Casino Customer Service

Employee advocates at casinos can be a source of new business for their property during these trying economic times.

Employee advocates like the casino where they work so much, they encourage friends and relatives to play there. 

They spread positive word about the casino in the community, possibly encouraging other people to play there.  New players represent new business for the casino and they can become repeat business if they like the casino so much they visit it again and again.

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

You may think what you are about to read is a bit of a change from my usual guest experience focus.  But by the time you reach the end, I think you will see how it all ties in.

I participate in a lot of casino conferences and executive meetings, and I’m often surprised at how poorly important information is communicated.  The passing along of info ranges from data dumps to rambling rampages.  The information could be critical to the long-term success of the casino, but the way it’s presented makes it very difficult for the recipients to process and absorb it.

Let me talk about “data dumps” for a moment.  I’m sure all of you have been in one of these meetings and the data could come from any number of departments.  But the culprit is usually a department that has a large amount of information to share.  I’m smiling right now because I can see myself in a board room squinting at a PowerPoint slide that has the world’s smallest spreadsheet.  It contains years of data and more columns than the Parthenon.  The people in the room are having an exceedingly hard time reading the slide, let alone figuring out what it means to them.

Data sharing is more effective if you follow the K.I.S.S. system – Keep It Simple for Success.  Data is far better presented in small doses that have direct meaning.  For those of you who have participated in my company’s presentation skills training, you know how we stress that less is more.  It’s a simple concept that needs to be followed when dealing with data.

The next thing is those taxing “rambling rampages.”  You know what I mean.  I’m talking about the person or people who have something to share, but the presentation (and I use that word loosely) lacks clarity and direction.  They talk about and around a variety of things without ever getting to their point.  Arrggg!

The real problem with dumps and rambles is the loss of opportunity and the waste of time.  The opportunity is what people may have learned from the presentation.  Someone felt that this information was of value or they would never have suggested that they do a presentation.  And oh the horrid waste of time!  When you have several key executives in a room for a non-productive hour, you have wasted thousands of dollars.  The average attorney probably bills at $175 per hour.  I guarantee casino executives’ time is worth way more than that!  Let’s say there are 10 executives in the meeting.  That’s a minimum of $1,750 spent for absolutely nothing.  This doesn’t include the hours the presenter spent getting ready for their show and tell.

These are basic challenges, and I’m not even addressing what I would say is the greatest challenge of all – the fear of standing in front of people and giving the presentation.  It’s commonly said that most people fear giving a speech more than they fear death.  Sweat glands start pumping at the mere thought of doing a presentation or even being in charge of a small meeting.

People cringe at the notion of giving a presentation mainly because they have never learned how to do it.  They may have given a speech in a high school class or may have attended a Toastmasters meeting or two, but they have no formal training.  I like Toastmasters.  I believe it provides real value.  But it’s not a great way to learn how to do a business presentation.  Toastmasters sessions spend too much time counting “ums” and ringing bells if you are 30 seconds over your allotted time.  People say “um” as a filler when they don’t know what to say next.  They use fillers because they have not prepared their presentation or information in a way that is easy for listeners to follow. 

educing the use of fillers is not a big deal.   It usually starts with just knowing that you use them and then understanding why you do it.  Giving presentations is a skill that is learned and practiced.  The people who are good at it have worked hard to be that way.  Very few people just get up in front of a group and make a great presentation.

Yes, lousy presentations waste opportunities, time and money.  The flip side is that good presentation skills offer great side benefits.  Think for a moment about being able to make a professional and informative presentation and what that does for you.  The people who present information and ideas clearly are the ones who are visible and get recognized and promoted.  You may not aspire to be a GM, but it could mean a little more money for you each year. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to present your ideas and have them get the attention they deserve?  It would be very frustrating to have great ideas and know that they are dismissed because of the way the information is shared.

I know that casinos invest significantly in their people to help them develop.  They teach them guest service skills and how to be managers.  The concept of developing casino employees isn’t new by any means.  But when it comes to quality presentation skills, I think many casinos don’t understand the value they have for the casino long term.  Not only in presentations but in day-to-day communications with employees and guests. 

