Carole Edney, proprietor of West Marden Farm Accommodation, Chichester, West Sussex, has been named as the winner of Welcome to Excellence’s Outstanding Customer Service Award at the Beautiful South Awards 2013.
Carole fought off stiff competition from other high quality nominees including Colin Parkes (Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa), Carl Morgan (The Feathered Nest) and Tony Read (Kent Life). In a rigorous judging process, the panel reviewed each of those shortlisted.
against a set of criteria which took into account their daily commitment to providing excellent customer service and the extent to which they exceeded customer expectations. West Marden Farm Accommodation excelled in securing high levels of repeat business through great customer service, and consistently received praise on sites such as TripAdvisor for their “incredible warm hospitality”, and “attention to detail”. The award also focused on new business initiatives aimed at improving the customer experience as well as past awards and commendations.
In particular, the judges highlighted Carole’s commitment to the local community through her focus on employing people from the West Marden Farm Accomodation locality and also for going above and beyond the call of duty through her passionate promotion of Chichester and the wider West Sussex area as a tourist destination. Alongside winning the Outstanding Customer Service Award, West Marden Farm also received Gold in the Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year category.
Commenting on the significance of the award Carole said:“We are so delighted to have been awarded the Outstanding Customer Service award. This accolade truly encompasses the West Marden Farm Accommodation’s ethos. We’re constantly striving for improvements however insignificant they may seem, and complacency is never considered.
Thank you to everyone involved at the Beautiful South Awards – to win this award means so much to us. We would also like to say a huge thank you too to all our guests who’ve been returning to West Marden for the last 18 years and we look forward to welcoming all our new guests too!”
Sue Gill FCIPD, Training Services Director at Tourism South East, added: “As the sponsors of the Outstanding Customer Service Award we would like to offer our personal congratulations to Carole Edney on a most deserved win. Following a tough judging process, the panel felt that Carole stood out from the rest of the nominees, by consistently going the extra mile for her customers.
“Welcome to Excellence was delighted to sponsor this Award. We have a passion for great customer service and believe Carole’s work exemplifies exceptional rather than acceptable standards of service. Her win effectively demonstrates the fact that she is an influential tourism ambassador for the local area, and we hope that her success will inspire other operators in the South to focus on the quality provision of their customer service.”
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