American Indian Report - July 2008 - (Page 17)

Seneca Gaming Corporation, wholly owned by the Seneca Nation in New York, operates three casinos. At its flagship property, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, its high roller perks include luxury transportation to and from the casino, suites at its four-star hotel and VIP gaming areas and lounges. Most of its high rollers live in the United States. A few, however, reside in Canada, and it has set up bank accounts there and here for them to deposit and withdraw money. They are business people or seasoned gamblers, male and female, 45 years and up. While rising gas prices and the national economic slump has impacted its drive-up traffic, Seneca Gaming’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Robert Victoria said they have not hurt its high roller business. But the weather can and does. Victoria said high-end gamblers prefer going to casinos in warmer climates during the cold months and to casinos in cooler climates during the warm months. Victoria said its properties are also affected by growing competition, a state away or on the other side of the country. “You have got the big companies in Vegas competing for the same business we are competing for. You have Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and the Seminoles down in Florida all competing for the same high rollers.” A Little Customer Service Pixie Dust from Disney When it comes to customer service, Walt Disney rules. Anyone who has gone to its theme parks and other properties knows this. They expect it. Without its 60,000 or so always helpful and ever-smiling cast members, the Disney experience just would not be as magical as it is. Leaders of the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and executives at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland, Calif., wanted some of that Disney customer service pixie dust sprinkled on its employees, which is why last year it sent all of its directors and some its managers to the Disney Institute at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, the same place where Disney cast members get their training, to attend a Disney Approach to Quality Service seminar. San Manuel already has an excellent customer service program in place, said Casino Marketing Director Jill Philbrook. Its policy includes such elements as safety first, calling customers by name and escorting, rather than pointing, customers to where they need to go. The work environment is very team-oriented — all departments are responsible for all other departments. And good customer service behavior is always rewarded. Yet what is key to superior service is always striving to improve. “Disney has an excellent service program. We wanted to orient our upper-level management so we could develop our own service program,” Philbrook said. The course, spread over three days, explores Disney’s customer service success story, how it trains and supervises its employees to treat customers and how it executes its service program, the one that puts every one of its employees on a stage. It also teaches participants how to enhance service delivery at their own venues. But casinos differ from theme parks, a different stage, a different audience. Can that Disney magic be recreated at San Manuel? Philbrook thinks so. The casino is a form of entertainment, as are the showroom and lounge. About 2.2 million visitors come annually to experience one or all of them. Philbrook said it is in the process of training the entire staff on the Disney approach. “[We are] working with out staff and customers to continue offering excellent customer service, which we have always done.” n July 2008 17 American Indian Report http://www.senecagamingcorporation.com http://www.sni.org/ http://www.sni.org/ http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/ http://www.barona.com http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/ http://www.sanmanuel.com/ http://www.sanmanuel.com/ http://www.disneyinstitute.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - July 2008

American Indian Report - July 2008 Contents Wolf Research; Native Language Scrabble; Indian Baseball History; Art; NEA Award Ethics & Standards of Conduct: Dual Roles - A Balancing Act Congress: Activity on the Hill Knowing Your Customer Grants: Tribal Transit Program - Putting Public Transportation in Rural Tribal Communities Indian Country Struggles with Skyrocketing Gas Prices Isolated Village Tackles Unique Environmental Issues CSKT and Wildlife Service Sign Bison Range Agreement Fostering Connections to Success Act Passed in House Tribal Government: Strategic Planning - A Shorter Assessment Process

American Indian Report - July 2008

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