GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
It has been a busy few months for the GCE program, with new regional managers put in place and heading into the field with our venue support specialists to connect with business operators. Jack Milbourne (south), Lee Christmas (north) and Stuart Jones (north west) have joined program manager Penny Holmes in reaching out to venues right across the state. So far this year 690 venues have completed the GCE program, with the team currently working with another 450. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from all our operators, who have noticed a shift in perception from staff in regards to running costs as well as the importance of things like reputation and having a solid knowledge of the products they are selling.
as well, the more you know that is related to local stuff or history, that’s why people buy it.”
We also met up with Henry and Gerald Ellis fromAboveandBeyondTasmanianSeaplanes, who approached us about the program after hearing about it at a Destination Southern Tasmania networking event. After their success in the program, they also joined up as THA members. “I know everyone appreciated it and it was a really beneficial thing to do,” Henry says. “I think it really opened everyone’s eyes to how sensitive the profit margins are to bums on seats and flight time. The branding side of things was really important as well, I think everyone has a really solid idea now of who we are, what we represent, and the way we present to the guests. The staff have been doing a great job so far, and this session has really instilled some of the most important parts of our business within them and it was excellent for them to hear it from in industry professional. [We] look forward to working with you and THA some more.”
partake in the program. Run by husband and wife duo Tash and Shane Gill alongside Room for a Pony co-owner Mendel Zotz-Wilson and Glen Coleman after the Burnett St property was purchased by State Cinema owner John Kelly in 2019, the pub has undergone a major transformation to revive its former glory. Tash Gill says the GCE session was extremely informative for the staff. “A pub isn’t just a pub, it’s an experience, it’s a recommendation of local produce and we said how we needed to sharpen up and he [GCE venue support specialist Dave Noonan] said ‘I’ve got this program for you’. I worked for flight centre for many years and I was brought home to run Flight Centre Tasmania, 15 shops, lots of training, lots of customer service. For me, I needed that in hospitality, with the training background and customer service.” Tash says following the session, staff have a greater understanding of just how tight profit margins are the importance of describing produce to customers. “There’s been a bit more responsibility taken with customer service, with care of wastage, and definitely knowing a little bit about what you are selling and then being confident enough to sell it with the story. I could sell you two pinots that are exactly the same but I guarantee you hand on heart if I tell you a story about the wine maker or some kind of story about the vineyard, they choose that one. We have always talked about that but the customer experience program talked about it
Pictured: Henry & Gerald Ellis
A big project undertaken during the August- September period was conducting venue awareness sessions with staff working in the NRMA group, with a dozen held across two days in some of the state’s most regional locations. Around 150 staff were invited to attend the sessions which were tailored to be results driven for the venues themselves. The NRMA group allowed the GCE team to tailor the workshops to specifically support their unique brand identity. The Crescent Hotel also took the opportunity to
Enquires? Contact
Penny Holmes (program manager): penny@tha.asn.au 0417409797 Jack Milbourne (southern regional manager): jack@tha.asn.au 0439763977 Lee Christmas (northern regional manager): lee@tha.asn.au 0422192174 Stuart Jones (north west regional manager): stuart@tha.asn.au 0460624858
Hospitality Review: October 2021 15
Hospitality Review: October 2021 14
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog