Kennedy Training Network, Inc.

Doug Kennedy's monthly training newsletter was just sent! If you did not receive it, you can read it here: https://lnkd.in/egTvp4pN and subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eGJMtQt6 #KennedyTrainingNetwork #Hospitality #GuestService #Reservations #Sales #Hotelier #VacationRental

Now more than ever, in the era of online reviews and social media posts, guests’ experiences at the front desk impact the financial success of your hotel. The front desk colleagues are truly “memory makers” for your “brand.”   By engaging your staff in Kennedy Training Network, Inc.'s Front Desk 'Heart of Hospitality Certification', your team will learn about The Five Pillars Of Guest Service Excellence: Warm Welcome/Fond Farewell; Authentically Engage Our Guests; Telephone Hospitality Excellence; “Know Your Product”/Language of Hospitality; Welcome and Validate Guest Complaints. They will also learn that the heart of hospitality is human kindness, without which the guest services pillars are meaningless, scripted communication techniques.    Being a live, remote learning experience, it’s easy to schedule your front desk staff to be certified as they complete each step individually. Becoming a “Certified in the Heart of Hospitality” hotelier is affordable too, at just $149 for each individual CHH candidate. To learn more, email us at [email protected] or visit https://lnkd.in/eJU3jaXX #KennedyTrainingNetwork #HeartOfHospitality #Hospitality #FrontDesk #GuestService #Training #Certification

How exciting for Doug Kennedy to present webcam training for these smiling faces from the latest new-hire class of reservations sales superstars from Travel Outlook – The Premier Hotel Call Center™ on the very last day of their extensive onboarding class. Doug just loves the three-part process we have in place for this client, where he meets every new class on their first day on the job, then again at the end of their onboarding, right before they are ready to start to field live calls. The second training is over two hours long, so Doug really gets to interact with the staff, field any questions about the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. criteria, and send them off with enthusiasm. However, the onboarding training does not end there, as they return to us for one-on-one coaching sessions with Cathy Cook, DTM, CHT, our Executive Director. We are so proud to have had Travel Outlook as a client since 2012. They are the only call center that currently holds our official KTN Call Center Certification status. #KennedyTrainingNetwork #Reservations #Sales #ReservationsTraining #SalesTraining

Despite the pundits’ predictions, the phones continue to ring with incoming reservations leads even now in the mid-2020s, and yes, even at branded hotels across all segments. Some readers may be thinking, “Well not us. The majority of our rooms are booked online.” Yet if you listen to real phone calls from real callers, as Kennedy Training Network, Inc.’s QA team does daily through our remote call scoring process, you realize that many people call with questions before booking online, whether at an OTA or the hotel’s direct website. Other guests book first and then call with their questions, usually having the option of canceling if they cannot find the answers they are seeking. In the ideal world, website visitors hit the landing page and book on their own. But in the real world, quite a few actually call with questions and special requests. So, what happens when potential guests do call these days? Following are some training tips for leaders who recognize the huge opportunities that phone calls represent. Read more at Hotel News Resource: https://lnkd.in/e-DEbA5C #KennedyTrainingNetwork #Reservations #Sales #CallScoring #Hotel #Hotelier #VacationRental

Missed out on attending Doug Kennedy's live training webcast this month? You can still register now and watch the recording! Just follow this link: https://lnkd.in/eJJcdR_y To sign-up for our future training webcasts on hospitality excellence and/or sales, visit www.KTNwebcast.com #KennedyTrainingNetwork #KTNwebcast #Hospitality #GuestService #GuestExperience #Sales #Marketing

There's still time to register for Doug Kennedy's training webcast this month on Monday 07/22 at 12pm EST! This month, we'll be focusing on how to train your guest service staff to turn every conversation into a sales & marketing opportunity. Register at www.KTNwebcast.com for complimentary access, thanks to our generous sponsors Travel Outlook – The Premier Hotel Call Center™, Track Hospitality Software — A TravelNet Solution, and Better Talent. If you cannot attend this 40-minute webcast live, a copy of the recording will be automatically sent to you. #KennedyTrainingNetwork #KTNwebcast #Hospitality #GuestService #GuestExperience #Sales #Marketing

