Monday, October 29, 2007

Advocate Index™ Helps CFOs Cut Costs and Forecast Revenues

Casino chief financial officers can accomplish two major goals – cost reduction and accurate revenue forecasting – by eliminating satisfaction surveys and replacing them with an index that measures advocacy.

Casinos should stop spending money on guest and employee satisfaction surveys because research published in the Harvard Business Review shows there is no correlation between satisfaction and the future growth of a business.  Satisfaction is too fickle a measurement tool to be useful.
 
What a casino needs is a guest and employee Advocate Index score™.  Advocates create repeat and new business, and the degree to which a casino has advocates can be measured and expressed as an index..  Because advocacy has a high correlation to growth, the index can be used to forecast a casino’s revenues.  And the index can pay for itself over time.

Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 08:06:54 | Permalink | Comments Off

Monday, October 22, 2007

Casino HR Departments Need A Way to Create Employee Advocates

Casino human resources departments are fighting a losing battle if they do not have the advantage of an internal improvement program that creates employee advocates, reduces employee turnover and improves the performance of front-line employees.
 
A system that creates employee advocates is invaluable for casinos.  Employee advocates love their jobs so much they aren’t about to leave, and they recommend their casino to friends and relatives as a great place to work.  That reduces turnover and saves a significant amount of money.  

It is expensive to replace an employee – as much as $12,000 per new hire at an upscale casino.  So what is it worth to an HR department to reduce turnover and invest the savings into improving existing employees through training?  What does it cost the casino when employees are not advocates for the property?  Anti-advocates drive customers away and pollute the employee pool.

Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 17:57:31 | Permalink | Comments Off

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Five Keys to Creating Effective Casino Managers & Supervisors

New or old, large or small, tribal or corporate – many casinos wish they had stronger, more effective managers and supervisors, and there are ways to make that happen.
  
Casinos simply cannot compete in the brutal gaming industry if their operations are not up to par.  Many casino executives want to know how they can get their managers and supervisors to do what they’ve been hired to do – manage and supervise. 
 
Here are five suggestions for creating a strong management team.  
 
Develop A Scientifically Proven Screening and Hiring Process.  Pre-hire assessments are scientifically proven and well worth the effort.  For example, you can pick up on personal issues before the prospective hire signs on the dotted line.  These assessments help create a multidimensional picture of the candidate.  This allows the casino’s human resources department to make decisions based on real information, not just a smile and the patented interview phrase of “I’m customer service focused.”
  
In addition to identifying issues, assessments help HR create profiles of the characteristics that make up the casino’s top performers in any specific department.  After all, a great beverage server could be a much different person than your best cage worker. 
 
Stop Hiring from Within.  If casinos only look within their organization, they are promoting people who don’t necessarily have the skills and training required to be effective managers and supervisors.  This weakens your casino.  Promoting from within can improve morale, but only if the people are qualified.  It isn’t good enough if you promote people simply because they show up for work or never get reprimanded.  A good beverage server should not automatically be asked to manage a bar.  What makes them a great server could be the kiss of death in a management role.
  
Help Employees Improve Themselves.  Casinos can promote from within but only if they improve the people they have so that employees will be ready if and when the opportunity comes their way.  Many casino supervisors and managers are not the world’s best.  They often don’t even understand the basics of supervision, let alone management.  You need to give them training so they can learn the skills they need to succeed. 
 
Manage the New Managers.  Many casinos put a new manager or supervisor out to pasture immediately after they receive their promotion.  Their former boss now assumes that, as a manager, they no longer need to be managed.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  New managers and supervisors need special care and attention.  Support your newbies early and often.  Now is the time to nurture them and help them grow.  They are part of your critical front-line team, so don’t wait until they make a big mistake. 
 
Listen to Employees.  Casino executives need to know what’s going on with their managers and supervisors.  The front-line team knows which managers are good.  They know which ones just yell.  They know which ones are often late because they are now a “manager.”  You need to have your employees risk their reputation and share the truth about the people they work for.
 
Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 20:25:20 | Permalink | Comments Off

Monday, October 15, 2007

CEOs, GMs Let Policies Hinder Their Casino’s Future Profitability

Casino Chief Executive Officers, General Managers Let Internal Policies Hinder Their Property’s Growth, Says Robinson & Associates, Inc. 
 
Casino chief executive officers and general managers need a word of caution – they are letting internal policies get in the way of their property’s growth.  They probably don’t know it, but policies that frustrate customers are preventing them from creating guest advocates, the very people they need to generate repeat business, new business and ever-increasing revenues and profits.  Guest advocates are way beyond satisfied or loyal.  They love a particular casino so much that they play only at that property and recommend it to friends and relatives.  Casino executives need employee advocates, too, but employees who must enforce these policies can also become frustrated. 
 
“If CEOs and GMs insist on adhering to policies that are anti-advocate, they are damaging the symbiotic relationship among all their departments as they work together to create a successful property.  How can marketing attract and keep new guests, how can human resources retain talented employees and how can the chief financial officer chart a course for profitability if frustration is the name of the game?
 
Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 20:14:20 | Permalink | Comments Off

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Martin R. Baird to Participate In Global Gaming Expo Panel

I will participate in a panel presentation on employee communication at Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in November in Las Vegas .  The panel presentation is titled “Employee Communication:  From Conflict to Cooperation” and will take place from 8 to 9 a.m. Nov. 15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center where G2E will be held.  The session will share new ideas and techniques that casino managers can use to effectively communicate with employees.

With more than 750 exhibitors and more than 150 conference sessions, G2E is the world’s largest and premiere gaming event where professionals meet to obtain in-depth information on new products and ideas.
I believe good communication with employees is critical because employees deliver the outstanding service that keeps casino guests coming back.  Employees are the backbone of any casino.  They interact with the people who keep casinos in business – the guests.

Effective communication is one crucial element of creating employee advocates at casinos.  Every casino should want to have as many employee advocates as possible. Employee advocates love their jobs so much, they wouldn’t think of working anywhere else and that reduces turnover.  Employee advocates say good things about their casino in the community, thus possibly generating new business.  They deliver stellar guest service that encourages players to visit again.  Employee advocates recommend their casino to friends as a great place to work, thus expanding the property’s staffing pool.  And it all starts with effective communication.

Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420
Posted by Marty at 19:54:42 | Permalink | Comments Off

Monday, October 8, 2007

Blend Awareness Into Service and Turn Guests Into Advocates

Casino employees who are aware of their guests and their needs at all times can turn those customers into advocates for the property.  Guest service is based on awareness.  You must be aware of your guests – their facial expressions, the way they sit and what they’re doing.  By being aware of those things, you put yourself in a position to help them.  You are prepared to say:  “This person looks like they can’t get change” or “This person looks like they’re frustrated.  I’ll go over and say hello.”  Being aware of what’s going on with guests leads to great things.

Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 19:25:17 | Permalink | Comments Off

Monday, October 1, 2007

Turn Casino Guests Into Advocates By Showing Them Some Attention

There’s one easy way that casino employees can turn their property’s guests into advocates – show them a little attention.  Attention is something everyone wants.  We all want it in different ways, but basically we want to be recognized.  We want a certain level of attention.  Giving the guest personal attention could mean just smiling and walking by because that’s what the guest prefers.  It could mean using their name or remembering what they like to drink or how they like a sandwich.  Providing that level of attention tells them you care about them and want them to come back.  That can turn them into advocates for the casino.

Martin R. Baird
Robinson & Associates, Inc.
mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com
www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com
www.casinocustomerservice.com
480-991-6420

Posted by Marty at 17:53:40 | Permalink | Comments Off