Our Time, Our Place and Our People

Over the next three years, Northern Ireland will host an impressive series of events, celebrations and the launch of many new, world-class visitor attractions. Millions of visitors will arrive here to experience the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction, explore the new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre and take part in exciting events around Northern Ireland that celebrate our unique music, sport and cultural traditions.

These events will put Northern Ireland in the global spotlight and firmly position the province as a “must visit” destination.  Never has there been a better opportunity for businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry to showcase the best of Northern Ireland and to provide a warm welcome to our visitors that will encourage them to spend more money and come back to see us again in the future.

To help businesses gain a competitive edge at this time of opportunity, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, People 1st and the Department for Employment and Learning are working in close partnership to bring the WorldHost Customer Service training programme to Northern Ireland.  First developed in Canada, almost 1 million people around the world have been trained in customer service skills using WorldHost.  The programme is being used to train thousands of front line staff, volunteers and contractors for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is targeted to be delivered to 200,000 people in advance of the 2014 Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Course Programme
The WorldHost programme comprises of two customer service programmes that have been developed specifically for Northern Ireland.  Successful completion of the programme can lead to a level 2 Vocationally Relevant Qualification.

Day 1. Principles of Customer Service
Participants in this full day course will learn the skills and techniques that form the fundamentals of service professionalism, including:
·        Welcoming people skills
·        Creating a positive first impression
·        Dealing with customer concerns
·        The communications process
·        Effective listening skills
·        Identifying visitor needs
·        The value of tourism
·        Topics to avoid
·        Personalised key commitments

Day 2. Ambassador Workshop
The workshop supports the development of tourism and hospitality “ambassadors” in providing a warm and friendly welcome and equips participants with the resources to interact with and assist visitors to Northern Ireland.  The course includes a ½ day familiarisation tour of the specific area of delivery to improve participants’ knowledge of their area.

The course content includes
·        Demonstrating a warm welcome
·        Local tourism resources
·        Ambassador resources
·        The PRIDE factor
·        Leaving lasting impressions

The Costs

Recognising the importance of the tourism and hospitality sector in Northern Ireland, the Department for Education and Learning (DEL) has put together a funding package to support the programme.

Any private sector organisation in the tourism, hospitality, travel or passenger transport sectors employing fewer than 250 people could be eligible for financial assistance through the DEL funded package for WorldHost customer service training.

The cost per person is £190 however DEL are funding £170 per person for qualifying organisations.   This means that individual staff members in qualifying organisations can benefit from the training for just £20 per person.  This fee is all inclusive and covers:

·        Pre-programme site visit by the trainer
·        Discussion with management to identify key customer service needs
·        Two day training programme (Principles of Customer Service and Ambassador Workshop) including all venue, catering and tour costs
·        All course materials
·        Level 2 accredited qualifications for both programmes
·        Certificates and WorldHost pin badges

The Facilitator

Lynda Willis is passionate about delivering excellence in customer service and has mystery shopped many Northern Ireland businesses to see firsthand how they treat customers.  She is a Chartered Marketer with over 20 years’ marketing experience.  She began her career with the Northern Bank where she held a variety of management roles in public relations and marketing.  In 2004 she set up her own business (Customer Sense Training and Consultancy) providing marketing-based training and helping small businesses implement practical and cost-effective marketing strategies.  Her past training clients include the Department of Agriculture, the Consumer Council, Newtownabbey Borough Council, the Marketers’ Forum, the Southern Regional College and CCEA.  She is also an examiner for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, an assessor with the Digital Marketing Institute as well as a marketing course manager with the University of East London. 

 Booking a Course

Courses are scheduled in May and June for Belfast, Newry and Portadown.  To find out the dates and venues, please email Lynda@customersensetraining.co.uk or call 07773 423675.