As the hospitality industry gears up for the Christmas rush, the People 1st Training Company is lending its support to small and medium businesses by giving away 5,000 free passes for its WorldHost Insights online customer service training programme.
Hospitality businesses with up to 250 staff will be able to claim free passes for the e-learning programme, which includes elements of the training used to prepare thousands of staff and volunteers for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Customer service is still a major issue for hospitality businesses in the UK, with 61% reporting that customer handling skills need improvement within their workforce and 38% saying that their staff would benefit from further training in monitoring and solving customer service problems. 1
Over an hour-and-a-half course, WorldHost Insights gives staff an introduction into how to connect with customers, communicate effectively with disabled customers and those from other cultures and go the extra mile. It also includes opportunities for participants to test their skills and knowledge and ultimately learn why their role has such an impact on the customers’ experience.
The programme is designed to help staff who have never been trained in customer service and those who want to refresh their skills. Participants receive an official WorldHost certificate on completing the programme.
With many hospitality businesses recruiting temporary staff ahead of the Christmas rush, the free training offers a fantastic opportunity to ensure that their front of house teams are prepared to meet customer expectations, at no cost to the employer.
Sharon Glancy, managing director of the People 1st Training Company, commented: “With the busy Christmas period coming up, we wanted to give small and medium businesses something that will help them wow their customers and secure repeat business over the quieter weeks that follow.
“We appreciate that this is a hectic time for hospitality businesses, which makes it especially difficult to release staff for formal training, so free access to our WorldHost Insights is our Christmas present to the industry!
“As the training programme is online, it can be accessed any time, any place – staff can either complete it at home, in bite-sized chunks during quiet periods of their working day or before/after they start their shift. It’s a great way for small businesses to use a proven training product at a time and place which is convenient to them.”
The 5,000 free passes will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.