8 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs

1. Patience

If you deal with customers on a daily basis, be sure to stay patient when they come to you stumped and frustrated, but also be sure to take the time to truly figure out what they want — they’d rather get competent service than be rushed out the door!

2. Attentiveness

What are your customers telling you without saying it?

3. Clear communication skills

When it comes to important points that you need to relay clearly to customers, keep it simple and leave nothing to doubt.

4. Knowledge of the Product

Without knowing your product from front-to-back, you won't know how to help customers when they run into problems.

5. Ability to use positive language

• Without positive language: “I can’t get you that product until next month; it is back-ordered and unavailable at this time.”


• With positive language: “That product will be available next month. I can place the order for you right now and make sure that it is sent to you as soon as it reaches our warehouse.”

6. Acting skills

Every great customer service representative will have those basic acting skills necessary to maintain their usual cheery persona in spite of dealing with people who may be just plain grumpy.

7. Time management skills

Don’t waste time trying to go above and beyond for a customer in an area where you will just end up wasting both of your time!

8. Ability to ‘read’ customers

Look and listen for subtle clues about their current mood, patience level, personality, etc., and you’ll go far in keeping your customer interactions positive.

F&B Cost Controller

As a Food and Beverage cost controller, you are primarily responsible for calculating costs of food and beverage items and also responsible for the short and long-term planning of the f&B controlling and pricing aspects.

Additionally responsible to record information and produce control reports periodically to help maintain a suitable inventory of food and beverage items for the entire hotel. He/she also changes the price of menus items based on the costing information they collect and also actively take part in engineering the menu in terms of the pricing.

F&B Cost Controller Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Able to effectively control the Food & Beverage Cost.
2. Control the Food and Beverage outlets in terms of wastage, pilferage and efficiency.
3. Prepare variance analysis for food & beverage and communicating with relevant parties.
4. Update and maintain receipts into the systems (FMC).
5. Check and verify voids in the POS systems.
6. Check and verify discounts on the POS systems.
7. Check and verify any happy hours discounts.
8. Check and verify all complimentary sales in POS systems.
9. Check and verify all staff meals and staff discounts.
10. Check and verify all Package meals.
11. Check and verify all settlements done on the POS system.
12. Check and cross verify if all sales have been transferred correctly to the Property Management systems (PMS).
13. Check and verify for any lost postings.
14. Check the cost of sales in all F&B outlets and ensure that the costs are within budget.
15. Check the menu pricing on the POS systems and ensure the correct prices are loaded.
16. Check the restaurant and bar checks on daily.
17. Check the complimentary and confirm that all are approved.
18. Daily Import of Micros Sales to Materials Control system.
19. Tally all end of shift reports generated from all POS tills.
20. Continuously study weaknesses in F&B control implemented at the Hotel and provide suggestions for improvements.
21. Check the daily Food & Beverage revenues report submitted by the income audit for the accuracy of covers and average check.
22. Responsible for linking the articles and Recipes in Material Control.
23. Responsible for preparing daily Food and Beverage Report and distribute to management.
24. Responsible for monthly F&B Report and distribute to management.
25. Responsible for surprise spot checks at all F&B outlets.
26. Prepare Duty Drinks and management report and confirm that this is as per entitlement.
27. Prepare the daily and monthly cost report department in relation to cost of sales.
28. Prepare daily staff meal cost report.
29. Participate in stock taking at the restaurants.
30. Spot check on the receiving department to ensure that the scales are correct and goods are checked for quality.
31. Check and ensure that no material is issued out from the store without requisition or approval from the respective department head.
32. Check and ensure all menu items have a recipe.
33. Coordinate with restaurant management and finance to sort out issues pertaining to F&B.
34. Update selling prices in POS as per the instruction from authorised persons.
35. Maintain the security of the information held by the department.
36. Responsible to maintain the Menu Pricing, Consumption and POS systems.
37. Any other tasks as and when required by the management.

How to Set a Table for Breakfast

Tequila Manhattan Cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz (60 ml) silver tequila
• 1 oz (30 ml) sweet red vermouth
• dash of freshly squeezed lime juice

Method

Step 1

In a shaker,combine all ingredients. Shake well and strain mixture into old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

Step 2

Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Screwdriver Cocktail

1 cup	orange juice (freshly squeeze)
⅓ cup	vodka
1 ½	ice
to taste	sugar (optional)

Cocktail Meatballs

1	large egg
¼ cup	milk (or heavy cream)
¾ cup	cubed white sandwich bread (crusts removed)
½ pound	ground pork
1	garlic clove (minced)
⅛ teaspoon	ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon	black pepper (ground)
¾ teaspoon	salt
1 teaspoon	baking powder
½ pound	ground beef (85% lean)
½ cup	ketchup
½ cup	dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons	water
1 ½ tablespoons	cider vinegar
2 teaspoons	worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon	shallot (finely grated, from one shallot)
1 small clove	garlic (minced)
⅛ teaspoon	black pepper (ground)
½ teaspoon	salt
add	parsley (finely chopped, if desired)