Ramada Presentation

Ramada Presentation

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  Presentation by: BruceKrell Pat Niedert February 17, 2010
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  What is thebusiness research method? “ It is the systematic process of inquiry that provides information to guide business decisions.”
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  Topic Overview Perceivedcustomer service Mid-tier hotels showing recent downward trend Ramada holds steady but bracing for problems Ramada embraces three areas of customer satisfaction: Hiring Training Motivation
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  Background Information ThreeBusiness’s Ramada learned from: Disney Set benchmark for exceptional customer service Southwest Airlines Captured an essence of “fun” in air travel TGI Friday’s Low employee turnover, and high employee loyalty
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  Research Question Howcan Ramada motivate employees to show exceptional customer service? Relevant Factors Change current training approaches Face-to-face employee input More rewards for employees
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  Hypothesis New trainingtechniques and employee satisfaction equals exceptional customer service. Data collection Hired Unifocus In-depth guest surveys at every property D.K. Shifflet’s syndicated research on customer service Use 10-point scale
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  How data wascollected Target Audience 31,000 employees at 900 Ramada properties Face-to-face (Open-ended) employee input “ To bring about change in corporate culture and mindset would take more than employees checking off boxes on a piece of paper ”
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  How data wascollected Plan of Action Rather than have a stereotypical meeting, they created an atmosphere similar to a hotel grand opening Festive atmosphere, food, comedy Headquarters staff arrived: Morning: Extracted information from management, hearing issues Afternoon: Employees invited to share their ideas and concerns about the three initiatives.
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  How data wascollected All answers from management and employees: Recorded on a detailed summary form for record and analysis
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  Results of ResearchCurrent Training Boring & Ineffective RFS’s Benchmarking states: Exceptional customer service stems from a more interactive (fun) training approach Higher employee involvement generates more knowledgeable employees Happy customers
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  Results of ResearchRewards for accomplishment Originally big ticket rewards, over long period Employee Response Became lackluster as time progressed Solution: Create more incentives over a shorter period of time for greater inspiration and involvement
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  Goals of AnalysisEstablish what factors influence employees (Hiring) Currently: Screen prospective employees for characteristics revealed by Predictive Index RFS Training Currently: Traditional method scrapped, integrated new interactive, multimedia training. Additionally, self-paced learning has been established at less busy Ramada’s
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  Goals of AnalysisMotivation Program Currently: Focuses on rewarding employees on different levels of accomplishment Performance Supervisor Peer Nomination Completion of Training Modules Continued self-directed efforts for personal development by employees
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  Reporting Accomplishments HiringAllowed for RFS to understand what to look for in a prospective hire, personality and mentality Training Discovered that traditional methods became outdated and that establishing newer, more interactive and modern techniques, could catalyze employees Motivating Smaller awards over a shorter term were more attainable than larger over long term.
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  Current Results Ramada now scores in the good to exceptional range within the D.K Shifflet service ratings Increase of 30.5% Employees are more interactive and using their point system to gain rewards and gifts The motto of “Personal Best” is company wide rather than just an HR term.
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  Current Results Asa result of their efforts: Named to the 2009 Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies Wyndham Worldwide ranked second on the list in the hotels, casinos and resorts category
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  Recommendations for RamadaSurvey techniques to management and employees Great idea with grand opening technique Problems: “ Groupthink” may have become evident Lack of involvement Solutions: Still maintain a survey for hand written responses Creates anonymity