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!

The Athenee Hotel Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

The Athenee Hotel Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

The Athenee Hotel Applies Mobile Learning for Employee Training

 

Boost’s mobile learning 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 Ms. Tiplada Tangmanomana, Concierge at The Athenee Hotel, Bangkok, about her experience using Boost Voice.

What have you learnt while using Boost?

Tiplada: I have learnt a lot! There are many parts to Boost Voice including vocabulary, and pronunciation, and also grammar and I have become much more proficient in all of these areas.

When is your favourite time to learn?

Tiplada: I like to learn when I have free time or on my day off. For some parts of Boost Voice – such as pronunciation – I am required to say words and sentences out loud so a day off is the best time for this. Other parts do not require speaking so I can take time off during my working day to learn. What I like about the app is that we can choose what we want to learn. For example, sometimes I prefer to do the listening modules, so I click on that part, continuing with the other modules at a later date.

What is the most enjoyable part of learning with Boost?

Tiplada: I really like all of the modules, but I would say my favourite is the game. I was actually very surprised when I first found out about the game but I think it is very fun and useful. It is enjoyable and this is important as it encourages you to keep going, and of course I end up learning more.

How much has Boost improved the way you work?

Tiplada: It has definitely improved my vocabulary. I am now able to say complete sentences and speak with guests much more confidently and clearly.

What do you love about hospitality?

Tiplada: I am a graduate in hospitality and I love my job very much. Every day I see the guests, I talk to the guests, I learn new languages and many cultures. I am very happy when I serve things to the guest and help them, and when the guest is happy and it makes me feel happy too.

 

Mobile Learning Put to Work in Indonesia’s Hotels

Mobile Learning Put to Work in Indonesia’s Hotels

Mobile Learning Put to Work in Indonesia’s Hotels

The HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Solo shows how modern learning technology and traditional Indonesian hospitality can work together.

HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Solo, Indonesia, is located in the heart of Solo with 138 rooms providing guests with unique views of the city. What guests don’t see, though, are the dozens of service staff learning how to communicate in English, upsell and perform their daily duties via their mobile phones.

Quicker, more efficient, lower cost and, most importantly, more effective, Boost’s mobile learning solutions have allowed the hotel to train its staff in new languages and skills at a time and place of their choosing, bypassing costly classroom-based learning.

Willy Prasetyo started his hospitality career as a waiter in the hotel’s restaurant. The Solo native had precious little English language abilities, and this often manifested itself in shyness, and an unwillingness to engage with guests.

However, after a few months learning English via Boost Voice (often after hours at home or one the way to work) via his mobile phone Willy’s confidence improved dramatically. He is now able to understand and communicate key restaurant-specific words and phrases which has resulted in noticeable improvements in performance.

“Boost Voice helps me to improve pronunciation of some common words in the restaurant” says Willy, adding “I love the type of course that involves games or when they give us some animation”

Whenever he has time, even at home, he manages to open the app, knowing that his target is also far from an end. “Now I feel more confident when there is a foreign guest at the restaurant. Even though I don’t really have much time to chat with the guest, I don’t feel shy anymore”

Happy, more confident service employees lead to happier, more loyal guests.

Boost has launched!

Boost has launched!

New technology firm, Boost, launches the most comprehensive mobile learning solution yet for the hospitality industry

Mobile learning platform to allow a level of management, upskilling and measurement unseen in the hospitality industry today

SINGAPORE, October 16, 2018 – Mobile learning solutions provider, Boost, officially launches today unveiling a suite of mobile solutions designed to empower hospitality employees to provide higher guest satisfaction, improved team communications, greater productivity, and allow hotels to upskill, manage and organise their workforce more efficiently.

Boost’s platform leverages mobile technology to provide a holistic team management system that brings together mobile learning, messaging, communication, recruitment (including assessment), measurement and organisational capabilities under a simple- to-use mobile umbrella. The platform upskills employees in vocational and language skills, where results can be monitored and viewed in real time by the properties’ leadership teams – a true 360° view of the hotel’s staff performance and engagement. Hotel HR professionals can use Boost to conduct accurate first-line screening of candidates, while team leaders are able to manage, monitor and organise their teams while communicating with them through Boost’s advanced messaging application.

“The globalisation of travel has seen massive disruption in the hospitality industry, not least in changing guest demands, the emergence of new tourist profiles, growing guest expectations often led by the increased use of social media, more competition and changing employee habits among other changes” says Allan Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Boost, adding “Yet the way we train, manage and develop our employees has stayed largely the same, with most hotels relying on traditional classroom-based learning, inefficient recruitment processes and outdated organisational practices. Boost finally provides a solution for hotels to connect all of the dots, from learning and upskilling to performance measurement, assessment, team organisation, and recruitment – from the individual to enterprise level. We now have a solution that will empower employees to provide better service, and leaders will have the tools needed to organise and lead better, resulting in happier staff (improved staff retention) and better guest loyalty/satisfaction levels”.

Boost’s suite of mobile solutions is available on Android and iOS mobile devices and accessible anytime, anywhere – fitting neatly into the famously busy schedules of hotel employees.

The following mobile solutions are available to hotels worldwide:

  • Boost Profile

Giving you access to Boost’s suite of mobile solutions, Boost Profile is customisable to each user, and allows for easy organisation of user information and access to apps. Boost Profile has the ability to be aligned with a hotel chain’s Brand strategy.

  • Boost Voice

Boost Voice teaches employees English and / or Mandarin language skills using content that is department specific and developed by hoteliers. Boost Voice provides a highly interactive continuous learning experience, teaching employees to speak a language that is most relevant to their workplace.

  • Boost Skills

A highly cost effective and scalable vocational training solution, Boost Skills features over 130+ practical lessons that simulate real life service scenarios in food and beverage service and housekeeping. Boost Skills provides self-paced lesson plans designed to improve service delivery standards and consistency across both disciplines.

  • Boost Upsell

A situational upselling training tool that enables hotel staff to position and capture additional revenues in-hotel or on-property, through food and beverage upsells, room upgrades, and promotional specials. The tool features self-paced lesson plans and multiple Asian and European support languages, for front-of-house including Food and Beverage, Front Office and Lounge management.

  • Boost Fit

A CEFR-aligned recruitment and screening package that allows HR teams to accurately screen the first line of applicants for suitability, identifying candidates who are then able to move on to the next stage of the recruitment process. Available anytime, anywhere, Boost Fit reduces the workload on HR teams and efficiently narrows down the pool of candidates to identify the right person for the job.

Boost is currently in use by 225+ hotels throughout the Asia Pacific region, teaching over 20,000 hotel employees the vocational and language skills needed to provide superior guest service and excel in their hospitality careers. Boost is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and China, with R&D centres in Singapore, Vietnam, Canada, and China.