VIP CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING GOES TO THE AIRPORT

Volunteer Information Patrons (VIPs) at Bristol Airport were amongst those who recently took part in a dedicated customer service training programme tailored by South West Tourism, designed to help staff deliver world-class service to all customers.

Bristol International is the gateway to the region for many visitors and first impressions count that is why the Volunteer Information Patrons (VIPs) are so important to the airport. They give a warm welcome to passengers flying into the South West by providing information on hotels, tourist attractions and directions for onward travel. The course covered areas such as the airport experience, safety, security and customer service, understanding customers and exceeding expectations, product and destination knowledge, communicating effectively, providing an accessible service, language and cultural diversity, dealing with difficult situations and boosting business. Alison Roberts General Manager (Terminal) at Bristol International Airport said: “We have introduced Welcome Host Training at the airport to assist us in providing a positive experience, particularly to those passengers visiting Bristol and the region for the first time. South West Tourism tailored the course specifically for the airport team and included a variety of course topics including successful communication, delivering excellent customer service and much more. In total 43 staff have attended the course with other sessions planned for 2010. The number of inbound passengers at Bristol International has increased by 161 per cent to over 850,000 a year since 2003, aided by the airport’s proximity to major events and tourist attractions such as Bath and the Glastonbury Festival.” Helen Jones, Training Manager, South West Tourism, said: “It's fantastic news that Bristol International Airport is investing to empower frontline staff with strong customer service skills. Businesses that invest in training are enhancing their staff skills in addition to increasing their confidence, motivation, and making them feel more valued. In conjunction with the Tourism Skills Network we worked with Bristol International Airport to provide them with a dedicated course that met their requirements and covered all the key topics of customer service. We received excellent feedback from staff who attended the course and look forward to continuing to work with Bristol International Airport in the future.” If the media would like any additional information please contact: Liz Dale Press at South West Tourism on: 01392 353 218 or email: pressoffice@swtourism.co.uk Ends Notes to editor South West Tourism is the official regional tourist board, working with partners to stimulate and manage the development of tourism in; Bath, Bristol, Bournemouth/Poole, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Cotswolds & Forest of Dean and Wiltshire, in line with the regional tourism strategy. South West Tourism is an independent body for tourism in the region with a board of directors drawn from predominately the private sector and partners, and is funded by the South West RDA and European commission funds. www.swtourism.org.uk Welcome Host forms part of the Welcome to Excellence suite of courses, established as the UK's most popular customer service training, and undertaken by more than 300,000 staff in the tourism, hospitality, leisure and retail sectors, including businesses like Bourne Leisure (Warners, Haven and Butlins), Compass Group, De Vere, English Heritage, One Railway, Imperial War Museum North, and many local authorities. Welcome Host training is available from South West Tourism through a series of scheduled courses held at venues across the South West, and through in-house training, which can be tailored to businesses' specific operational situations and demands. Further information from South West Tourism on tel: 01392 353240 or visit www.swtourism.org.uk The highly regarded Tourism Skills Network will be integrated into South West Tourism to complement the company’s valuable and popular “Welcome Host” training programme, and expand the reach and expertise at a regional level.