Not only is it useful, but it is also fun

Not only is it useful, but it is also fun

Not only is it useful, but it is also fun

 

Boost’s mobile training solutions bring many benefits to hotels, from better guest service to increased upselling revenue and more loyal guests. However, some of the biggest benefits are accrued by the service employees themselves, many of whom emerge from their Boost course having learnt an entirely new language and set of service skills. Not only does this give them more confidence at work, but improves their employability and improves their career prospects.

 

Boost spoke to Nittaya Sitthimongkol, Assistant Restaurant Manager at Big Fish and Bar Restaurant, Hua Hin Marriott Resort and Spa about her experience using Boost Voice.

Please introduce yourself.

Nittaya: Sawasdee ka, my name is Nittaya Sitthimongkol. I work at Marriott Hua Hin Resort and Spa in the Big Fish and Bar restaurant.

When is your favourite time to learn?

Nittaya: I like to learn after finishing work or during my day off because this is my free time.

What is the most enjoyable part of learning with Boost?

Nittaya: I enjoy every part of the app. In every part they have a different way to learn, but my favorite part is the games because it makes it fun.

How much has Boost improved the way you work?

Nittaya: It has improved my vocabulary. Vocabulary is very important to me, if you don’t know the word then you cannot complete the sentence.

What do you love about your job?

Nittaya: I love my job very much and I love the Marriott brand, I am able to learn many languages and get to know many cultures from many guests. In our Marriott, when we make the guest happy we will be happy as well.

 

CTI Group Worldwide Services inc. Brings Mobile Assessment to the Cruise Industry in Partnership with Boost

CTI Group Worldwide Services inc. Brings Mobile Assessment to the Cruise Industry in Partnership with Boost

CTI Group Worldwide Services inc. Brings Mobile Assessment to the Cruise Industry in Partnership with Boost

Powered by Boost, the tailor-made mobile assessment solution CrewHire will select cruise employees at much higher industry standards

Virgin Voyages to use CrewHire to aid in the validation of candidates in preparation for their inaugural voyage in April 2020

 

Boost, the leading mobile training solutions provider for the Hospitality industry, and CTI Group Worldwide Services, Inc. (CTI Group), a pioneer in the cruise recruitment industry with over 250,000 crew placed, have developed a cruise-specific mobile solution designed to assess the English language skills of applicants looking to work in the cruise industry. CrewHire will be used to pre-screen all cruise line applicants, accurately testing for suitability and language proficiency. CrewHire is available to all cruise lines, and global recruiting and placement agencies. CrewHire will be used by Virgin Voyages to validate all non-native English speaking candidates’ English language skills globally in preparation for their inaugural voyage set for April 2020.

Boost drew on CTI Group’s expertise in the cruise industry to develop the technology that powers CrewHire. The mobile app uses mobile technology to measure an applicant’s spoken American English language proficiency, for hire and eventual career in the cruise industry. Unlike existing tools, CrewHire tests applicants on department-specific words and phrases, with results immediately available through a customised dashboard, with English language proficiency measured according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) standard.

This app is a real game-changer given the way the Millennial Generation uses their smartphone and tablets. This technology will allow us to reach more potential crew and provide an even higher level of relevant assessment, ensuring we are able to select and place cruise line employees who possess real potential. Importantly, due to the mobile nature of CrewHire we are able to reach many more potential applicants, significantly widening the net in an efficient and cost-effective way. We will be testing applicants on department-specific phrases so our cruise line clients will have a good understanding of their employees’ knowledge and abilities.

Robert Upchurch

CEO, CTI Group

With growing demand for cruises continuing, it is more important than ever to select skilled hotel service, deck and engine shipboard employees to deliver the ultimate experience for all guests taking a cruise vacation. It is a requirement for employees to have at least a proficient understanding of the English language and so it is necessary to accurately gauge a candidate’s ability in the initial phase of selection. Boost’s mobile technology that underpins CrewHire has been specifically developed for this purpose. We have worked closely with CTI Group to develop a selection program that incorporates cruise-specific tests and terminology, ensuring that cruise lines around the world are able to select the best, most able candidates.

