Bite‐size training boosts customer service at food and beverage retailer : Fun and easy‐to‐use activities target multi‐cultural teams at SSP (UK)

Purpose – The article's aim is to describe award‐winning training that helped to transform customer service at food and beverage retailer SSP (UK). Design/methodology/approach – The reasons for the training, the form it took and the results it has achieved are explained. Findings – It is revealed that SSP worked with UK learning provider TFA to develop the new “Service Style” training materials that allow staff to learn while taking part in five‐ to ten‐minute activities. Practical implications – The article explains, for example, that managers might use a set of 25 cards providing miniature case studies for discussion, and use well‐known family card games to engage the learners. Very little instruction is needed, so learning is facilitated as a natural outcome. The new materials fitted around normal operations, and activities could be used one‐to‐one or in break‐out groups for induction and ongoing training. It highlights the particular value of this type of training for a workforce that is diverse in terms of nationality and language. Originality/value – The article describes how clear descriptions of acceptable behaviors when serving customers, linked to fun, easy‐to‐use activities, have helped multi‐cultural teams to really understand what is expected of them.