Gold Standard Training

1 February 2011

UK CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Welcome to ExcellenceLancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board (LBTB) is leading the way in customer service training in the north of England, taking more participants through the new Welcome Host Gold training than any tourist board outside the South East. 

With customer service high on tourism agendas and even making it to prime time TV shows such as Michel Roux’s Service and Mary Portas: Secret Shopper, the state of the nation’s ability to deliver good service, to communicate well and offer a genuine welcome, has never been under such scrutiny or been of such national importance.

Welcome Host Gold, launched in June 2010, is now part of the Welcome to Excellence suite of training courses delivered by LBTB to around 2,000 delegates a year.  This new, highly flexible one-day course can be tailored to include content specific to the destination and business, and uses the latest techniques and practices to build confidence and skills, vital to the customer-facing environment.

Helen Aldous, LBTB Training Manager said “LBTB delivers Welcome training across the North West and we’re pleased the new Welcome Host Gold is proving just as popular as previous Welcome to Excellence courses. In the case of Welcome Host Gold, delegates who successfully complete the training now have the option to sit an examination to gain a nationally recognised City & Guilds qualification, which 78% of our participants have already chosen to do.

“It was good to see staff from Heathcotes, a company which has used Welcome to Excellence training,  expertly demonstrating the ‘magic moments’ element of the course on the new television programme, Michel Roux’s Service. Lancashire is renowned for the friendliness of the people and our warm hospitality; by investing in frontline staff we are working with businesses to secure this reputation for future generations.”

Six participants from Stanley House have recently completed the course and examination.

“Whether trainee manager, meeting and events manager, restaurant manager or wedding co-ordinator, we all found the Welcome Host Gold course invaluable” said Emma Eccleston, Meeting and Events Manager at Stanley House.

“Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself that what you are doing is right and that there are good reasons why we have certain procedures in place.  However, I can honestly say that we took a great deal more from the course and we’re now brimming with ideas that can be easily adopted, to further enhance the customer experience of Stanley House.  

“The tutor was also amazing.  She clearly had a hotel industry background with which we all identified and her stories and examples made the whole experience all the more enjoyable and valuable.”

Tourism businesses are increasingly focused on the opportunities arising from a number of national high profile events that will encourage visitors to the UK; from impending Royal Weddings and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to more local events in 2012 including the Preston Guild, the British Open Golf Championships and the 400th Anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trials.

For more information about Welcome Host Gold and other customer training opportunities through the tourist board click here or contact the Training Team on Tel: 01257 226607.

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Media enquiries: Anna Izza, Communications Executive, Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board on 01257 226614 or [email protected].

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