Allan Taylor

CEO, Boost

The mobile Apps will be available for all devices on the Android and iPhone platforms.

About CTI

CTI Group is one of the world’s leading agencies serving the maritime and resort staffing industry since its founding in 1986 by our CEO Robert Upchurch. After 30 years, our company has attained a reputation of excellence through its commitment to provide its clients the very best customer service while delivering the most qualified and experienced candidates for their high industry demands. Our success, having placed thousands of recruits into life-long professions in culinary, hospitality, and deck and engine positions, is a testament of our commitment to our clients. Having the ability to maintain great customer relations is exactly why we have staff on the ground, assisting our many branch partners overseas with the training support and resources they need to get the job done.

 

About Boost

Boost is the leading mobile training solutions provider for the Hospitality industry, improving hospitality employee productivity through mobile learning and assessment for vocational skills, upselling and languages. Boost empowers employees to provide better service, increasing guest satisfaction levels which in turn benefits hotel bottom lines thanks to reduced recruitment and training costs, and more loyal guests.

Through five distinctive mobile training applications: Boost Profile, Boost Voice, Boost Skills, Boost Upsell and Boost Select, hotel employees are able to learn at a time and place of their choosing, fitting perfectly into their busy schedules. Unlike traditional classroom-based methods, Boost’s mobile solutions are scalable, providing high quality training and assessment options from a single independent to a group/chain hotel at a regional or even global level. Boost Apps allow HR to track employee performance and highlight additional training needs in real-time.

Boost is backed by funding from a number of private investors including École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and is currently used by over 250 hotels throughout Asia, teaching over 22,000 hotel employees the skills needed to improve guest satisfaction and grow their careers. Boost is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and China, with R&D centres in Europe, Asia, and North America.

For more detailed information on Boost and its suite of applications, please click on a button below to contact us:

Horst Schulze joins Boost as Director and Board Member to bring service excellence through mobile training solutions

Horst Schulze joins Boost as Director and Board Member to bring service excellence through mobile training solutions

Horst Schulze joins Boost as Director and Board Member to bring service excellence through mobile training solutions

With the appointment of one of the world’s leading hoteliers, Boost is set to bring Horst Schulze’s vision of service excellence to hotels around the world through mobile technology

 

SINGAPORE May 15, 2019 – Boost announces the appointment of Horst Schulze as Director and Board Member, effective immediately. Mr. Schulze is recognised as one or the world’s leading hoteliers whose career spans over six decades including co-founding The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and founding The Capella Hotel Group. Mr. Schulze will advise Boost on course content and curriculum and apply his own experience of service excellence to Boost’s mobile training programmes.

 

“I believe that mobile training will become the tool of choice for General Managers looking to create a culture of excellence within their hotels” Says Horst Schulze, adding “The scalability of mobile training will allow us to train thousands of employees across multiple geographies to a superior level of service excellence. Better language abilities and service skills result in a more confident employee who is able to care for the guest, this is what mobile training does and why I believe in the Boost product. I am extremely excited to join this company and unlock the potential that mobile will bring for hospitality.”

 

Backed by funding from a number of private investors including École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), over 20,000 hotel employees in 225 hotels in Asia currently learn service skills through Boost’s mobile training solutions, including English and Mandarin languages, vocational training and upselling skills. By training employees through mobile technology, Boost brings a level of convenience, measurability and scalability far superior to traditional classroom-based learning and ideal for the young employee of today.

 

In his 65-year career, Mr. Schulze has seen guest expectations shift towards an emphasis on service and personalisation and he quickly realised that hotels who addressed guests’ specific needs, desires and idiosyncrasies would rise to the top. This meant building a culture of service within the hotel and empowering employees to create excellence. Mobile training is perfectly suited to equipping the modern generation of hoteliers with the skills needed to provide such service, offering convenience, flexibility and scalability.

