Week 3!

This past week has been such a whirlwind of different activities! On Monday we had a presentation done by Susan Santos on customer service. When I first heard there was to be a presentation on customer service I thought to myself, 'oh good I should definitely know most of what will be said' since I'd worked in so many different areas of customer service. However, Susan presented a new way of thinking about the guest in that your number one main priority is to make sure the guest is happy. This way of thinking allows you to be very focused on the guest and working hard to have the guest come back, not necessarily to spend more money even, but just to make sure they make a connection, they feel welcome initially and have a desire to return. I really liked this way of thinking as it was very different than many of the other places I have worked where money is the main focus of a customer's visit. This guest centered model was great to learn more about and just see that other places do have this type of service and not just Starbucks, Nordstrom, Wegmans or other places that are known for their customer service.

This type of guest centered model is also about connecting with the guest-making sure to use their name, making eye contact and having sincere conversations. The other idea that Susan presented that I really liked was the empowerment for employees to make decisions. If the opportunity to make the guest happy presents itself, if you feel empowered and the end result will make the guest happy then you should go ahead and make that decision on your own. This type of decision making, instead of having to speak to a supervisor about every little thing, allows employees to feel good about the work they are doing and in turn make the guest happy and more likely to return. Susan also showed us a great book that I will be ordering on Amazon; The Simple Truths of Service: Inspired by Johnny the Bagger by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz. This book is different stories about employees and how their genuine connection with the guest created a wonderful experience, something the guest will remember and therefor more likely to return to the place of business. It was inspired by Johnny the Bagger at a grocery store who over time began putting inspiring notes into people's bags after they had paid for their groceries. What began as a simple activity that Johnny liked to do turned into increasing sales for the supermarket, proud management and the longest checkout line in the store, with customers choosing to go to Johnny's line even if other lines were open with no one else waiting!

After Susan's presentation we went to lunch at the Nittany Lion Inn with Gail Hurley. We had never been to the Nittany Lion Inn so this was a great experience. It was not only a beautiful building but had delicious food as well. Gail has many years of experience and was truly lovely to share a meal with! It was nice to hear her story of how she got to her position and hear her tidbits of advice.

Our next activity was a visit to Penn State's sensory lab. This was very cool as I'd never been to a place like this, where they test products for different companies. For example, you sit down at a computer in a very small cubical and try different products while rating the texture, taste and smell. They have done work for Hersey, Disney and many other worldwide companies.

Our last activity on Monday was to tour the Pegula Ice Arena where Penn State's Ice Hockey teams play. This was a very cool facility to see as most of it was brand new and state of the art. We got to actually stand where the ice normally is as they had it out at this time of the year. We also got to see the different ways that the players can train, the community ice rink and the amazing workout facilities for the players. The first picture is from standing in one of their awesome private suites at the very top of the seating. The second picture is from actually standing on where the ice would be looking up.

 

 



On Tuesday we did a tour of the creamery here at Penn State-a place people really love! I really enjoyed learning about the way the milk comes in from the Penn State cows, how they pasteurize it and how they test of antibiotic levels and if bacteria is present.

 

On Friday and Saturday we worked at Finlay Dining Hall again for the Special Olympics event that happens here every year. This was great in the sense that those athletes participating in the Special Olympics and their helpers; the coaches, the medics, everyone involved were just so pleasant to serve and take care of. 

 

Overall I have really been enjoying my time at Penn State as a NACUFS intern! I really was not sure what to expect and everything has far surpassed my expectations!