FOOD & BEVERAGE SHORT TAKES

Telephone Hospitality Short Take

Suggested Time
Objective
After attending this Short Take session, associates will be able to:
15 Minutes
 Demonstrate the 4 skills of telephone hospitality
 Answer the telephone according to standard
 Use the standard telephone greeting consistently

RESOURCES
 Who should deliver this Short Take?
NEEDED:
 Restaurant Managers, Assistant Managers and Supervisors should deliver this
 Handout –
Short Take
Restaurant
Training Manual
 Who should attend?
for New Hires
 All associates on the restaurant team
 Handout -
Telephone
 Why is this important?
Answering SOP
 These standards add consistency to the way we respond to guests in the following
 Equipment -
ways:
Telephone o For many guests, the initial phone call to the restaurant is their first contact,
and first impressions count
 Optional- o A caller is only a potential guest, the ability to meet the needs of the caller in a
Flip Chart friendly, courteous and efficient manner is what turns the potential guest
into an actual guest
o Increased focus on this standard will lead to more satisfied guests and reduce
the possibility of miscommunication

Prepare
 Preview Short Take document
 Print and copy handouts for each participant:
Key Steps to Telephone o Restaurant Training Manual for New Hires
Hospitality o Telephone Answering SOP

1) Listening  See the last page for tips for preparing to deliver the training
2) Questioning
3) Confirming
4) Explaining

Marriott International Confidential and Proprietary Information 09.08.09

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FOOD & BEVERAGE SHORT TAKES

Telephone Hospitality Short Take

Present – Telephone Hospitality

Say:
 Today we’ll discuss three important components of telephone hospitality;
o The skills of Telephone Hospitality: Listening, Questioning, Confirming and Explaining
o Telephone Answering Standards
o Standard Greetings

Discuss – Telephone Hospitality

Distribute Restaurant Training Manual for New Hires and discuss the information.
Say:
 Let’s discuss the key steps to Telephone Hospitality:
o Simply knowing how to do your job is not enough, if information is not gathered and effectively given to
meet that caller’s needs and expectations. Therefore, the most important set of skills in a four step
communication process are:

1. Listening
2. Questioning
3. Confirming
4. Explaining

Listening

People talking to each other is not communication. Real communication takes place when people listen to each
other and make an effort to respond to what the other person is saying. Communication then becomes a dialogue
rather than two separate monologues.

Good listening requires a total focus on the other person and a willingness to hear everything that is said. One of
the most common barriers to effective listening is, listening only for those things you expect or want to hear. Good
communications require you to focus on both your objectives and the objectives of the caller. Your credibility will
be dependent on how effective and accurate your responses are to the caller’s comments and questions.

Questioning

Questioning is crucial to the communication process. This is how you not only gather information you need, but
gain further insight into what people mean or feel about a situation. Questioning demonstrates that you have an
interest in the caller’s comments or feelings and acknowledge the caller as an individual.

Good questioning skills will ensure a depth of understanding before you respond to what you assume you have
heard.

Marriott International Confidential and Proprietary Information 09.08.09

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FOOD & BEVERAGE SHORT TAKES

Telephone Hospitality Short Take

Confirming

Confirming is a step that is often missed. When you confirm, you rephrase what you have heard back to the caller;
and ask if this is correct. Again, accuracy is a key step to providing 'great guest service'.

The best way to ensure that you understand what the other person is saying is to ask. This step is doubly
important in your job because your efficiency and credibility is dependent on gathering and giving complete and
accurate information.

Explaining

Explaining is an important skill. It is the ability to talk about a subject or situation logically and briefly, with
enthusiasm, clarity and a vivid language that keeps the listener’s interest. It is a very good skill to have when
telling people about your restaurant.

Discuss– Telephone Answering Standards

Distribute the Telephone Answering SOP and discuss the following information.
Say:
o The telephone is answered within three rings
o The telephone is answered in a calm, cheerful voice
o The standard greeting is consistently used
o A ringing telephone can annoy many guests, so it should be answered quickly and be placed on hold

More tips to answering the phone with hospitality:

 If more than one line is ringing, the guest is politely greeted, and asked: “May I put you on
hold?” This is a question and not a statement. Wait until the guest responds BEFORE putting
him or her on hold.
 When returning to the guest that you have put on hold, say: “Thank you for holding. How may I
help you?”
 Properties with an automated system that greets the guest should thank the guest for holding.
 Give complete attention to each guest when on the telephone.
 Address each guest by name (whenever possible).
 Chewing gum or eating is not permitted when answering the telephone.
 Always use proper language without using slang or jargon.
 Before transferring calls, associates must verify if the guest is being directed to a voice
mailbox. If the voice mail is responding, the guest should be advised and asked if he or she
would like to leave a message.
 Always allow the guest to end the call and hang up first.
 When the restaurant is closed, the telephone should be forwarded to another open outlet or
the AYS (At Your Service) department.

Marriott International Confidential and Proprietary Information 09.08.09

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FOOD & BEVERAGE SHORT TAKES

Telephone Hospitality Short Take

Discuss– Standard Greetings

Say:
 I’d like to cover the standard telephone greeting:
o “Good morning/afternoon/evening. (restaurant name). This is (name). How may I help you?”
Recap Learning and Next Steps
Ask:
 Who can summarize the four skills of Telephone Hospitality? Answer:
o Listening, Questioning, Confirming, Explaining

 Who can summarize the Telephone Answering Standards? Answer:

o The telephone is answered within three rings
o The telephone is answered in a calm, cheerful voice
o The standard greeting is consistently used
o A ringing telephone can annoy many guests, so it should be answered quickly and be placed on hold.

 Who can summarize the Standard Greetings? Answer:

o “Good morning/afternoon/evening. (restaurant name). This is (name). How may I help you?”

Say:
 Now that you have had a brief overview of Telephone Hospitality, please feel free to come to me (or any
other member of your management team) if you have additional questions or would like guidance through
any of the processes.
 Thank you for participating in our meeting today!

Tips to Prepare to Deliver Training

 Whiteboard / Flipchart Notes:

o Use BIG letters.
o Prepare in advance.
o Use green, black and blue markers for easy visibility.
o Make light pencil notes to yourself to remind you what to say and the audience will not be
able to see.
 Take a few minutes before the session to review your notes.

 Trainer’s Tips
1. Make sure everyone can SEE and HEAR you.
2. Explain the standards in very simple terms.
3. Encourage associates to think about how this training might help them.
4. Have questions ready to stimulate discussion, and PAUSE for a few seconds to wait for a
response.
5. Encourage associates to ask questions to guide the conversation, do not do all of the talking.
6. If you cannot answer a question, tell associates they will receive more detailed information.
7. Thank associates for their attendance and participation.

Marriott International Confidential and Proprietary Information 09.08.09

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