Valet Risk Management: Customer Service

Our article series on reducing valet risks is coming to a close. We have covered the necessary components of implementing the right processes and rules, ensuring proper driver training, and now it’s time to examine the necessity of good hiring practices and upholding top notch customer service.  No valet service is complete without qualified and competent employees, so consider the following advice and protect your operation with a Santa Fe Valet Insurance policy as a necessary component of your Hospitality Insurance Package.

Set your employees up for success.

An employee handbook can give your employees all of the information they need to thrive. Not only will this serve as an official training manual that they can refer back to, it will ensure everyone is on the same page and understand their expectations.

Here are the important features to include in your employee handbook as part of a comprehensive training and customer service manual:

• Dress code – Professional dress and hygiene should be included in the employee manual. Remember, their personal appearance is a direct reflection on your establishment.
• Behavior – Engaging with guests appropriately is a must. Be sure to include what’s appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
• Customer greeting and service – Provide a comprehensive checklist that your attendants must follow.
• Job performance standards – If your valet attendants receive various complaints, let them know how these will be handled, any consequences that they might face, and how to uphold quality service standards.
• Answers to FAQ’s – Questions such as how the valet works, pricing, and how to respond to unhappy guests should be covered.
• Fee structure – It’s important for your staff to understand how the fee structure works in the valet service so that they can provide knowledgeable information to their patrons.

Managing tips.

Tips can have a great impact on the service that your attendants provide. Typically, valet attendants earn minimum wage or just  above minimum wage. Their income is vastly dependent on tips. Now, there are two schools of thought concerning tipping. Many operations require their valets to pool their tips; at shifts’ end, this fund is evenly divided up.  The reasoning behind this is that it is believed that an equal disbursement will foster teamwork and prevent undesirable competition for the “big tippers”. Other operations allow individual valets to retain their own tips, believing that this encourages superior service, explains JD Events Management.

Depending on your preferred tip structure, consider the service side effects that can be impacted by each. After all, your customers are your first priority, but taking care of employees and ensuring they are content is the key to your success.

About Daniels Insurance, Inc.

At Daniels Insurance, Inc., we specialize in protecting the hospitality industry. Our robust policies are specially crafted to protect against the various exposures you may face including workers’ compensation, employment practices liability, liquor liability, food contamination, valet, garage keeper’s liability, and more. For more information about our products, contact our experts today at (855) 565-7616.