Empathy at the Eatery

Can you communicate empathetically with a dissatisfied customer?

I designed this concept-based eLearning tool to support restaurant staff in using an empathetic approach when communicating with disgruntled guests.

Audience: restaurant hosts and wait staff
Responsibilities: instructional design, needs analysis, action mapping, storyboarding, graphic design
Articulate Storyline 360, Photoshop, Mindmeister, Vyond

Experience the Project

The Issue

Management at Bob’s Bistro, a local restaurant in a large city, has noticed a steady decline in the restaurant’s online rating since 2020 as they struggle to keep a fully staffed kitchen.

In the midst of these challenges, wait and host staff have experienced an influx of customer complaints due to increased ticket and wait times.

Overwhelmed with disgruntled guests, the staff have voiced to management that they feel unequipped to effectively communicate with dissatisfied customers.

The Solution

By conducting a needs analysis, I determined that we would be able to solve the issue by designing a scenario-based eLearning experience for the current and future staff of Bob’s Bistro.

This experience will provide a risk-free environment for staff to to learn the best techniques when engaging with dissatisfied guests.

My Process

I followed the ADDIE framework when designing this eLearning solution.

Needs Analysis

After conducting a needs analysis , I determined that an eLearning solution would be appropriate due to a knowledge gap in understanding how to guide an empathetic conversation with an unhappy customer. This learning experience gives employees of Bob’s Bistro an opportunity to refine their customer service skills in a risk-free enviornment.

Action Map

For my featured project, I acted as the SME and drew from my past experience when creating an action map. The overall goal is shown on the left side of the map. Three important actions branch from the main goal that break down the actions the staff member should take. Then, those three main actions are broken down further so that more detail is given. The final branches communicate what actions to include or avoid.

Mindmeister Action Map

Storyboard

Storyboard - Google Docs - View the entire document by scrolling through the picture above.

As I moved into the design phase of the ADDIE model, I created a storyboard based on the 3 actions steps in my action map. Throughout the storyboard, the learner must display empathy, identify the issue, and propose a solution when communicating with the unhappy guest. If an incorrect action is taken, the consequence is the customer becoming increasingly upset, leaving, and/or writing a bad review. If a correct action is taken, the customer’s mood improves and the learner is able to continue their interactions with the customer.

Prototype Design

I began to create interactive prototypes in Vyond so that I could visualize the layout of the entire project. Due to the nature of the learning scenarios, I created a custom color pallet that was centered around calming colors for the learner.

Featured Project Color Scheme

I also created a “manager” button and slides that include guidance from the manager if the learner needs assistance answering a question or moving throughout the experience.

Continue Manager Slide

Try Again Manager Slide

Utilize Empathetic Behaviors Slide

Pt. 2 Utilize Empathetic Behaviors Slide

Identify the Issue Slide

Propose a Solution Slide

Another slide I created is a visual of a computer rating with written feedback from the customer about their experience. If the learner chooses an action that is incorrect, the customer reaction or computer review gives feedback about why that action was incorrect. My intention was to give the learner additional insight indicating what made their decisions correct or incorrect.

Utilize Behavior: Letter B Consequence

Utilize Behavior: Letter C Consequence

Utilize Behavior: Letter A Consequence

Propose a Solution: Letter B Consequence

Identify the Issue: Letter C Consequence

Storyline Development

After receiving feedback and making necessary changes, I moved into the development stage. I imported the videos from Vyond into Storyline 360 and created custom “Begin”, “Continue”, “Try Again” and “Get Back to Work” buttons that aid the learner in navigating each scenario. I wanted to ensure after each piece of text, a button appears so that the learner can take the time to read the content presented to them.

I wanted to make this project accessible to all learners. This project is self-paced by automatically pausing after each text is presented. It also has a text-to-speech feature as well. The learner is able to press the “text-to-speech” button and have any text read aloud to them.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed creating this scenario-based eLearning tool. This tool addresses an issue in the restaurant industry that has only been exacerbated by the staff shortages brought on by the pandemic. Some of the feedback that I received from others with an instructional design background was that the story line was engaging , the quiz questions assessed the learner’s understanding, and the computer reviews were an excellent way to point the learner in the right direction without just stating “incorrect”.

I hope to continue to make projects similar to this one in the future. Please click the button below to experience the entire project.