Skip to content
Did you know actors can help guest services delight and inspire?
Learn how unique training methods create exceptional guest services.
Expectations are rising across the board. Your colleagues are demanding friendly, functional and productive spaces to work in. And visitors are seeking memorable experiences. You need to make sure every touchpoint delights and inspires – and it’s down to your front-of-house team to set the standard.
The best guest services colleagues will be able to anticipate the needs of everyone attending your workplace – and exceed them.
They’ll take care of everything from urgent room bookings and last-minute catering requests to keeping things running smoothly. But it’s the little things like remembering names or opening the door that have the biggest impact on your colleagues and guests’ day.
These all add up to show everyone using your estate that your guest services colleagues aren’t just doing their job – they’re going above and beyond… because they genuinely care.
At Mitie Signature, we take a very novel approach to making sure they’re prepared for every scenario…
Exceptional people, backed by specialist training
People have the biggest impact on front-of-house services. That’s why Mitie has invested in state-of-the-art customer experience training.
Through the training, our colleagues not only undertake eLearning, but attend actor-led workshops to put those lessons into practice. There, they play out potentially difficult scenarios and learn techniques that encourage positive resolutions. Circumstances may include:
- Assisting a guest who forgot to request a gluten-free lunch.
- Managing an executive who needs to schedule an urgent meeting, but their EA is on holiday.
- Dealing with a person having a medical emergency while a queue of VIPs is forming.
This type of training hones in on the human-to-human element of guest services. And it helps team members learn how to tailor their approach and communication styles to the person they’re talking to.
“As managers, we can see the impact on those who have attended. They are engaged in giving customers that extra level of service, have a new lease of life in their roles and are proud to represent Signature and Mitie.”
Unique impact of actor-led training
Professional actors bring something special to guest services training. Their workshops enable front of house colleagues to experience potentially difficult scenarios in a risk-free space. They can then apply those learnings to foster productive conversations and experiences when difficult situations arise in the real world.
Reflecting on the training, Signature supervisor, Kieran Knott, said: “The training has seen my team collaborate more and communicate a lot better. Just having people from different sites across the patch on the same course has helped everybody come together. The team have mentioned to me they understand more ways of communication and how to tailor that to certain customers.”
What the training means for…
…Guests
Actors help the guest services team walk through a visitor’s journey to create a thorough understanding of any gaps that might exist. From there they can pre-empt problems and stop them from ever occurring. For example, your building entrance could be hard to find. By establishing that, colleagues can create comprehensive communications that tell guests exactly where to go – helping them arrive relaxed.
…Colleagues
Your people should take time to understand the employee experience, too. If a particular desk is in full sun on a hot day, team members can alert facilities to make sure the area is properly cooled. If the printer is playing up, they know how to clear a paper jam or who to call if an engineer is required.
With actor-led training, guest services colleagues don’t just meet expectations – they surpass them, creating moments that truly delight, inspire and transform every interaction into an extraordinary experience.
Curious to explore what Mitie Signature’s approach can do for your organisation?
Learn more about our guest services and start the journey towards front-of-house delivery that brightens your people’s days.
Read next
Why it’s time to retire the title ‘receptionist’
When I say ‘receptionist,’ what do you picture? Probably a desk. A phone. A smile. But that’s only a fraction of the story. With the push for cost savings and greater efficiency, today’s guest…
The Science of Service Podcast: The office is dead… Long live the office!
As we head towards summer 2024, it’s easy to forget just how different work life was during the pandemic. For those fortunate enough not to have been permanently affected by Covid-19, the sequence of…
How to design the perfect workplace
Most of us will spend around a third of our adult lives at work – that’s an average of 35 hours a week, or about 90,000 hours over a lifetime. Our workplaces should be…