Soft skills are essential across the board in hospitality roles and include communication and interpersonal skills, time management, adaptability, flexibility, teamwork, organisation, intuitive thinking, attention to detail and above all else customer service. These skills are appearing on nearly every job description. With a vacancy rate of 5.1% in the hospitality industry, exacerbated by recent immigration policy recruiting and retaining staff is key.

Another year passes by. Nostalgia and retro foods have made a major comeback and there are more plant based protein options then ever before. Mac and Cheese made with non milk milk anyone?

Not only does this hot weather affect the volume of customers, it also affects how customers enjoy their experience. Think cold meat and fish dishes, salad, Mediterranean platters. In this unprecedented heat consider cutting down menus and reducing the amount of hot food. Give your staff a chance of not overheating too. Keep it cool!

Rather than focusing on a post COVID world, businesses need to think of COVID as a chronic condition and learn to live and work with it.
Once the lockdowns are lifted we are likely to see an explosion of the experience economy as people are desperate to share experiences with their friends and family. Visitor Attractions are well placed to tap into this, especially whilst international travel is difficult. This could be the year of the staycation. Domestic tourism will rule with outdoor attractions and rural locations benefiting. But remember - sanitise your site and not the visitor experience.

Apply for a free UK-wide industry standard and consumer mark to reassure your customers that your business adheres to Government and public health guidance.
To support you as you work towards re-opening and welcoming customers, VisitEngland has launched the 'We’re Good To Go’ COVID-19 industry standard and consumer mark. Ir is available to provide a ‘ring of confidence’ for businesses, attractions and destinations as well as reassurance to local residents and visitors that clear processes are in place and that as a business you are good to go.

If your business operates in England and you have read and implemented the Government’s COVID-19 reopening guidance, understand the guidance from Public Health England and have a COVID-19 Risk Assessment in place, you can apply for the industry standard mark by simply completing a self-assessment through the online platform. This includes a checklist confirming you have put the necessary processes in place. You will then receive a certification and the ‘We’re Good To Go’ mark to display on your premises and online.

Customers who feel that they have an emotional link to a brand or a business become loyal advocates, making repeat visits, repeat purchases and recommend to friends and family.
Thoughtfulness considers the intangible aspects of the customer experience and cannot be measure easily. It is the emotional factor that links customers to a brand. Build trusting, thoughtful relationships with your visitors and guests. Customers need to be acknowledged and understood and their feelings taken seriously. Customer centric mindsets must expand though to all employees who should always feel valued and inspired. Just a thought.

Diners are not turning up for their bookings and for whatever reason guests think it is ok to 'no show'. It's becoming such a problem that it is having an enormous financial impact on restaurant businesses. Of course it is a lack of courtesy on the customers part to not 'phone and cancel a booking or inform a restaurant that they can't make it. But can restaurateurs help themsleves improve this situation?
Working with accommodation providers who faced similar problems here are some of the suggestions that I know worked, especially with the online bookers who were the worst offenders.
 * Set out your booking and cancellation policy - an official policy can't be disputed.
* Include - how far in advance a cancellation is required, how long a table will be held for in the event of a no-show, whether you'll charge customers for not turning up if they haven't cancelled their booking.
* Consider taking a small deposit at the time of booking - perhaps the amount you would consider charging for a no show. Diners tend to be more likely to show if they have money at stake.
* Engage with customers as soon as a booking is made - send menu's, a wine list, double check dietary requirements. Send a text or email to confirm the booking, reminding your customers who may have forgotten where they've booked. Include a phone number and address as well as the time of the reservation.
* The day before, engage again, make a phone call, text or email to remind customers of their booking, providing the customer with a good impression of your customer service.
* Make it easy to cancel the booking - this will at least give you more time to fill an empty table.

Cafes and Restaurants don't just sell food and drink they provide a sense of belonging and recognition. Customer service is as equally important as the food. Friendly staff make happy staff. Well trained staff make customers happy. My top tips for excellent customer service are.

• Train staff to speak with respect and courtesy, using appropriate titles. (Madam, Sir, Mr...)
  
• Ensure staff see, smile and say hello at the first opportunity. Three smiles before the customer arrives at the service counter.
  
• Listen! Be aware at all times and ready for the unexpected.
  
• Be positive and patient, act gracefully.
• Serve with heart and hospitality.

Online reputation matters so try to stay at the top of the rankings. Don't ignore TripAdvisor it has over 50 million monthly visitors worldwide!

• Ask your guests to review your business and maintain a high presence on social media and booking sites.
• Make it easy for customers to write a review by either providing a clickable link in a thank you email or displaying a TripAdvisor badge.
• Respond to reviews - it shows that you are listening and sets expectations for future guests.
• Don't go overboard with your responses, it can be off putting.
• Always respond to negative, damaging or confusing reviews.
• Occasionally respond to positive reviews. Don't be repetitive.
• Reassure - thank, apologise if necessary and let the reviewer know how you are following up.

It's not always about fine dining. It's really important to be able to assess "quality in context". Recently I have been working on the Motorway Services, assessing quality in service stations for VisitEngland. This includes the forecourts and service areas. It might mean buying more than my fair share of McDonalds, KFC, Harry Ramsdens or burgers like this. And always a newspaper from WHSmith and a yoghurt from M&S or Waitrose (to see if I get offered a spoon)

A glimpse of the blinding obvious 
Understanding services from a customers point of view is so important. What is blindingly obvious to a customer isn't always so obvious to a business owner. So you need to step back and take a good look at yourself sometimes and listen to your customers! Or consider a mystery guest visit to get some really valuable feedback about your business.