 

“The vision, experience and standards that Horst Schulze brings will be invaluable to Boost as we embark on our next stage of growth” says Allan Taylor, CEO of Boost, adding “Hotels are no longer defined purely by their facilities and amenities, they are defined by the quality of service they provide. This means everything from knowing the guest by name and favourite dishes to displaying a genuine desire to care for the guest and create exceptional experiences. Many of these service principles were pioneered by Mr. Schulze who over his career defined what excellent service is. By having him on our team, Boost will be able to make his unique service philosophy available to all hotels through our various mobile solutions, raising service standards and increasing guest satisfaction.”

 

Mr. Schulze will advise Boost and work to further enhance its suite of mobile training solutions. These include department-specific English and / or Mandarin language training, vocational training for food and beverage service, housekeeping and upselling training among other skills. Launched in October 2018 and used by hundreds of hotels in Asia, Boost has already provided measurable results for hotels including greater upselling revenues and improved guest satisfaction.

Boost’s suite of mobile solutions is available on Android and iOS mobile devices and available to hotels and resorts

 

About Horst Schulze

A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze’s teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.

Mr. Schulze’s professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server’s assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1983.  There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous. 

During his tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award – twice – making it the first and only hotel company to ever win even one.

In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as “corporate hotelier of the world” by HOTELS Magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. Most recently, Mr. Schulze has been honoured as a “Leader in Luxury” by Travel Agent Magazine and its sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor.

After leaving The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went onto found The Capella Hotel Group.  This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.

Today, Mr. Schulze serves on various boards and acts as a consultant across industries. He has recently completed his book, Excellence Wins, where he shares his vision and principles developed over his 65-year career.

 

About Boost

Boost is the leading mobile training solutions provider for the Hospitality industry, improving hospitality employee productivity through mobile learning and assessment for vocational skills, upselling and languages. Boost empowers employees to provide better service, increasing guest satisfaction levels which in turn benefits hotel bottom lines thanks to reduced recruitment and training costs, and more loyal guests.

Through five distinctive mobile training applications: Boost Profile, Boost Voice, Boost Skills, Boost Upsell and Boost Select, hotel employees are able to learn at a time and place of their choosing, fitting perfectly into their busy schedules. Unlike traditional classroom-based methods, Boost’s mobile solutions are scalable, providing high quality training and assessment options from a single independent to a group/chain hotel at a regional or even global level. Boost Apps allow HR to track employee performance and highlight additional training needs in real-time.

Boost is backed by funding from a number of private investors including École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and is currently used by over 250 hotels throughout Asia, teaching over 22,000 hotel employees the skills needed to improve guest satisfaction and grow their careers. Boost is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and China.

For more detailed information on Boost and its suite of applications, please click on a button below.

Boost Voice: Exciting New Developments and Enhancements

Boost Voice: Exciting New Developments and Enhancements

Boost Voice: Exciting New Developments and Enhancements

 

Upgraded Boost Voice to further enhance hotel employees’ language skills

351 new topics included in the latest upgrade to Boost Voice, including disaster preparedness content, more detailed engineering phrases, as well as robust testing and assessment, and paced learning to ensure maximum language absorption

We are very pleased to announce the newest release of our Boost Voice app. Following a review period that included feedback from hotel leaders we have developed an enhanced Boost Voice mobile training solution that will provide users with even more opportunities to grow their language skills and abilities. Upgrades to Boost Voice include new content across multiple departments, from more technical detail in Engineering and disaster management skills for Security, to specific fitness and culinary vocabulary and phrases. Robust new testing and assessment features have been added, providing training managers with an even more complete picture of their employees’ abilities, coursework pacing has been fine-tuned to ensure maximum language absorption, and a CEFR-aligned Boost competency scale has been introduced.

The newly upgraded Boost Voice will equip hotel employees with English and / or Mandarin language skills that are highly-relevant to their departments, allowing them to interact with their guests with more confidence.

