[Sunview Lodge Inc.]

Building Strong Client Relationships—Design Document (Gold)

Building Strong Client Relationships (Design Document)

Business Purpose

Sunview Lodge Inc., an esteemed hotel chain in the hospitality

industry, has recently expanded with the addition of five new

locations across the United States. As part of this expansion, the

company has welcomed 25 new front desk employees to its team.

Unfortunately, the newly opened locations have garnered negative

ratings from customers on various online travel review sites. These

reviews consistently highlight concerns regarding the front desk

receptionists’ poor communication skills, unwelcoming attitudes,

and their inability to effectively address guests' concerns during

their stay. Consequently, many reviewers no longer feel safe or

valued by Sunview Lodge Inc., leading them to exclude the

company as an option for future vacation lodging and eroding their

trust in the brand.

Recognizing the significant impact that easily accessible online

reviews can have on the company's reputation and future business

prospects, the CEO of Sunview Lodge Inc. has decided to implement

training for the 25 new front desk receptionists. The objective of

this training is to equip them with the necessary knowledge,

understanding, and skills to establish and nurture solid

relationships with clients. By applying this knowledge and

employing these skills in their daily front desk roles, Sunview Lodge

Inc. aims to achieve a substantial 80% increase in positive ratings

on online review websites.

Target Audience

The target audience of this training is the 25 newly hired front desk

receptionists who have joined the team at the five latest Sunview

Lodge Inc. locations.

Training Time

1 hour. This amount of time will allow the facilitator to deliver the

necessary information and engage learners in meaningful activities

and discussions, maximizing their understanding and retention of

the subject matter.

Training

Recommendation

Given the dispersed locations of the new front desk employees

across different states in the US and the complexity of the training

topic, Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) provides the best option

to facilitate effective learning. By opting for a VILT course, all

learners, regardless of their geographical location, can actively

participate in synchronous learning sessions. This format enables

them to benefit from in-depth explanations of complex content

provided by the facilitator, engage in collaborative discussions and

[Sunview Lodge Inc.]

Building Strong Client Relationships—Design Document (Gold)

interactive activities with their peers to reinforce their

understanding, and seek immediate clarification by asking

questions to address any areas of confusion.

*Note: Given the availability of the facilitator and producer

throughout the day, this same training will be offered in two

sessions to accommodate the varying work schedules of the front

desk employees at Sunview Lodge hotels. The sessions will be

scheduled to cater to both day shift and night shift employees,

ensuring that all team members can participate and benefit from

the training.

Deliverables

 1 PowerPoint slide deck

 1 facilitator guide

 1 job aid

Learning Objectives

By the end of the training, the learners will be able to…

 Explain the importance of client relationships for business

success.

 Recommend effective communication strategies for

managing and improving client relationships.

 Describe techniques for building trust and rapport with

clients.

 Employ conflict resolution techniques to manage client

expectations and resolve conflicts with clients.

Training Outline

Introduction

 Welcome and introduction to the training session

 Overview of the importance of building strong client

relationships

Learning Objectives

Introduction of Facilitator and Producer

 Facilitator and producer introduce themselves, sharing their

backgrounds and expertise

Ground Rules

Session Agenda

Ice Breaker: Poll Question Activity in Mentimenter

[Sunview Lodge Inc.]

Building Strong Client Relationships—Design Document (Gold)

 Poll Question: On a scale of 1-3, how would you rate your

current level of confidence in your ability to build strong

client relationships?

Importance of Client Relationships

 Topic introduction

 Importance of client relationships

 Discussion question

o Have any of you personally experienced or

witnessed the positive impacts of building strong

client relationships in your professional lives?

Effective Communication Techniques

 Topic introduction

 Definition of effective communication

 Introduce effective communication techniques (active

listening, clear communication, and empathy)

o Explain active listening techniques

o Explain clear communication techniques

o Explain empathy techniques

o Breakout Room Activity (Case Study Analysis)

 Participants will analyze a case study related

to effective communication with clients and

propose strategies for resolving the problem.

Each group will then share their proposals

with the whole group.

Establishing Trust and Rapport

 Topic introduction

 Importance of trust and rapport in client relationships

 Techniques for building trust and rapport

 Discussion question

o Can you share a specific situation where you had to

work on building trust with a client? How did you

approach it, and what were the outcomes?

Managing Expectations and Resolving Conflicts

 Topic introduction

 Definition of managing client expectations

 Techniques for managing client expectations

 Definition of conflict resolution

[Sunview Lodge Inc.]

Building Strong Client Relationships—Design Document (Gold)

 Conflict resolution techniques

 Breakout Room Activity (Role-play Scenarios)

o Participants will practice expectation management

and conflict resolution techniques discussed by a

completing role-play activity related to client

communication and conflict resolution that they may

encounter in their role as a front desk receptionist.

Each group will then share their role-play

experiences with the whole group.

Summary and Action Planning

 Summary of training key points

 Relection and Action Planning Discussion

o Participants will identify and share one action step

they will implement upon returning to work.

Q&A and Closing Remarks

 Address participant questions and concerns

 Provide any final insights or tips for building strong client

relationships

 Thank participants for their active participation and

attendance

Resources/References

 Share additional resources and references for additional

exploration

 Facilitator and producer’s contact information

Revisit Poll Question in Mentimeter

 Poll question: After completing this training, how would

you now rate your current level of confidence in your ability

to build strong client relationships on a scale from 1-3?

Assessment Plan

Participants will be informally assessed throughout the course via

the case study analysis, role-play scenario, and discussion question

responses.

Evaluation of Success

 Pre-/post-training surveys of learners rating their overall

confidence level with building strong relationships with clients

 Post-training survey of learners rating their overall experience

completing the training

[Sunview Lodge Inc.]

Building Strong Client Relationships—Design Document (Gold)

 The consistency with which team members utilize relationship

building techniques during interactions with clients

 Customer ratings on online travel review websites after

relationship building strategies have been implemented