Lobster Ink Product Profile 2010

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What is Lobster Ink? In response to the overwhelming demand for service training in the premier hotels, lodges and restaurants on the continent, Let’s Sell Lobster has spent over two years developing a media-based training solution based on the level of expertise, innovation and detail that has helped to establish themselves as the leading training providers in Africa.

Through in-depth research, and input from the continent’s service experts, Lobster Ink has developed the ultimate resource for training staff in all aspects of Guest interaction in hospitality.

Dedicated lessons covering both best-practice procedure, as well as up-to-date, sales-oriented product knowledge will empower learners with skills, inform them with an understanding of why things are done in a particular way, and inspire them to take control of their future through continuous learning - on their own terms.

What Does Lobster Ink Entail?

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Procedural and Product Knowledge Video Lessons Over 400 skill-specific lessons, each with detailed, real-world examples, covering Service Level 1, Wine 1 and Bar 1 in the first year, presented in a self-contained 27” iMac computer in stunning high-definition.

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Mindset and Motivation Service-oriented mindset and motivation lessons.

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Full Colour Learner Manuals Practical training and learning guides in an all-inclusive training manual for recap and further study.

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Orientation Videos Optional property-specific ‘orientation video’, detailing the unique aspects of your property - from food style, special offerings and procedures, to the pride, mindset and culture that makes your property special.

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Yearly Updates and New Courses Comprehensive yearly updates on increasingly-advanced skill sets - from the internationally accredited Lobster Ink Chef, to Guiding, Housekeeping, Front Desk and Middle Management. Each course will be upgraded year-on-year, as staff move through the content and progress through the different levels of the curriculum on their way to achieving a full accredited certificate or diploma.

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In-depth Assessment and Learner Tracking Built in testing function designed to monitor individual and group progress of staff in learning the procedural and product-knowledge aspects of their departments, roles and responsibilities. All of this, with ability to incorporate detailed staff management and progress tracking with practical and theoretical testing of the skills and understanding taught in the courses.

A Revolution in Training The Lobster Ink system is based around five training foundations.

1. The Video Lessons

The high-definition video content provides cutting-edge procedural and product knowledge lessons in a structured curriculum format, which allows learners to progress through the content systematically, with each lesson building on the knowledge learned in previous lessons.

The lessons vary in length from 5 - 20 minutes each, providing the unique ability for learners to train on the job, without having to leave the workplace. For the first time, learners are able to improve their skills and product knowledge whenever they have time and - crucially - at their own pace. The video lessons are reinforced by detailed text-based and photographic summaries, with full voiceovers, allowing the full spectrum of sensory learning - with visual, audio and textbased stimuli - which is critical in effecting long-term behavioural change and retention of knowledge.

At the heart of all of the Lobster Ink lessons is a major focus on understanding, rather than simple rote learning of procedures and product knowledge. Media-based training provides the ability to spend more time on each subject or area of focus than is practically possible in the case of live training, which enables the content to concentrate on explaining ‘why’ things are done in a certain way, rather than just ‘what’ is done, or ‘how’ to do it. The focus on the why is the main component of what makes the Lobster Ink content so unique and so powerful, encouraging a pure understanding of the often complicated and culture-laden procedures, products and etiquette that surround Guest interactions at the highest level of service delivery.

2. Text-based Manuals

All of the video content is captured in the full-colour manuals which summarize and expand upon the procedural and product knowledge in the video lessons. Learners are presented with dedicated manuals for each of the courses they are undertaking, allowing them to continue the learning experience and explore each concept in more detail when they leave the workplace or are unable to get access to the Lobster Ink video lessons.

The manuals assist greatly in the learning process, helping learners to come to grips with difficult concepts and terminology, work systematically through complex procedures, and become a first point of reference for the information, procedures or selling lines that are used most frequently in the workplace.

3. The Online Assessment System - lobsterink.com

The backbone of the Lobster Ink system is the state-of-the-art backend testing system, lobsterink.com. Built from the ground up for the purpose of creating the ultimate testing and user-tracking platform, lobsterink.com provides all learners with a unique user login and profile, and the ability to progress through tailored curriculums based on their existing skills and knowledge bases. Learners are able to write tests online, which are marked in real-time, and provide immediate feedback on where the learners went wrong and where in the video lessons and manuals they can recap in order to overcome the gaps in their knowledge. The vast database of category-specific questions allows each test to be uniquely generated, so that no two tests are ever the same - even when based around narrowly-focused areas of study.

As learners successfully complete the categories of study that comprise each course, they are able to see their progress towards the certificate or diploma qualification in their course of choice. For the vast majority of learners, this will be the

first time in their career that their development paths are tangible and defined, and the first time that a formal qualification in their profession is within reach.

