Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, January 26, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - Customers in Fort Simpson and Nahanni Butte should notice improved customer service thanks to a recent workshop.

Twenty-nine people from the two communities took part in a one-day NorthernMost Host customer service workshop in Fort Simpson on Jan. 19.

The training follows a program that is run nationwide under different names, said Phyllis Radchenko, instructor with Tourism Training North, who led the workshop.

Fort Simpson was the first of four communities outside of Yellowknife to receive the workshop.

Part of a larger four-year program, the initiative is being funded by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The purpose of the workshop was to increase awareness about the importance of customer service and to give people the skills to deliver a higher level of service, said Radchenko.

People around the world want to come to this area and it's critical that when they arrive all interactions are positive. Word of mouth is the best way to draw other visitors, said Radchenko.

"It's a great time to be in tourism. There's so much potential," she said.

The most common mistake that people make in customer service is thinking that what they do doesn't matter, said Radchenko.

"It's really important for people to understand what they do makes a difference," she said.

Even if a company is the only one in a community to offer a certain service, people remember how they are treated, she said.

Topics covered during the day included communications skills, how to deal with challenging customers and ambassadorship.

The workshop provided new insight into ways of dealing with tourism and customer service, said Jennifer Simons, one of the participants.

"I thought it was really well-presented," said Simons, who is an administrative assistant at Simpson Air.

With people gathered from two communities, it was a chance to talk to other people and hear their ideas for tourism, Simons said.

With double the expected attendance at the workshop, Radchenko said the training should have a noticeable effect.

"I think Simpson will take a little leap in the belief in tourism," said Radchenko.