How wonderful for Doug Kennedy to be back at the Majestic Resorts complex in Punta Cana, DR, for his seventh training visit in the last 16 months! Doug got to present advanced hospitality and customer service training for the Senior Sales Agents at their direct reservations call center, many of whom have been with us since March 2023. Doug also got to re-run our “core” program, Reservations Sales QUEST, for a group of about 8 new agents. Doug says that it was super exciting to see their brand new office, built out specifically for their fast-growing team, with about half of the 35 seats equipped for new staff who will be added soon. We just love to see clients like this who go all-in on our program, also engaging us for monthly scoring of both sales and customer service calls, plus one-on-one live webcam coaching. Doug has established strong relationships with so many of the people in these pictures, but especially with their visionary leader, Maberlyn Alvarez, who is definitely one of the smartest, most focused, and most savvy leaders he has ever met during his 35 years in hotel training. #KennedyTrainingNetwork #OnTheRoadWithDoug #Hospitality #Reservations #Sales #ReservationsQUEST

Kennedy Training Network, Inc.'s Manager of Quality Assurance & Training Kate Martin is here to talk to you about the quality score grade and to shed a little light 💡 on your understanding of this aspect of call scoring. Even if you're not being scored on it, rest assured that your caller notices it. Quality is the genuine warmth and hospitality in your voice - it's the rapport you create with your callers and the smile😁 they can hear👂in your voice. Whether you're taking a 📞 reservation inquiry or fielding a customer service complaint, a voice that's sprinkled with smiley 😄 emoji charm fosters a bright ☀ and upbeat conversation. Its all about making sure that your calls📲 are smiley face approved 😊. Remember a heart-eyed 😍 emoji call with you can lead to a lot of 🤗 during their stay. Spread the heart ❤️ of hospitality through the phone line ☎ to each and every caller today. Watch anytime here: https://lnkd.in/ewUqAh3g And sign up for our newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eGJMtQt6 #KennedyTrainingNetwork #KTNTrainingTip #Reservations #Sales

Have you trained your guest services team how to respond when self-service tech solutions like apps and websites fall short? Register at www.KTNwebcast.com to receive complimentary access for Doug Kennedy's training webcast this month, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors Track Hospitality Software — A TravelNet Solution, Better Talent, and Travel Outlook – The Premier Hotel Call Center™. If you cannot attend this 40-minute webcast live, you will receive a copy of the recording automatically. #KennedyTrainingNetwork #KTNwebcast #Hospitality #GuestService #GuestExperience #Sales #Marketing

As Doug Kennedy makes the rounds as a conference speaker and lodging industry trainer — and monitors lodging industry groups on social media — he often hears and reads people commenting that today’s guests are more difficult, rude, angry, and conniving than ever before. In recent years, these comments are also attached to a statement such as “Ever since the pandemic….” Yet when Doug reflects back on his own experiences working with the public, he says that he just doesn’t believe this is the case. Perhaps a term from the world of psychology can help us understand this perceived trend. "Rosy Retrospection" generally refers to a human tendency to remember past events from a more positive perspective than historical reality. The more we talk about this fallacy, the more we reinforce it. The end result is that increasingly, we come to work every day filled with negative expectations, dread, and anxiety, expecting to encounter rude, difficult, and conniving guests. Instead, what leaders should be doing is training their frontline staff to better understand and empathize with guests, to think about the challenges and stress involved with travel itself, and to prepare them to flip the vibe of those they encounter. Here are some training tips. Read more at Hotel News Now: https://lnkd.in/eisjqNbs #KennedyTrainingNetwork #Hospitality #GuestService #Retrospection #Empathy