coming into a service industry. Recruiting for attitude is a valuable point. We are fortunate at the museum to have great front of house staff but I agree with the importance of the recruitment process. I thought Ed offered a lot of transferable tips and we will certainly be looking at some of his ideas for staff communication.”

* The next Masterclass with Ruth Jackson, of Whitbread, is on February 22.