Team Building Exercises For Front Desk Pairs
or
How You and Your Co-Worker Can Stay Entertained at the Front Desk
1. Catch.
In this exercise you toss the patron back and forth as many times as possible.
A: "I'm sorry, my colleague over there will help you."
B: "Good afternoon, oh, you have one of these cards? He needs to help you over there."
A: "Okay, we're all set with your card. She can check you out now."
The patron, or ball, is considered dropped if they get mad or complain and your total count is voided. Do you risk going for four catches and a new afternoon record, or do you carefully bow out with three?
2. Three-flies-up.
This is a playful competition in contrast to "Catch." In this game the objective is to win the patron.
A: "I can help you here, sir."
B: "No, I've got it. You're already busy. I'll help you here. Hi."
A: "No, I'm ready. I think Dave wanted to ask you something. What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Winning" only counts here if you're both available for a patron. First to three wins.
This is a playful competition in contrast to "Catch." In this game the objective is to win the patron.
A: "I can help you here, sir."
B: "No, I've got it. You're already busy. I'll help you here. Hi."
A: "No, I'm ready. I think Dave wanted to ask you something. What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Winning" only counts here if you're both available for a patron. First to three wins.
3. String of Lies.
This is another collaborative exercise. I don't at all advocate lying to patrons, but I enjoy fake lying to them. How many fake lies can you and your partner keep going without the patron hating your guts.
Patron: "What time are you open until today?"
A: "We closed an hour and twenty minutes ago but people just won't leave."
B: "Sorry, mam, he's concussed, but such a trooper!"
A: "I was hit by an angrily hurled Fantasy epic. People around here don't take well to overwriting!"
And so on.
This is another collaborative exercise. I don't at all advocate lying to patrons, but I enjoy fake lying to them. How many fake lies can you and your partner keep going without the patron hating your guts.
Patron: "What time are you open until today?"
A: "We closed an hour and twenty minutes ago but people just won't leave."
B: "Sorry, mam, he's concussed, but such a trooper!"
A: "I was hit by an angrily hurled Fantasy epic. People around here don't take well to overwriting!"
And so on.
4. Look-a-likes.
This is good for slow periods. Everyone looks a little like someone if you squint enough. Celebrities are the natural choice for this, but colleagues are even better.
A: "Hey, there's Jim over by the CDs"
B: "The one on the right?"
A: "Yeah."
B: "I don't, oh, I can kind of see it. It's the way he holds his arms."
This is good for slow periods. Everyone looks a little like someone if you squint enough. Celebrities are the natural choice for this, but colleagues are even better.
A: "Hey, there's Jim over by the CDs"
B: "The one on the right?"
A: "Yeah."
B: "I don't, oh, I can kind of see it. It's the way he holds his arms."
5. Role-playing reviled co-workers.
A: "I'm going to be staring confusedly at my computer screen for the next 45 minutes. Can you help everyone?"
B: "I'd be glad to, but I have to go talk to the supervisor for an hour about my dentist appointment two months from now."
A and B: Ha ha ha ha.
Have fun. Play safe. Hone those skills!
A: "I'm going to be staring confusedly at my computer screen for the next 45 minutes. Can you help everyone?"
B: "I'd be glad to, but I have to go talk to the supervisor for an hour about my dentist appointment two months from now."
A and B: Ha ha ha ha.
Have fun. Play safe. Hone those skills!
You are on FIRE, sir! I thought "How will he top that interactive Merry-Go-Round?" Perhaps it's just my low-grade fever talking. But this game of throws...it's right up my alley. Should we feel at all sorry for these unknowing patrons? I wonder some more: What if some have been exposed to your Blog and this posting in particular? The plot thickens. And what if one of these said patrons starts his/her own Blog and posts something on, let's say, "How You and Other Patrons Can Have Fun at the Expense of Front Desk Pairs"? Where does that leave us?
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