If one had suggested to directors of surveillance operations five years ago, that surveillance could be a helpful guest service, they would have had a look of astonishment on their faces. The mantra of all surveillance operations has been to take the attitude that they are "back of house" operations that did not come in contact with most guests entering the property, and are better off as an "unseen force". They would also point out that the guests that they did come into contact with were of profile that one did not care if they ever returned to the casino, and were frequently barred from returning.

In the competitive gaming environment of today, where each casino is offering a gaming product so similar that it has become a commodity in the true sense of the word, guest service is frequently the only item that will distinguish one casino from the other. Management, therefore is continually searching for ways to enhance the guest experience to gain an edge on the competition. While the "hardware",( buildings and equipment) are part of the solution, it also important to enhance the "software" (programs, policies and employees that affect the operation and the customer) side of the business.

Due to the enigmatic nature of surveillance, it has become an interesting topic feature for a number of television programs. As a result of this exposure, and other programs on security and cheating in casinos, casino guests are much more aware of the existence and capabilities of surveillance. Much of the gaming public, in fact, has a belief that surveillance can accomplish more than it actually can – when was the last time you saw a movie where the surveillance tape was blurred, or had the wrong angle?

This knowledge has resulted in more calls to the surveillance room, where the guest has a dispute on a gaming table and they demand that the pit manger ask for a review of the incident. Gone are the days when the pit manager’s decision was final, and the call for an "instant replay" is constant in many operations. Though in most incidents the review goes against the guest, and the guest is disappointed, if it is handled correctly, the guest feels that the casino made an honest effort. In those cases where the decision goes in their favor, one can provide a valued guest service to both the gaming floor and the guest.

Occasionally, in the case of disputes involving large sums of money, some casinos have allowed the guest to review the actual incident tape in a controlled area. This type of service should be very limited, and authority to view a tape should be invested only in senior management, never the marketing personnel. The reason for this, is that marketing personnel will naturally take the easiest and swiftest path to resolve a dispute with the customer. If this type of review becomes known to the general casino guest, it emasculates the decision making powers of the gaming floor management – a development that should be avoided at all costs.

To understand what can be done to improve service, a surveillance director needs to ask three questions:

1. Who do we come in to contact with the most during our day to day functions?
   
   
2. Why are we coming in contact with them?
   
   
3. What are they expecting from us?
   
   

The answers to these questions will guide one on how to proceed:

1. Front line staff, who deal directly with the guest, and back of house staff who the front line staff depend on to provide service.
   
   
2. The staff are posed with a problem which only surveillance can answer, either in a review, or in some type of observation study.
   
   
3. A timely result, either in film or an accompanying report, to assist in the decision making process.
   
   

Now that we have identified who we were providing a service for, and the service that is desired, we can now develop changes in policy and procedures which would help surveillance provide an improved guest service or assist others in providing service to the guest.

THE ACTION PLAN

1. A significant challenge is to correct the hostile perception that most people have about surveillance. The conventional wisdom is that surveillance is only there to catch either the employees or guests doing something wrong. This viewpoint is enhanced by the omnipresent nature of surveillance, and the anonymity of the people involved. The solution is to implement a policy of having all the surveillance operators give their name when answering the phone. This seemingly small step creates an environment of building better relationships between operators and those that they are communicating with. In addition, it has the ancillary benefit of resulting in floor management volunteering more information as they now sub-consciously "know" the person that they are speaking to.
   
   
2. The next step is to change the terminology in surveillance department reports and documents. Surveillance staff should use the word "guest" when referring to customers in their log entries and reports instead of the word "subject". The goal here is to create a more positive attitude, within the department, towards internal and external guests, and demonstrate that surveillance is thinking in terms of service to guest. With surveillance having it’s genesis in law enforcement, it is very easy to have an adversarial outlook that does little to improve the job performance and it becomes an anomaly in an environment where good service is essential.
   
   
3. Information is power, and many gaming operations restrict surveillance information to an absurd degree. Senior decision makers have been the only ones with access to surveillance data, even though they are rarely available to those that actual have to make the decisions on the gaming floor, frequently under severe time constraints. The solution is that benign information (non criminal activity) should be available to a wider number of people within the operation, preferably decision makers who are actually present on the gaming or property floor.
   
   
4. In surveys, casino guests give a high priority to a safe and secure environment in and around casino areas. Surveillance makes many observations around the property can assist in delivering this environment for all guests. Much of this information is not used as management comes into contact with surveillance only when there is a specific issue. It is important that a line of communication be developed that encourages and allows surveillance management to provide information that may be helpful in operating and managing the property.
   
   

Remember that while every other department and job function is either serving a guest, employee, or producing something, surveillance is simply watching, above the all the action. The neutral observations from surveillance can provide dispassionate insight on many topics that, if acted upon, can improve the product delivered to the guest. Being "back of house" should mean out of sight, but not out of mind – surveillance can have a valuable role to play beyond playing the good guy in an endless game of "cops and robbers"!