I'm sure every casino employee in the country can recite the alphabet. But I'm most interested in helping them with the ABCs of great customer service. I mean this literally. In this column I will walk you through some words that start with the letters A, B and C and explain why they will help you do a better job of taking care of the most important people who walk through your casino's door—your guests. [Letter A:] Advocates, Appreciation, Attention and Awareness. These four simple things should be top of mind for casino employees as they go about their day and provide guests with the service they deserve. • Advocates. Your top priority this year should be creating guest advocates. Customers who are advocates for your casino are way beyond satisfied and loyal. Of their own free will, they spread positive comments about your casino to friends and family members. They loyally patronize your casino and bring in new business by spreading the word. Top-notch service helps create advocates. • Appreciation. One of the most important elements of guest service is showing appreciation for the guest. If the guest chooses your property and doesn't feel appreciated for the decision they made, most likely they will not return. They'll spend their time and money elsewhere. • Attention. Giving the guest personal attention could mean just smiling and walking by because that's what the guest prefers. It could mean using their name or remembering how they like a sandwich. This tells them you care about them and want them to come back. • Awareness. Guest service is based on awareness. You must be aware of your guests—their facial expressions, the way they sit and what they're doing. By being aware of those things, you put yourself in a position to help them. [Letter B:] Believe, Be Prepared, Best and Better. These little gems will give casinos a leg up on the competition by helping them provide stellar guest service. • Believe. You need to believe that the guest you're talking to and you're interacting with is the most important person on your property at that given moment. If you don't, the guest will know it. Believe in what you do because when you believe in the importance of guest service, it shows. • Be Prepared. When it comes to helping guests have a better experience, one of the problems gaming employees run into is their own lack of preparation. They haven't thought about the different wants, needs and desires of their guests at any given moment. They haven't put any real thought into making sure that each guest has a great experience. • Best. You want to be the best! You want to be better than just good. Give it all you've got whenever you're at work, because on the property you're part of the entertainment. You are on duty 100 percent of the time. • Better. There's best and then there's better. We can always do better. Make a habit of finding ways to do your job better. [Letter C:] Cha-Ching, Challenge, Communication, Confidence, Consistency, Cool, Courtesy. Casino guest service can be challenging but it's fun when it's done right and it can mean money in the pockets of casino employees. Guest service also relies heavily on communication, confidence, consistency and courtesy. • Cha-Ching. When you provide great guest service, it means money in your pocket. Guests are willing to pay for a great experience. After all, they're visiting your property to be entertained and have fun. You are compensated for being part of the entertainment. • Challenge. Guest service can be extremely challenging. Dealing with these challenges is not easy. See them as an opportunity to provide better service, as an opportunity for you to show your property in the best possible light and help even the most challenging guests have a great experience. • Communication. Many times, guests believe they did not receive good service because of poor communication. If there had been better communication up front—more questions asked, more listening—the whole process might have gone more smoothly and the guest probably would have walked out feeling like he had been heard and appreciated. • Confidence. People who provide great guest service do so with confidence. Smile, make eye contact and know you're going to help a guest in any way you possibly can. When guests see that, they let down some of their defenses. • Consistency. Put this word in capital letters and underline it because inconsistency is a killer. People want a consistent experience. If I come to your property, order my steak medium rare and it comes out perfect, I'll expect that same perfection every time. You and everyone else on the staff must have consistency in the exceptional service you provide. • Courtesy. We could all stand to brush up on our courtesy skills. It's your job to say simple things like "please" and "thank you." Don't just look and point but actually get involved with guests. Be courteous by tending to their needs.

By Martin Baird

Martin R. Baird is author of Gaming Guest Service from A to Z, a book that uses the alphabet to help gaming executives, managers and employees understand the importance of outstanding customer service and how to provide it. He is chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a customer service consulting firm based in Annapolis, Maryland, and may be reached by phone at 480-991-6420 or by e-mail at mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com.

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