And there you have it.  Solid presentation skills can boost customer service and, ultimately, your guests’ gaming experience.  If an employee is comfortable giving presentations, then they are often more comfortable dealing directly with guest issues. 

If you sometimes wonder if you could do a better job at giving presentations, my hunch is that you need help.  Now that you see the value in improving your presentation skills, you can make it happen.  You will benefit and so will your casino and its guests.

This article originally appeared in Native American Casino.

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

Casino executives are expected to have numerous skills, but there is one that eludes many of them – they don’t have the ability to give an effective presentation.

Casino executives and senior managers shouldn’t feel bad about this.  They have lots of company.  But there are many good reasons for why they should learn how to give effective presentations.  Executives have much to gain and so do their casinos.

Following are some tips about the importance of strong presentation skills.

Buy-in for new ideas.  Executives who want their ideas taken seriously must be able to present them convincingly.  Time and again, I’ve seen casino executives have great ideas but, due to their lack of presentation skills, the ideas are discounted and never acted upon.  People are influenced more by the delivery of a presentation than they are by the actual information.

Potential for promotions for senior managers.  A study by AT&T and Stanford University shows that the top predictor of professional success and upward mobility is one’s enjoyment of and skill in making presentations.  Those who are good at delivering information to others are the ones who get noticed.  The ones who get noticed are the ones who have opportunities sent their way.  Strong presentation skills can help senior managers move up the ladder.

Overcoming one’s fear.  Facing and overcoming a fear offers a strong boost in self-confidence.  Most people fear giving a presentation more than they fear death.  If being comfortable with making presentations is the top predictor of professional success and giving presentations is the No. 1 fear, then there is an advantage to be had here.  Overcome this fear, become an effective presenter and good things will happen.

Strength in the information age.  Presentation skills are one of the most important skills to have in the age of information.  Casinos should want their executives and senior managers to do well in this area.  Public speaking development should be part of the property’s strategic business plan.

Motivated employees.  A high-quality presentation skills training program will increase employees’ motivation, self-image and confidence while also sharpening their organization, planning and communication skills.  Every casino should want to have staff members with those qualities.  It can give the casino a leg up on competitors that don’t appreciate the value of presentation development.

Cost savings.  Many casino executive meetings are a waste of time because the speaker does such a poor job of organizing the presentation and delivering it.  Time is money.  Think of how an executive’s pay breaks down hourly and how many hours are wasted in these meetings.  Imagine what could be accomplished if the presenters at the meetings captivated their audience and made convincing arguments.  Work would get done.  Money would be saved.

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

Casinos can possibly generate new business during uncertain economic times by creating guest advocates who say positive things about their property. 

Guest advocates are far more than just satisfied customers.  They are advocates for their favorite casino.  Because they are advocates, they encourage friends and family to play at the casino.  They spread positive word about the casino of their own free will.  This can result in new business for the casino as new players give it a try.

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

For those of you who haven’t met me, it’s important to know that I’m not a big fan of sugarcoating things to make them palatable.  I’m more known for brutal honesty.  My friends at Hogan Assessment Systems found that my personality-assessment score is very low for “prudence,” so that means I don’t always regulate the flow of ideas from my brain to my mouth.
 
Just wanted you to understand that because I’m about to be blunt.  Also, keep in mind that what I discuss in this column is backed by research.  OK, here it is – guest and employee satisfaction sucks!  As an effective measuring rod and management tool, it simply sucks.  Yet tribal casinos gauge guest and employee satisfaction all the time, wasting their time, energy and hard-earned money.
 
Why do I dislike satisfaction surveys?  Here are two clues – action (the lack thereof) and fickle.
 
It’s important that we are clear that it is critical for casinos to have actionable data regarding guests and employees.  Notice the word “actionable.”  Focusing on employees, it’s maddening to me when casino general managers tell me they just completed an employee satisfaction survey.  The fact that a satisfaction survey was conducted is tragedy enough.  The real damage occurs when nothing is done with the data.  The casino has all this information and fails to take action.
 
I’m repeatedly told that casino employees all want the same things:  better wages, improved communication, respect, recognition, differential pay, etc.  That’s what the survey says.  OK casino GM, what did you do with this data?  How did you act on it to improve your employees’ work experience?  Did you share the data and let everyone know what you were going to do for your employees?
 
