The company and the situation: Stayokay is a Dutch hostel chain with a lot of guest contact, numerous locations, and a diverse team. Colleagues wanted to work smarter and faster with new tools, but had little time for lengthy training sessions. After a busy shift, there's simply no time left for theory.

What they wanted to achieve: Not "more knowledge on paper," but noticeably better work on the ground. Shorter, friendlier emails. Faster answers to frequently asked questions. Less fiddling with texts. And above all: something that sticks.

What we found: Everyone saw opportunities, but there was no set rhythm. People did random experiments. A few things worked, others disappeared. Teams asked for guidance that matched the pace of the day.

Our approach

We chose one specific goal for each team and practiced with real-world scenarios: emails to guests, responses to reviews, short social media posts. Short on-site sessions were held amidst the hustle and bustle. After each session, there was something immediately usable: a sample text, a mini-checklist, a "how to get started" guide. For each location, the team selected a champion to maintain the rhythm.

What we're creating: No thick manuals, just a simple ritual: ten minutes at the beginning of the service. A quick look at an example, a quick try, and you're done. Everything in the Stayokay style, with a clear "do this" and "leave this out."

How it landed: A front-office employee rewrote a difficult email in two minutes. Shorter, friendlier, clearer. The guest booked the same day. Small successes like that drew others in.

Result: After six weeks, the habits were ingrained. Less searching. Better, shorter texts. Fewer rounds of proofreading. It simply became part of the job, without the hassle.

Time and team: Six weeks. A small team and one champion per location. One supervisor from CribConnects.