Incentivizing our Team Members at Ski Butlers
This weeks blog post I am going to talk Business with you. I use/read twitter a lot, mostly to get news and info rather than post and most of who I follow are business and entrepreneurial magazines or people. From this I have realized two things, #1 I love reading this type of stuff, and #2 “Entrepreneurial” is a very difficult word to type on an iPhone. So in the vain of an piece you’d read on Inc Magazine or “High-Back Leather Upholstered Chair Weekly”:
Incentivicing your Team Members
At Ski Butlers we have taken a different approach to incetivizing our Team Members. The traditional incentive that we see in our industry (retail/service) comes from commissions or up-selling the guest, which is great for the Team Member, money is a good motivator. But is it the best for the guest? We didn’t think so. Look at it from a customer service standpoint, let me throw an example at you:
Take the Smith family, out for a nice vacation to Aspen, they just arrived to their hotel, they are unpacking all their ski gear, getting really excited when there’s a knock on the door. Ski Rental Delivery Company “Bob’s Ski Delivery” is here with the Smith’s skis/boots/etc. Now remember, Bob’s Team Members are motivated by the fact that they make more money by selling accessories and extra stuff to the Smith’s. Bob’s Team Members are very friendly and excited to be talking to the Smith’s initially, they begin by laying out on a table all the extra’s they brought with them. Mrs. Smith let’s them know they came very prepared and won’t be needing any of that. Now that the incentive is gone, what is motivating Bob’s Team Members to keep up the cheery attitude and provide the best service to the Smith’s? At this point Bob’s Team Members proceed through the delivery as if they are processing cattle. The Smith’s get their equipment and they are satisfied, but could their experience have been better?
We recognized this and said — NO WAY!!!! The customer needs to be left mouth wide-open, astonished at how amazing that was, and completely WOW’d. So let’s look at scenario #2 where Ski Butlers has incetivized our Team Members through customer service. All Ski Butlers Team Members are eligible for a monthly bonus if they meet certain customer service standards. We send out a survey at the end of each guests stay, from this we compile our NPS score. Each Team Member is tied to a reservation, whether they packed, delivered, or picked up the equipment. So in the same Smith scenario, the motivation to go above and beyond for them not only lasts till the end of the delivery, but until the equipment is picked up at the end of their stay.
In scenario #1 only the Team Member really can win, in Scenario #2, both the Team Member and the Smith’s win. If you were the Smith’s what would you prefer?