Please don’t say the information went to a terms committee.  I just read a blog that said, “A committee couldn’t create a successful ham sandwich.”  Yes, you need to work with a variety of departments at different levels, but most committees only create meetings, not real improvement or progress.
 
Taking action is a serious issue.  Without action, data is of little or no value.  Did it matter that the captain of the Titanic knew the ship had struck an iceberg?  I don’t think so because not much was done initially, based on the knowledge.  The Titanic was billed as an unsinkable ship and the captain believed it.  So knowing that it had hit an iceberg was not important.
 
There are casino “captains” who believe their property can’t be sunk.  Thus, knowing that employees don’t like working there is of little importance.  They know that if people leave, human resources will just hire more.  (FYI, hiring more people to replace your departing ones is not taking action.  That’s a reaction.)
 
Enough on the word action.  Now about that word fickle and this time let’s focus on your guests.
 
Research shows that measuring satisfaction does not lead to improvement.  Why?  Because guest satisfaction is fickle.  Think of the average satisfaction survey.  It’s scored from 5 to 1 with 5 being “extremely satisfied” and 1 being “extremely dissatisfied.”  But how does a person define “satisfied” and what value does it have to him?  I was in London last November at a conference and someone told me that when people there dine out, they tell the restaurant that their meal was “very nice.”  Then they step outside and gripe about how awful the food was.  No doubt the restaurant thought they had a satisfied customer.  But was that the case?  Was the diner satisfied but wishing the meal had been better?  Or was the diner very dissatisfied and not likely to return?  The answers to these questions are vital to the restaurant’s success but management would be clueless even if it had done a brief satisfaction survey.
 
When you ask people if they are “satisfied,” the answers you receive are of little value because the question doesn’t require them to risk anything when they give their opinion.  This a very basic point with major impact. As William Shakespeare wrote, “… he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed.”  I think William was spot on when it comes to reputation and that is the key.
 
When you ask a person if they are “satisfied,” you miss the meat of what has real importance to them.  But if the London restaurant asks a diner if he would recommend the establishment to a friend – if you ask a guest if he would recommend your casino to a friend – then the person being surveyed must put his reputation on the line in order to give an answer.  Suddenly, the answer matters and you have good data.  Actionable data, I might add.
 
When you shift from satisfaction to measuring what affects a person’s “good name,” you now are measuring what’s important and that means you have moved from fickle to rock solid.  People have no vested interest in satisfaction, but when they invest their reputation, they put a high value on their answer. 
 
What you are doing is measuring their level of advocacy for your casino, not their satisfaction with it.  The more advocates you have, the more successful your casino will be.  This works for employees as well as guests.
 
Now let’s take this one step further.  When you measure satisfaction, you have data that is suspect at best and it’s difficult to take effective action based on the information.  But you work hard and do act on the results of your research.  I hope you see where this is going.  You are now putting even more time, energy and money behind data that has little or no correlation to future results because it doesn’t drill down to what your guests and employees value.  This can create a huge waste!  Programs are developed, training is done, meetings are held and it’s all based on information that measures something that is fickle.  That’s no way to run a business.
 
Now you understand why satisfaction sucks.
 
I won’t ask if you are satisfied with this article.  What would be the point?  But please drop me an e-mail and let me know if you risked your reputation and shared my thoughts with your GM or a colleague.  That is something I would value.
 
Martin R. Baird is author of “Advocate Index™:  An Operational Tool” and chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a customer service consulting firm for the gaming industry.  Robinson & Associates helps casinos determine their Advocate Index, a number that indicates the extent to which properties have guests who are willing to be advocates, and then implements its Advocate Development System to help casinos create more guest advocates.  The Advocate Development System uses the proven methodology of Advocate Index in combination with best business practices to chart a course for growth and profitability.  More information about the Advocate Development System and Robinson and Associates is available at the company’s Web sites at www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com and www.casinocustomerservice.com.  A copy of “Advocate Index:  An Operational Tool” may be obtained by calling 206-774-8856.  Robinson & Associates may be reached by phone at 480-991-6420 or by e-mail at mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com.  Based in Annapolis, Maryland, Robinson & Associates is a member of the Casino Management Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.