Technology has already transformed the way we work, and now it’s set to change the way employees are trained. The latest app to emerge in staff training is Star Coach, which uses voice analysis and real-world scenarios to help train hospitality employees.
Developed for Forbes Travel Guide, Star Coach is a virtual training app that presents users with real-world guest situations. The user is presented with one of 50 short videos that recreate realistic scenarios with virtual guests. Employees can respond to guest complaints, requests or compliments by speaking into the phone or tablet.
The technology at the heart of the app is a voice analysis algorithm that detects the user’s “emotional fingerprint.” The algorithm analyzes the fractal patterns in the user’s voice and uses it to determine their confidence, engagement and stress. The app then provides the user with instant feedback, giving them pointers on best practices and tips on how to improve in the future.
“There is nothing like it in the hospitality industry. It is not only effective, but also efficient, and can be easily scaled to the entire hospitality team,” said Gerard J. Inzerillo, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide.
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Bringing Digital Training to the Next Level
For years, companies have sought to reduce costs and improve efficiency by automating staff training, but until now, it’s been limited to carrying out online courses during which new employees answer multiple choice questions about various scenarios. The Star Coach app brings this to the next level by allowing hospitality workers to participate in real-life scenarios they could encounter in their daily work. The app can also be upgraded with new situations to allow for ongoing staff training, ensuring that everyone is maintaining a high standard of service, even if they’re not encountering those scenarios in the real world.
The technology behind the Star Coach app was developed by Sharecare, a leading digital health and wellness company, and has already been used in other industries, such as pharmaceutical sales, to successfully train staff — and could be utilized by many other sectors.
A study from RIS News found that 94 percent of retailers believe that investing in training for their associates is either “extremely important” or “very important” to improving customer experiences. While we’ve already seen virtual reality used for employee training, it’s clear that leveraging cutting-edge technology like voice analysis will go a long way in helping businesses train their staff more efficiently than ever before.
Virtual reality also has the potential to revolutionize medical training by allowing students to get hands-on experience in a controlled environment.
