In the hospitality field, work can be both exhilarating and exhausting! Every day businesses have opportunities to surprise and delight customers. Providing amazing customer service depends on an excellent team of workers who are trained to know what to do and how to it. Sound time-consuming? It doesn’t have to be. Here are four ways hospitality businesses can use online training to develop exceptional employees.
1. Make the business mission come alive – Consistent customer service is the key to success 
for hospitality businesses. Every employee must convey the same standards and embrace the same values to provide a uniform experience for customers. To make this happen, employees must be thoroughly coached and trained.
"Customer service shouldn't just be a department;
it should be the entire company." ~ Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos
Often when employees hear the word, training,” they think “boring.” But training doesn’t have to put workers to sleep. Hospitality businesses can set up online training that makes it easy to coach and teach employees the reason for the business.
The benefit of using an online training software system is that employees can learn new information on the go. Younger employees prefer online training because they can watch it at their convenience on any digital device. (For tips on finding the right online training software system, read this blog.)
When brainstorming on training content, think about interesting ways to explain the history and mission of the business and the customers that enjoy the services provided. Consider ways to make the information jump off the page, so employees get excited about the business mission and see how they can make a difference.
Creatively explain the difference the business makes in people’s lives. Using videos, audio stories, PowerPoint, and interesting photos, the training modules can capture employees’ attention. They are more likely to remember the information, and they’ll look forward to future online learning experiences.
Always remember that the training modules should be short, interesting and entertaining, so employees look forward to learning new information vs. dreading it. (One of the best ways to create short training modules is to adopt microlearning techniques.)
2. Share real stories that embrace the mission – Every hospitality business knows there are many competitors vying for their customers. So, help employees understand why customers choose to spend their time and money with your business. What do they gain from their experiences? Why do they choose to come back?
Sort through customer feedback to find nuggets of examples of what your business means to 
customers. Look for real-world, practical examples. Record people reading these stories and weave the audio recordings into the training modules. People learn best when their hearts, emotions, and minds are captivated by what they hear. They also retain the information longer and motivated to exceed customers’ experiences.
3. Make training memorable – Often business owners and managers don’t set aside enough time at the front end to design learning modules. They end up cramming a lot of information into a training module without connecting the thoughts. As employees view the training, they get confused and struggle to understand how the material connects to their work.
With the right online training software system, it’s easy to create design modules that keep employees’ attention using a mix of teaching tool. And it’s simple to edit the modules to correct mistakes or update content to ensure employees are getting the latest information.
When creating the training, mix up the training formats to help employees absorb the material and the key takeaways. After watching a training session, they know exactly how to put the information immediately to work. Or, they can rewatch the segments to review points or refresh their understanding.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~ Maya Angelou, author
4. Train continuously – The secret to employees who consistently provide excellent customer service is to provide relevant coaching and training continually. Encourage employees to review online training modules to catch nuggets of information they may not have caught on the first pass. Regularly create training modules on new topics that teach employees the skills and knowledge they need to improve their customer service.
