Commercial training for staff working in the hospitality sector is becoming increasingly important , particularly as it is a sector that needs to work very hard to maintain competitive advantage and to increase profits year on year .
Many think training is an expensive cost and they won ’ t see the benefits of it in their business , but the more staff understand a business ’ products the better they will perform . Recent research has shown commercial training shows a good return on investment over a period of time and significantly improves sales performance , as with the right knowledge staff become more confident at up-selling . The result is happier customers and higher profit .
There are different types of training , with the main variation being formal education versus on-the-job practical training . While both prove valuable , there is a strong argument to say that without the formal education to enable an individual to learn the basic skills and background information , on-the-job practical training is less efficient as the individual does not have a grasp of the fundamentals on which they can build their knowledge as they learn more .
Arguably , the two types of training serve different purposes . A formal education is to offer the facts and the on-the-job education is to offer the flair . Take the Wine & Spirit Education Trust ’ s Systematic Approach to Tasting as an example : it offers the fundamental knowledge that an individual needs to describe the key characteristics of a wine or spirit and assess its quality . What it does not do , nor is it claiming to , is offer poetic language that an individual may choose to use to make a colourful sales pitch to a customer . The two types of training need to work in unison to maximise value .
Results from historical research conducted by WSET on the value of training for the retail market showed that providing staff WSET education in combination with in-house training increased outlet profits by a significant margin (£ 7,346 across 10 outlets ), this was considerably more than when staff were given in-house training alone . Extrapolating out this theory , WSET is currently working with Living Ventures and William Grant & Sons on new research for the on-trade market , which is also showing promising results in this direction so far .
Whether formal , on-the-job or both , hospitality businesses across the world must recognise the need to train their staff to enable them to offer a superior service to their customers and , fundamentally , increase sales and profit for the business . Consumers are becoming ever more demanding with their desires and ever savvier when it comes to their own product knowledge as well as awareness to see through marketing speak , so it ’ s important that staff are still seen to have genuinely superior knowledge to cater to them .
Many hotels and restaurants already recognise this . Big hospitality groups such as Soho House & Co , Shangri-La International Hotel Management and Hakkasan Group have WSET certified educators offering courses in-house , while other independent businesses encourage and support their staff to do qualifications externally before training them on-the-job in-house . All these businesses see direct results from supporting staff through training , with 93 % saying that offering in-house training improved staff retention .
Following a turbulent year globally and with continued uncertainty amongst consumers , hospitality businesses need to look at investing in the future and training is a key way to do this . Nurturing talent is a responsibility every business should take seriously in order to secure loyalty from their staff to aid retention , as well as encourage a positive environment for the next generation of employees consequently safeguarding the future success of the business . If staff feel secure and valued , so will customers , no matter what the external circumstances .
The value of training , therefore , extends not only to a business ’ bottom line but to individuals themselves , which makes all the difference in an industry that functions on a personal level of customer service .
About the author Ian Harris DipWSET , is Chief Executive of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust ( WSET ), the largest global provider of wine and spirits qualifications . Following a long and successful career in sales and marketing for the wine and spirit industry , including 10 years with Waverley Vintners followed by 15 years with the Seagram Spirits and Wine Group in the UK and France , he joined WSET in 2002 . WSET offers courses in 19 languages across 72 countries for all levels , from Level 1 Awards in Wine , Spirits or Sake up to the expert Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits . To learn more about WSET courses and find a local Approved Programme Provider visit the website at www . WSETglobal . com