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Executive Viewpoint: Cloud-Based Media Training & Frontline Communications

10/20/2020
Curtis Campbell, Senior Marketing Manager, HughesON

Q: Hotel operators face ever-evolving standards in meeting guest expectations, with health and safety front and center. What challenges do they face in implementing effective cleaning protocols?  

When we face national emergencies, we do our best to adapt.  COVID-19 is no different.  Businesses of all shapes and sizes must adapt their business practices and protocols to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulations while also focusing on delivering an exceptional customer experience.  While the updated policies come from local government and headquarters, the actual delivering of the experience rides on those working the “front lines” (housekeepers, maintenance, and cleaning staff).  Without reliable, real-time, communication, front lines are handicapped – thus diminishing your customers’ experience. 

Q: How can technology provide an effective solution to educating the housekeeping workforce around health and safety protocols?

Wherever we go, technology is everywhere.  It has woven itself into the very fabric of our lives.  Because of this, it becomes natural that when we need information, we simply pull out our personal device, or turn on a screen to get the answers we are seeking.  When that information is not readily available, it quickly creates frustration and confusion.  When technology is leveraged by a business, adoption is no longer a big hurdle, because everyone is already using it.  Technology, such as smartphones, tablets, and digital signage can quickly, easily, and clearly inform front line workers of changes, as they happen.  Because national emergencies, such as COVID are always changing, real-time communication offered by these devices is effective, efficient, and scalable. 

Q: What kinds of hardware investments should hotels consider when implementing a cloud-based media training program?

With the advent of smaller devices, including smartphones and tablets, as well as smaller digital signage screens, the hardware investments are not what they used to be.  Communication networks used to require expensive servers, miles of cabling, and a team that oversees such.  But, as technology has advanced, and the cloud has become more accessible, servers have been virtualized, and fast, reliable WiFi has become more standardized, all that is needed is a smartphone, tablet, and/or a digital signage solution residing in the back office. With these devices, managers and employees alike can quickly upload and consume content at the moment it is needed most.  When they are able to feel empowered, they offer discretionary effort.  And when this all happens, customers receive a better, more memorable, more sharable experience. 

Q; When hotel operators implement a cloud-based media training strategy, what kind of efficiency and ROI can they expect in the near-term?

There are several ways in which that can help a hotel owner/operator. First off, travel costs.  For decades, when new training was created and needed to be disseminated, someone from the home office would have to travel to each site, take employees away from their daily responsibilities and train them.  While this worked well, there wasn’t really an alternative.  However, leveraging the types of technology mentioned above, training can be delivered from anywhere at virtually any time.  This is especially important, because it leverages video versus powerpoints & PDFs, and allows people to consume training in chunks in a more convenient fashion – saving brands more time and money.  The second way this can deliver solid ROI is through an increase in employee engagement and subsequent reduction in turnover.  To clarify, when an employee feels empowered, they become more loyal.  When they are more loyal, they stay with your organization, thus saving money and resources instead of having to replace and retrain those that leave.  The third area is purely around customer experience.  When a guest walks in, is greeted by a happy employee, walks into a clean room, sits down to a great meal, they are more likely to repeat their stay as well as share their experience. 

Training and communications solutions that deliver efficiency & ROI

BreakroomTV:

  • Real-time, passive information source that enables people to see information as it changes. 
  • Deployed with nothing more than a SmartTV and requires only an internet connection
  • Can offer integrated Video On Demand training enabling employees to quickly gather together or independently and consume content
  • Can be integrated with LiveTV and other external data feeds to ensure people not only look but consume content. 

MediaTraining:

  • Personalized, mobile friendly training solution accessible on any internet-enabled device
  • Share content quickly and easily, as well as test your employees to ensure understanding
  • Comes “out of the box” with dozens of reports to see and understand how your training is being received and consumed
  • Deliver real-time, face to face training with optional Zoom integration
  • Can run in both a hosted and virtualized on-premise scenario, ensuring MediaTraining aligns with your budgets, priorities, and capabilities. 

Curtis Campbell, a New England native and transplant to Salt Lake City, joined HughesON five years ago. He is a proven strategic & energetic marketing professional, focused on helping organizations of all shapes and sizes leverage modern technology solutions to digitally transform while delivering exceptional customer & employee experiences. Curtis received his MBA from LSU in 2015 and is a proud husband and father of four incredible kids.