Papa Gino's Part 1.

Remember that new job? I've been there for 2 and a half months now and I really truly love it. It's at Papa Gino's and I am officially a grill cook. I'm trained in almost all of the other areas (except the pizza bench! but someday...) and I honestly do enjoy working. I like going to work and I like the people there.

In my first 2 weeks I was trained on the grill side and the telephones. Gasp. I was scared. Very scared. I hate the phone. I stutter and stammer and get nervous and go into a real tizzy over it (Okay, so I added some dramatic effects). I listened in on about 10 delivery/take out orders, practiced with the computer in the Training 101 mode and then it was my turn. Eeeek. I would guess that someone had to rescue me and the poor guest on the other end at least a dozen times before I got even half the hang of it.
But somehow, I did finally grasp the concept of the phone and the computers. There's a saying "He/she took to it like a fish to water." The meaning of it obvious so I won't try to explain. That was me with the phones and the computers.

The higher-ups implemented this "test call" thing a while ago. I'm sure it's been done many times in the past before I was there, but to my newbie knowledge a new round of test calls started several weeks ago.
It almost sounds self-explanatory doesn't it? The idea is that people from the corporate offices or possibly some willing guests (sorta like a secret shopper thing) call the restaurants and place an order for take-out and they test the team member on their skills. Politeness, helpfulness, all that, but also something just as important: Upselling-. What is up-selling?
Example A:
Guest: I'd like a large pepperoni pizza.
Okay, now me as the team member on the phone has a few options for up-selling.
1: Would you like extra cheese? (Easiest question ever, and really, who doesn't want some more cheese?)
2. Would you like to make that an extra large pizza? (Ahem, it's 14 inches versus 17 inches!)
3. Would you like to make that a PapaRoni pizza? (The PapaRoni is in our speciality pizza menu. It's 50% MORE cheese and pepperoni.)

I like to be helpful. I actually will go out of my way to be helpful even to the point where I'm doing too many things at once. Sweetly asking a guest if they'd like something else to make their meal more delicious and special even in a small way makes me feel helpful.

All of the phone calls are recorded and all the phone calls that were test calls are played back for the GM's, etc. I remember having three test calls. All three of them, I aced it. Passed with flying colors, all 100% well done. I actually like getting the phone now because of the test calls and the fact I like up-selling now. Weird right? It's good. I love it.

I'm very happy that I've become this skilled in it, considering how worried I was in the beginning.

Papa Gino's - Part 1