Customer Service Training

Our customer service training program was developed with roots stemming from Hilton's "Priority One" staff training and has been recognized with the 2008 Guest Relations Award from the Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Association. The training is a fabulous free membership benefit offered to members' staff, and is either conducted at the PA Dutch CVB or at members' properties. Two types of training are currently offered, with details outlined below.

For more information or to register for an upcoming training session, contact Cheryl Deaven at 717-391-6002 or cdeaven@padutchcountry.com.

Basic Training - The Guest®

The focus of this class is on the basics:

• Reading guest body language
• Awareness of our body language and what it "says" to the guest
• Listening skills
• Handling complaints

Attendees will learn about the PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, and what it has to offer. They will then engage in a discussion centered around the topic of "What is customer service?" and watch a film titled "The Guest." This film, although light and comical, stresses the importance of how a guest should be treated, based on the theory that you should "treat your customer at work as you would treat a guest in your home."

Following the film, several topics are discussed:

• Welcoming the guest
• Using their name
• Taking care of their needs
• Thanking them
• Inviting them back

The remainder of the training session helps to familiarize attendees with with our Lancaster County product, including topics such as:

• What is open on Sundays
• What should I say when they ask me "What is there to do in Lancaster besides the Amish?"
• Using www.padutchcountry.com to assist the guest
• General questions

The Difficult Guest – Understanding and Serving Difficult Customers

Prerequisite: Basic Training - The Guest®

Guests don’t start out wanting to be difficult.  If potential problems are identified early on and properly handled from the beginning, chances are that you can turn things around.  But…that's sometimes easier said than done. Learn how to handle these situations.

“Give ‘em the PICKLE!

Your business is not what you sell, it's who you serve. So...Give`em the PICKLE! PICKLES are those special or extra things you do to make people happy. It's a hand written thank you note with every order shipped. It's walking the customer to the item they're looking for rather than pointing... or maybe it's simply calling them by name. The trick is figuring out what your customers want and then making sure they get it. That's the message behind the Give ’em the PICKLE seminar.