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All of us have entertained guests in our home. The DVD The Guest uses this common experience to introduce the core of customer service excellence: treat your customer as a guest in your home. The video advocates adopting this approach to ensure the success of your business.

The second edition of The Guest is the updated version of Media Partner's popular customer service video from the early 1990s.

The new version uses the same tight, well-written script as the original but employs a general store as the setting and modernizes the wardrobe of the characters. The program is now just over 15 minutes long.

The casting is effective. The lead actor is sympathetic and does an effective job of combining instruction and humor. The other actors are believable, even when playing examples of outrageous customer service. The overall production quality is above average.

SIMPLE MESSAGE
The Guest introduces the standards for guest service, including personalizing service for the customer, anticipating needs, and showing appreciation. The message is simple and its brevity will hold the interest of the audience.

The video effectively demonstrates these standards in a compelling manner, using positive and negative examples. It furthermore applies these standards to external and internal customers, which are equally important to a business.

In general, the instructional quality of the DVD is solid and easy to assimilate. One area for improvement is listening skills. The business owner illustrates one of the guest standards, anticipating the needs of the customer, by answering questions before the customer can ask them.

While this illustrates “anticipating the needs of customers,” the owner appears to be interrupting him and not demonstrating another essential component of customer service: listening. Perhaps the learning materials could also include the importance of this skill since the customer's needs can't always be anticipated.

QUALITY SUPPORT MATERIALS
The Guest is not a stand-alone training tool. Media Partners has taken the time to develop three different training options: external service, internal service, or both. A comprehensive leader’s guide enables a facilitator to introduce guest standards and, more importantly, discuss how to apply these standards to the workplace.

The guide's flexibility allows facilitators to customize the training for specific business needs. Another beneficial part of the training session is the action planning section where participants commit to steps, agreed upon by consensus, to implement each standard.

Reproducible handouts, customizable PowerPoint presentation, and reminder cards round out the support package.

Recommendation
For training departments looking for a high-quality DVD and comprehensive, customized, and relevant training materials to introduce learners to customer service excellence, The Guest is a very good investment.

THE GUEST, 2ND EDITION Rating

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