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Staff training pays dividends at Oswaldtwistle Mills
Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village is one of the North West's leading retail tourism attractions and as such is going all out to ensure its visitors receive first class service from the moment they walk through the door. Over one hundred and twenty staff and concessions have successfully undertaken Welcome to Excellence training this year and the results are already proving well worth the effort.
Welcome to Excellence is a highly successful national customer service initiative with a series of programmes delivered and managed by the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board and supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) for the whole of the North West region.
The one-day Welcome Host programme was offered by Oswaldtwistle Mills to both front-line reception staff and also security guards, cleaners, car parking controllers and on-site maintenance engineers. The aim of the training was to help develop enhanced customer service and communication skills in addition to greater product and facility awareness so that any member of staff coming in to contact with the general public would be an outstanding ambassador for the organisation. It was also important for all staff to understand the importance and value placed on their contribution as individuals to the success of Oswaldtwistle Mills from a tourism perspective.
Lancashire
and Blackpool Tourist Board's expert consultant trainer Katy Moussaada carried
out the Welcome Host training and was delighted with the feedback,
"The staff were really enthusiastic, highly motivated and keen to put what
they had learnt into practice. It was a real pleasure working with each and
every one of them as they had a genuine desire to put the customer first and
make Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village stand out as an exemplary retail tourism
attraction."
The training kick-started a number of customer service initiatives by Oswaldtwistle
Mills including more regular mystery shops to ensure sustained performance levels,
a customer service steering group and comprehensive customer satisfaction analysis.
Said Boyd Hargreaves, Director of Retail at Oswaldtwistle Mills, "The investment in training has resulted in greater customer satisfaction and our highly valued workforce going to even greater lengths to ensure first-class service.
With over a million visitors a year we knew our customer service levels were good but we were determined not to rest on our laurels. We want the Oswaldtwistle Mills shopping and tourism experience to exceed customer expectations both in terms of products and service. This training provided a cost effective solution for our needs and already we're reaping the rewards with a marked increase in brand loyalty including repeat and recommended business from our customers and increased staff retention rates. We will continue with running Welcome to Excellence programmes in the future on a quarterly basis."
The cost of the training was discounted as Oswaldtwistle Mills is a member of the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board. In addition, funding was also provided by Lancashire's Hill Country as part of their support scheme for tourism businesses in the area.
Said Peter Mearns, Director of Marketing at the NWDA, “The Welcome to Excellence team has yet again demonstrated the positive impact training and staff development can have on tourism business. Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village is to be commended on its commitment to providing a first-class tourism experience through a highly trained and motivated workforce. ”
Contact the Welcome to Excellence team on 01257 226605.
Ends
For further press information please contact Tracy Bosanko on 01625 871402 or
07957 619303.
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