A recent survey (warning pdf file) by the British Learning and Skills Council reported that customer service skills are in short supply across a huge range of business areas, and that the hospitality and leisure industry is one of the areas hardest hit.
The survey, which involved interviews with 74,500 CEO’s, found that a quarter of vacancies are caused by employers not being able to find staff with right people skills. When employers were asked to identify the areas in which applicants are not fully skilled, customer handling was cited in 38% of cases, and basic oral communication skills in 35% of cases. Almost two thirds of all staff with skills gaps are reported to specifically lack customer handling skills.
David Way, director of skills at the LSC, said: “While employers do not expect everyone who comes into the labour market to be the finished article there are key 'soft skills' such as the ability to communicate effectively and work in a team which gives individuals a strong chance of succeeding".
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