 

Rich New Content

We have added new content across all departments. Spa & Fitness have now been separated into 2 departments. Boost Voice now has 8 total hotels departments (up from 7). A few key highlights:

 

Engineering

  • Significantly more detail in maintenance and repairs to in-room features from plumbing and electricity to furniture and fixtures
  • Reporting and repair of on-property features
  • Topics for Hazard Safety and Working with Other Departments to resolve issues

 

Security

  • Timely and relevant new content centered around Emergency and Crisis Management topics such as Bomb, Terrorist, Active Shooter, Typhoon, Earthquake, Tsunami threats
  • Content focused on working with local authorities (Police, Fire, EMS) and dispute resolution scenarios

 

Fitness

  • Goes beyond just welcoming a guest – now content includes explaining facilities, safety rules, using equipment, training guests, renting equipment, workout tips, managing complaints, special guest needs and enhanced engagement such as suggesting activities and tips

 

Culinary

  • Introduction of Food Safety & Health Inspection, Managing the Kitchen with special events and new menus, and handling many more special guest requests and complaints

New content under Special Events – setting up, preparing and managing Banquet staff

 

 

Enhanced Testing & Assessment

Boost Voice level tests, pre & post-tests, and quizzes make learning more effective. Continuous assessment via mandatory quizzes and pre & post-tests throughout coursework helps reinforce what is learned.

Users begin their learning journey with a level test to have their language capabilities evaluated and appropriate packages recommended. Boost Voice customises learning for each individual user and lays out a progression plan.  Not a cookie-cutter approach or ‘one size fits all’.

 

 

Results-driven Course Structure and Pacing

Content structure and pacing of coursework designed to ensure maximum language absorption. Now, learning rhythm is much more structured with a focused, deliberate and realistic pace of learning set to encourage improved language absorption and retention.

If a user studies at the recommended pace they should technically be able to improve 1 CEFR level within 12 months. This would mark a significant improvement in language capability and have a definite measurable impact on guest satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CEFR-aligned Content & Competency Scale

We have introduced a Boost competency scale that is aligned with the CEFR levels of ability. CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) is an internationally-recognized standard for describing language ability and employs a six-point scale for assessment, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. HR teams can easily compare our qualifications to other standardised international exams in their countries (TOEIC, IELTS, TOEFL) and gain a quick and clear understanding of a user’s language skill level.

 

The Continent Hotel Bangkok Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

The Continent Hotel Bangkok Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

The Continent Hotel Bangkok Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

“I just keep reading, ‘great English, great English, great English’.” So, said Jay Jhingran, the General Manager of The Continent Hotel Bangkok, to the Bangkok Post when describing the effects that Boost Voice has had on guest service.

Located in the heart of Bangkok, complete with a rooftop pool with breath-taking views of the city, few guests will know that behind the scenes, technology is making a big difference to their stay at The Continent Hotel.

Employees such as Phatsuda Boonlum, Front Office Supervisor and Supattra Pakthong, F&B Service can both be seen on their mobile phones during their time off. Instead of viewing their social media profiles, they are learning English language using Boost Voice and upselling skills using Boost Upsell, designed specifically for hospitality.

The results have been threefold. Firstly, there have been real benefits to the bottom line. Since the hotel started using the app it has seen a 5 per cent year-on-year increase in upselling revenue” commented Jhingran to The Nation newspaper.

Secondly, there have been clear and consistent improvements to service, clearly viewable in guest feedback both in person and online, “we received positive online reviews on the quality of employees’ English-language skills… This has yielded a number of flow-on benefits as our employees are able to understand and communicate better with the guests, as you cannot separate guest service from the language they speak,”, added Jhingran.

Lastly, employee confidence has risen significantly, resulting in happier employees and genuine service.

Employees like Phatsuda and Supattra are able to learn at a time and place of their choosing with Boost, unlike traditional and costly classroom-based learning. Importantly, mobile learning gets results, as the guests of The Continent Hotel Bangkok can attest to!