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Everyday Training "Heroes" at Wequassett
September 02, 2008
Wequassett makes heroic acts part of everyday business
By Sarah Boehle
Heroism is a part of everyday business at Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Chatham, Mass., thanks to the resort's "Heroic Acts" program. Implemented 13 years ago, the training and incentive program encourages resort personnel to go the extra mile in attempting to meet and exceed customer needs.
Training recently spoke with Josette Cristalli Willis, president of Wequassett Academy, about the program, its impact and her tips for success.
Training: What is a heroic act? Can you share some examples?
Cristalli Willis: We define a heroic act as something that awes, dazzles, surprises or delights a guest. There are two types. A "pleasing" heroic act is simple and thoughtful and doesn’t necessarily require a lot of research, but makes a guest feel recognized and special—such as giving her a book about Cape Cod or remembering her birthday. An "extraordinary" heroic act is creative, well thought out and very personal in nature, and perhaps even pulls on the heart strings a bit and creates a special memory for a guest.
For example, one couple stayed with us recently to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, and we found out in advance that the two had actually been married here 40 years ago. So our team put together an "Anniversary" scrapbook for them containing old pictures of the resort from 40 years ago (entitled "Memories Past"), recent pictures from today (entitled "Memories Present") and a blank section (entitled "Future Memories"). The gift was wrapped with a new camera and presented to the couple when they arrived.
Training: How does the Heroic Acts program work?
Cristalli Willis: We're a seasonal resort, so each year, we provide new and returning personnel with extensive heroic acts training. During the training, we teach them what heroic acts are, explain why they are such an integral component of our customer intimacy philosophy, and show them how to develop and execute quality heroic acts at the desired frequency. The course also covers things like how to utilize our guest information systems to develop and track heroic acts and how to listen and observe effectively during guest interactions so as to pick up on possible heroic act ideas.
Throughout the year, we track all heroic acts performed in a database and set goals for each department throughout the season. We also supplement the initial heroic acts training with a monthly and annual recognition and incentive program.
Training: What are the results of the program?
Cristalli Willis: Our Heroic Acts program has been integral to our culture for about 13 years now, so it’s difficult to point to before-and-after results. But I can say that the program has grown steadily over the years. We typically have 350 employees during our peak season, and in 2008, 1325 heroic acts already have been performed.
Now, one of our goals is to encourage people to perform more heroic acts at an “extraordinary” level. We want them to think outside-the-box more often and be as creative as possible. If a guest is dining in our restaurant and asks for a recipe, for example, we want staff to get creative and add a personal touch, such as giving the guest the recipe, as well as a handwritten card and a basket full of ingredients.
Training: What tips and best practices can you share with others who are interested in implementing something similar?
Cristalli Willis:
• Empower people to act on their own. Since some heroic acts require a monetary investment, we give each of our employees a budget to perform heroic acts throughout the season. If employees want to spend more, they simply need to get approval from a manager.
• Get your tracking system in order. We collect very comprehensive information about our customers using lifestyle forms. Guests fill these forms out pre-stay and share information such as their ages, the names of their kids, their food and beverage preferences, their hobbies, etc. We then make this information easily accessible to our employees through our guest information system. We also train staff on how to use the system and keep records up-to-date. We ask that they enter pertinent guest information into the system regularly—as well as information regarding all heroic acts performed for each guest to date.
• Routinely recognize and reward. Employees earn a raffle ticket for every heroic act-related point that they earn throughout the season. Then, when we close down in November, we hold an end-of-year party featuring a raffle. Raffle prizes typically range from an iPod to a five-night stay at a preferred hotel and roundtrip airfare for two.
In addition to our annual recognition ceremony, we also hold monthly recognition receptions as a way to recognize employees regularly and keep everyone focused on our goals. These monthly receptions also serve as a great training tool. We invite all of our employees, and by attending, they invariably walk away with new ideas about how to perform new and more creative heroic acts.
Wequassett Resort and Golf Club is a luxury resort in Chatham, Mass. In 2008, it placed 85th on Training magazine's Top 125 list, an annual ranking of organizations that excel at human capital development.
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