Lobsterink.com also becomes a groundbreaking management tool for managers and HR directors, who will be able to individually track the progress and proficiency of the staff members working in every department as they work through the Lobster Ink courses. Managers will be able to use the system to generate detailed analytical data about the strength and weaknesses of the individuals in each department, providing a much needed focus for any live training, support or additional resources needed to resolve any shortcomings in procedural or product knowledge.

On top of this, the ability to use lobsterink.com as a potent recruitment tool, or to facilitate cross-departmental learning and knowledge-sharing across the establishment or group of establishments incredible provides a new level of staff-management provides an revolutionary HR decisionmaking tool.

4. Practical Assessment A critical component of all procedural and product knowledge learning is the practical implementation of all the new skills and knowledge that have been acquired through the Lobster Ink system and courses. With this in mind, the lobsterink.com assessment system builds in detailed practical assessment checklists for each category of study, so that training managers and facilitators are able to practically assess the proficiency of learners at each stage in their curriculum.

Upon the successful completion of a section of the curriculum, managers are sent checklists which will outline the practical assessment criteria and the skills that need to be demonstrated in order for the learner to fulfill the practical component of their coursework. The outcome of this practical assessment is then built into the online testing system, and forms a critical part of their overall progress through the course.

Now, learners can be accurately assessed on their ability to put their new-found knowledge into practice in the workplace.

5. Live Training The final component of the Lobster Ink training system is the incorporation of Live Training. Lobster Ink is designed as a supplementary, rather than complementary tool in the training of staff. The impact of live training and human interaction is a vital component of motivation, mindset and practical assessment in the development of staff members. With each scheduled update to the Lobster Ink courses, live trainers will conduct sessions with all of the learners at their properties, to motivate, reinforce and practically assess all the learners moving through the Lobster Ink system.

At the same time, the detailed information about the strengths, weaknesses, skills and product knowledge that can be learned from staff results on lobsterink.com provides precise guidelines about which areas require the most attention in any live training sessions. Similarly, for managers or heads of department working in the establishment, there will be no time wasted on training staff on the procedures and products that they should already know. Simply, once they have all achieved a certain grade in the area of focus, managers will use their time to train staff on high-value skills like tailoring, adding culture and personality, and adapting all of the skills to best fit each individual establishment.

Imagine being able to spend time training staff on the things that really matter, and that add ‘magic’ and personalization to the Guest experience, rather than on the skills and procedures that they should already know. This is the ability Lobster Ink has to make live training sessions more powerful and enduring than ever before.

copyright lobster ink 2010 lobster ink - a division of let’s sell lobster

How does Lobster Ink work?

The Lobster Ink courses are modular in structure, providing optional areas of study to supplement the two foundational courses, Service and Bar. With each yearly update, each of the selected courses will be updated in full, providing new, more advanced insights into increasingly detailed and sales-oriented areas of focus.

At regular intervals, courses and updates are added to the Lobster Ink system, to continuously expand upon the content, detail and skills covered in all departments. These courses and updates include: Service 2 & 3 Guiding 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Bar 2 & 3 Wine 1, 2 & 3 Barrister 1 & 2 Housekeeping 1, 2 & 3 Chef 1, 2 & 3

Benefits for Training Managers and HR Managers: New Levels of Control for Management • Track and quantify the amount of training , and how quickly staff are progressing through the material •See, at a glance, which staff members are exhibiting outstanding performance in the courses, and which are

Empowering Training Managers •The best, most up-to-date content - researched and updated, so that you can be assured that your staff are learning industrywide best practice •All material designed and taught in a manner that will encourage staff to tailor the skills they learn to fit the style and character of each establishments

most keen to learn and grow •Empower staff to take charge of their own development, encouraging continuous growth and a culture of learning and self-improvement •Highlight areas of strength and weakness in their staff and departments, pinpointing additional training requirements •Serves as a powerful recruitment tool to see the dedication, skills and ability to learn in potential employees •Coursework accredited nationally with THETA, allowing integration with training subsidies and grants

•Multi-media courses in high definition allows learning using visuals, audio, text and practical implementation (learning-bydoing) •Staff can train on whatever material they would like to learn, whenever they would like to, as often as they like, and at their own speed •Allows and encourages staff in all departments to learn the art of service excellence in other departments, i.e. game rangers boosting their wine and knowledge, barmen or housekeepers learning the art of table service etc.

•Carefully planned, incremental growth plans for each course module •Detailed assessments allowing HR to track the performance and growth of each individual staff member •Allow new staff to catch up with existing staff, so that the effect of additional training sessions is maximized for all staff members

The complete package, on a Mac, ensures ease of use, highdefinition viewing, and the ability for training managers to train in groups, as well as allowing individual learners to watch in private, whenever, and as often as they would like.

The power, for the first time, is in their hands.