Gatwick Airport has ambitions to remain in the top three of all EU airports in terms of customer service and enlisted the help of Welcome to Excellence to guide them on their journey to achieve customer service excellence.
The training team at Gatwick worked closely with Sue Gill, Training Services Director, at Tourism South East to develop a customised version of Welcome Host Gold, which is now known at Gatwick as ‘Delivering Excellent Customer Service’. The course has been adapted to incorporate Gatwick’s branding, service offer and customer values and is delivered by their in-house company trainers.
Over 1,700 employees to date have polished their customer service skills to achieve a City & Guilds Level 2 accredited award.
CEO Stewart Wingate says “We’re focusing on our passengers’ experience because that’s key to delivering excellent customer service. Improving their journey through the airport will not only show our understanding of what passengers want, but help us reach our goal of becoming London’s airport of choice”.
Scott Stanley, Chief Operating Officer says “This training programme provides our staff with the tools to deliver excellent customer service and receive this nationally recognised qualification”.
The training programme began with Gatwick’s security team which has also introduced a ‘mystery shopper’ initiative involving passengers giving feedback anonymously about their experience of the security process.
Results so far have been impressive. As a direct result of the programme, compliments received by security staff have doubled and complaints have fallen by 70%.
And if that wasn’t rewarding enough, Gatwick received its own accolade. Bestowed by the Institute of Customer Service, the customer service award was presented by John Williams, former Chairman of Tourism South East.
He said “I am delighted to celebrate the success of Gatwick’s customer service training. It’s fantastic to see that Gatwick is putting customer service at the heart of its £1bn investment”.
For further information contact: Sue Gill, Training Services Director, at Tourism South East [email protected]
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