Welcome to the Customer Care Soap

Here in the UK, we seem to love our soap operas. During the 1960s Coronation Street’s main rival was Crossroads, set in a Birmingham motel. While the series was popular, its purported low technical standards and bad acting were much mocked. It was cancelled in 1988 leaving a void in the hotel soap genre...

...Until now!

Following our highly successful 'Excellent Service Included', our friends at The Royal Garden Hotel asked if we could come up with a follow up event which would not only be suitable for new starters but more importantly could be used to reinforce the messages of last year’s programme. Because what the 5 star hotel industry has realised is that when it comes to looking after your customers you can’t just send your staff on a course and have done with it. It has to be an ongoing process. In the same way that a soap ends with a promise that the storyline is to be continued in another episode, the messages of customer care need to be constantly reinforced and reiterated. You can never be too good at Customer Care.

If you really want to get your people to sit up and take notice, when quite frankly they’d rather stick hot needles in their eyes than go on another boring training course, what better way than to invite them to take part in the world’s first interactive soap opera:

The Garden

Episode II: “The Trouble with Telecoms”

From the opening seconds when the irate Mr. Prendergast storms through reception leaving Lindsay, the receptionist, quaking in his wake, delegates know that this is not ‘just another course’. Any delusion that they are to be mere spectators is dispelled when each delegate sees their name listed as a cast member in the specially designed title sequence.

‘The Garden’ is in crisis. It’s fully booked, and understaffed due to a flu epidemic. Things go from bad to worse when workmen carrying out essential gas repairs outside the hotel cut through the fibre optic cable carrying DTV and telephony services to the building.

With no telephones in the rooms it’s up to hapless room service attendant Sven to keep residents of the 2nd floor informed as to the situation. No two guests are the same and during the action he meets the harassed mother of naughty 3 year old Katie, the not-so-dotty old lady down for her son’s award ceremony at The Albert Hall, and the rather strange being en-route to alpha centauri who speaks not a word of any language known to Sven. All this whilst taking care to avoid the awful Mr. Prendergast in 226 whose notoriety has spread like wildfire. Will Sven and Lindsay manage to keep a lid on things? Will Katie finally succeed in driving her mother round the bend? Will the old lady be forced to retire to bed early with a cup of horlicks? Will Mr. Prendergast succeed in reducing the reception staff to tears? Well frankly, it’s up to the delegates. Not that they have to do any acting you understand. No, no. Far from it. Their mission is to observe as the story unfolds and guide the staff in their endeavours to keep the customers happy, whilst maintaining standards, enhancing the revenue and reputation of the hotel, and preserving Sven and Lindsay’s self esteem, sanity and stress levels.

With some customers the task is easy. A smile and a friendly word are all it takes to make them feel welcome and valued. With others it’s a bit more of a struggle...

But by directing our intrepid soap stars, and through facilitated activities and discussions, not to mention having a lot of fun, delegates are able to identify and recognise the attitudes and behaviours that invariably make all the difference, even when the facilities and processes let you down.

Initial reaction to the program has been fabulous. Subsequent to an initial pilot event attended by every single head of department of The Royal Garden, (including ‘Chef’ – no mean feat in any hotel), each 3 hour event has played to a packed training room. We’ve even had to turn some staff away due to lack of capacity (to return for a later event naturally) and had one member of staff attempt to attend for a second time because they liked it so much! Just like the fierce reputation of Mr. Prendergast, word is spreading like wildfire. The Royal College of Music has already booked a similar event and a city firm of investment bankers have also been quick to spot the potential of this unique event. Our favourite bit of feedback from an anonymous delegate from conferencing says it all – “This is the first training course I’ve been on where I hadn’t wished I’d taken a pillow.” Praise indeed!

Meanwhile, will Mr. Prendergast and Lindsay walk hand in hand into the sunset and go on a three week camping trip together? To find out, tune in to the next thrilling episode…