A little sunshine on an April morning

Following up on a February Service Best workshop at South East Regional College, facilitated by Tony Kayter, I noticed this comment from participant Gayleen Gurr, of Langbank, Saskatchewan: "...very worthwhile - should be mandatory in schools."

Thanks, Gayleen, for taking the time at the end of the workshop to provide some wonderful feedback and comments (and for providing permission to share them with our readers).

Several schools in Saskatchewan offer our Service Best in High Schools workshop. When you consider that most young people get their first jobs in tourism or hospitality businesses, the training effectively prepares them for summer employment, part-time work as students, and ongoing work in jobs where good customer service counts, including retail. (So, tell me of any job that doesn't require some kind of customer service, whether that's in a retail or "selling" business or in an office that requires you to interact effectively with colleagues!) Diefenbaker Destination Developments recently organized our Service Best Teacher In-Service workshop to certify high school teachers to provide Service Best in schools throughout the Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area. We even had one teacher travel down from Blaine Lake to take the training so that she could deliver Service Best in her high school.

Would we like to see more schools deliver Service Best? You bet! Consider how most of us learn about how to behave on the job. We learn mainly from experience, by watching how others are treated. If you can remember how you were treated as a high school (or younger) student when you went into local businesses, then you know that our youth don't often experience exemplary customer service. So, how do you learn to provide good customer service if you never experience it? That's why we've got Service Best in High Schools.

Lake Diefenbaker Service Best workshops

Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area aims to have 60 per cent of businesses and 60 per cent of staff in those businesses participating in Service Best.

That's why STEC is offering it's award-winning Service Best workshop in communities throughout the region, at special group pricing* that makes it easier than ever for businesses to empower their frontline staff to deliver superior customer service. Service Best is ideal for anyone who deals with customers, in any industry, from tourism to retail to health care.

Upcoming Workshops:

• Elbow, February 15.
• Central Butte, February 21.
• Whitecap, February 22.
• Outlook, February 28.
• Davidson, February 29.

Enrolment:
Visit steconlinelearning.com to sign up for the scheduled workshops.

For questions about Service Best: stec.training@sasktourism.com
Toll Free: 1-800-331-1529

*Special Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Service Best Initiative Rate: $79 for all registrants + GST (Regular Fee is $109 for Tourism Saskatchewan members, $129 for non-members).

Lake Diefenbaker area teachers ready to deliver Service Best in high schools

Mid-Sask Enterprise Region organized a Teachers’ In-Service workshop in Outlook in November. Seven teachers from schools in the Sun West School Division, and another from Prairie Spirit School Division in Blaine Lake, certified as facilitators to deliver Service Best in the destination region’s high schools to give students a competitive advantage in their summer jobs. Most people get their first job experience working in tourism, so early customer service training can really help.

Diefenbaker Destination Developments is setting the groundwork for becoming the first Service Best Area. As part of its destination strategy designed to improve tourism infrastructure, training and awareness, the non-profit organization and its partners, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Tourism Saskatchewan, Lake Diefenbaker Tourism, and the Mid-Sask Enterprise Region are working to create a culture of service excellence.

From now until the end of March, the destination area is setting up Service Best in Outlook, Elbow, Central Butte, Lucky Lake and Davidson. STEC is making the workshop available at special group pricing that makes it easier to empower frontline staff to deliver superior customer service. For workshop dates and registration information, visit www.steconlinelearning.com.

Service Best workshops around the province

The Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council has organized province-wide Service Best workshops for this fall and winter, making right now the perfect time to register your front-line employees for training in the delivery of superior customer service. This entertaining and interactive workshop provides useful tools for creating memorable customer experiences, responding to customer needs, and turning dissatisfied customers into loyal allies.

Workshops are scheduled throughout the province: Estevan/Weyburn, Humboldt, Meadow Lake, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Yorkton.

If you do business in Prince Albert or the Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area, you can register for one of four special Service Best workshops, Service Best Management, or Service Best Teacher In-Service. Prince Albert aims to be Canada's first "Service Best City", with at least 60% of the city's businesses achieving the designation. Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area also plans to have 60% of businesses designated, creating a culture of service excellence and drawing more visitors to the area.

For more information, visit www.stec.com or www.steconlinelearning.com.

Lake Diefenbaker aims for region-wide Service Best delivery

The Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area aims to become recognized as a Service Best Region.

Mid Sask Enterprise Region, Diefenbaker Destination Developments, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, and the Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council are working to designate the region as a Service Best Region, with 60 per cent of the businesses and 60 per cent of the staff in those businesses participating in STEC's Service Best program. The region wants to create a "culture of service excellence" that draws more visitors.


Good service doesn't happen by accident. Creating a service culture requires an investment in training to develop the skills, and to engage fontline staff, supervisors and managers in conversations around what it means to give customers superior service.


We're opening up opportunities throughout the Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Development Area to learn more about providing great customer service.

• Service Best Teacher In-Service workshops. The Service Best Teacher In-Service workshop certifies educators to deliver the Service Best workshop in their schools and to the public.
• Service Best in High Schools. Most students get their earliest job experiences in tourism businesses, yet they often enter the job market without a good understanding of customer service. Providing the Service Best workshop in high schools not only gives students valuable skills to land their first job, but also to help them in subsequent work in the tourism sector and throughout their careers.
• Service Best. Enrolling your frontline staff in a Service Best workshop gives them the skills and confidence to deliver superior customer service. They'll learn useful tools that create memorable customer experiences, identify and respond to customer needs, and turn dissatisfied customers into loyal allies.
• Service Best Management. Enrolling frontline staff in Service Best gets the customer service conversation rolling, but it doesn't end there. For business owners and managers, the Service Best Management workshop will help you create the right environment for delivering superior customer service. This workshop will benefit your business on every level, from a more positive work environment and higher staff retention to satisfied customers, repeat business, new patrons, and increased profits.
• Service Best Business Recognition. A businesses that attains at least 60 per cent staff or management participation in Service Best is recognized as a Service Best Business. Business recognition sends a strong message to consumers, creates a powerful promotional punch, and opens opportunities for businesses to cooperate in demonstrating their Service Best competitive advantage.
• Service Best Region Recognition. When at least 60 per cent of businesses in a region have achieved Service Best Business designation, that region receives recognition as a Service Best Region. Service Best communities are cities and towns across Saskatchewan that have achieved 60 per cent or greater frontline and management participation in Service Best. Our goal is to see the entire Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Destination Area recognized for its participation in Service Best, becoming our first Service Best Region.

To learn more about the Lake Diefenbaker Destination Area Service Best initiative or to find out how your school, business or community can benefit from this training, please call:
Holly Vollmer, Economic Development Officer, Mid Sask Enterprise Region, (306) 860-7404.

To register for a workshop or to find more about how Service Best can help your organization perform better, contact STEC:
Register online: www.steconlinelearning.com

NOTE: User registration required. We never share your personal information. Registration to gain access to the online learning site is fast, easy and free. If your organization is a member of Tourism Saskatchewan, your discounts are applied automatically each time you enrol in a workshop.

Contact: stec.training@sasktourism.com
Toll Free: 1-800-331-1529
STEC Service Best Programs: http://www.stec.com/training/workshops/service-best

Find upcoming workshops listed on our training and events calendar.