Small Business Development Center and Visitor & Convention Bureau team up to deliver world-class training for local businesses’ front-line employees
Wondering where your customers are going? “Only 9 percent of customers will leave because they are lured away by the competition; 14 percent will leave because of dissatisfaction with the product; a whopping 67 percent will leave because of the attitude of one person in your organization,” according to a study by the American Quality Association.
Providing good customer service is essential to your business’s reputation, a guest’s return intent, and online reviews. In fact, a study from the Center for Hospitality Research found higher review scores allow hotels to charge up to 11.2 percent more, while maintaining occupancy rates.
At the request of Lincoln City Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center sought out the latest and most recognized training program available. What the SBDC found was a program presented by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Education Foundation (ORLAEF), Travel Oregon, and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). It’s the internationally recognized Guest Service Gold® training and certification suite used by industry leaders such as the Chicago CVB, Aramark, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Universal Orlando Resort, and Provenance Hotels, to name a few.
“Lincoln City has world-class scenery, attractions, lodging and dining,” Ed Dreistadt, Director of the Lincoln City VCB said. “This program will help our city also deliver world-class customer service. We’ll have more satisfied guests and more frequent return visits – which will benefit every business in town. Plus, excellent customer service makes living in Lincoln City all the better.”
Created by the AHLEI, Guest Service Gold® offers a comprehensive solution to the industry’s need for an accessible, consistent, and affordable customer service training program that is applicable to any employee in Lincoln County’s hospitality industry – restaurants, attractions, visitor information, transportation companies, accommodations, and others. Those who successfully complete the course and pass the test are awarded the Certified Guest Service Professional® (CGSP) designation, currently held by more than 12,000 hospitality industry employees worldwide.
The class, to be presented in Lincoln City, will be delivered in two three-hour segments, and will be led by Judy Hardy. Hardy once owned the Denny’s franchise in Lincoln City and conducted customer service training for Denny’s locations nationwide. Later, she re-branded the restaurant to the Hilltop Inn, a popular local eatery renowned by locals and visitors alike for its exceptional level of service.
Along with live instruction, the course features video content, including seven brief stories based on actual employee incidents that illustrate the program’s core elements of providing excellent customer service. These elements are authenticity, intuition, empathy, delight, delivery, initiative and being a champion.
“This curriculum is powerful stuff, and when coupled with Judy Hardy’s amazing skillset and experience, it creates a professional development program sure to help make Lincoln City’s front-line employees even more competitive and successful,” said Dave Price, director of the SBDC at Oregon Coast Community College.
The first program will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 2 at OCCC’s North County center in Lincoln City. The cost of the program will be $49 per person for employees of members of the ORLA, $59 for non-members. Thanks to the VCB’s support, some individual and employer scholarship support is available, for a limited time.
To learn more about how you, or your employees, can participate in the inaugural Lincoln City Certified Guest Service Professional® program, and to find out about scholarship options, and to register online, visit oregoncoastcc.org/sbdc, or call 541-994-4166.
