Employee training is essential whether you operate year-round or run a seasonal business. In the lead-up to your busy season, you will be training new staff or crew and it is important to allocate time to get your full staff up to speed on your business’ operations and your customers’ expectations.
As always, FareHarbor is here to help with resources that will get you and your staff ready to kick off the season with every aspect of your busy season operations.
Why you should train seasonal employees
Many companies experience a boost in business during a certain season, and for some, that means you will need to hire temporary employees. Getting them up to speed quickly enough to support your business during your seasonal rush affects your other employees, your customers, and your bottom line.
Set them up to succeed
Seasonal employees are often the face of your business during your busiest time of year, and they probably interact with high volumes of customers. Customers don’t know who your seasonal staff is, but they do expect good, consistent customer service, especially if they are repeat customers.
Not only should your employees favorably represent your business during facetime with customers, but they must also be intimately familiar with how your activities run.
Recruit returning workers
Just like you find yourself searching for seasonal workers year after year, seasonal workers are hoping to build relationships with businesses to return to work. They will be more likely to return for your next busy season when they feel supported.
By giving them the tools to succeed, you can build up your pool of returning workers for the next time you need short-term support.
Tips for training seasonal employees
Train seasonal staff for daily operations and customer interactions
Each new or returning staff member needs to get acquainted with day-to-day aspects of the job, like leading tours, checking customers in, and interacting with guests in general. Here’s a few ways you can prepare them.
Promote hands-on and peer-to-peer learning
If you need to get new team members up to speed, hands-on opportunities help them practice the types of scenarios they’ll experience on the job.
- Get new hires acquainted with your business: Give them an on-site tour to show them all the important areas at your business.
- Let them shadow other staff: Send your new hire out on a tour with a more experienced guide.
- Encourage tour guides to be independent: Let guides go off script to create authentic moments that are sure to stand out to customers.
Focus on business knowledge and customer skills
While your new hires are likely experienced in customer service, they still need to learn the nuances of your specific business.
- Provide front desk and booking training: Instruct team members on how to answer the phone, respond to social media messages, and interact with customers.
- Train staff in handling customer complaints: Dealing with challenging customers is just part of the job. Make sure your staff is prepared with a detailed policy.
- Review the many ways to improve the guest experience: Mention the insider tips about your area that make the experience memorable.
Training seasonal workers will positively affect your whole team’s performance. It is a worthwhile investment that will pay off as your season advances.