Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 11, 2017 (SKNIS): Hospitality is key to the Tourism Industry in St. Kitts and Nevis and as such the St. Kitts Tourism Authority alongside the Ministry of Tourism has been conducting a series of customer service workshops for frontline employees yearly.
Just last year, between August and October, 662 frontline employees working at hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, etc. were trained.
These training sessions help to not only improve standards, but also to inculcate the importance of delivering high quality customer service.
Frontline employees within the tourism industry include vendors, servers and bartenders, reception desk and customer service agents, hotel and casino staff, destination management companies, immigration and security officers, as well as managers and supervisors.
These frontline employees are expected to provide exceptional customer service says Minister of Tourism, Honourable Lindsay Grant. The best possible experience is required not only for the guests but citizens of the federation.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is that we continually strive for excellence in this business, as it is the memory of the experience we provide that will ensure people will keep returning to those restaurants, hotels, shops, activity providers and, in fact, to our island overall,” said Minster Grant at one of the workshops.
According to an official press release from the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, dated August 01, “each session was specifically crafted to provide each group with key customer service techniques, communication skills and history lessons that can be applied within their field of work.”
Further, “the aim of the workshops is to enhance the tourism product by offering exceptional customer service which will exceed guest expectations and bring more visitors to St. Kitts.” This will ensure that the destination remains competitive within the region.
From July 31 to August 01, a series of mandatory workshops were held for the frontline employees.
In an interview at one of those workshops, Minister Grant said that it is essential that these workers receive training in customer service if St. Kitts plans to continue to be seen as a premier tourist destination.
“We try to at least impart on them what customer service is all about and to indicate to them that for us customer service is number one and for us to be competitive in this industry, we have to deliver excellent service all the time,” he said during the interview.
Since the start of the year, these workshops have been conducted and will continue in the foreseeable future. Workshops are usually held in July and August every year.
The workshops teach basic customer service along with general information on the history and culture of St. Kitts-Nevis.
The sessions also teach the importance of grasping basic customer service techniques and communication skills.
The minister said that these skills are vital to visitors and nationals as it only takes one positive guest experience on the island to encourage and influence visitors to return.