Training

The best way to build customer loyalty in the tourism and hospitality industry is to provide good customer service. Visitors who are treated efficiently and with respect are made to feel important and will return. People who have a positive experience at a hotel, restaurant, attraction, or even just speaking with a taxi driver, will tell other people about that and make it far more likely that they will visit Durham too. 

The Welcome to Durham training course gives people practical and immediately usable skills that can make the difference between a visitor being satisfied, and a visitor being made to feel special.  The course focusses upon customer service skills for the hospitality industry and provides an overview of the tourism product the county has to offer.

Welcome to Durham Qualification – 1 day training session

The morning session provides participants with the skills to deliver a warm and friendly welcome to customers and visitors, and is particularly focused on their role as an ambassador for Durham.

Participants will learn how equipping themselves with knowledge about what’s on offer in their local community can take their service to another level and provide customer service skills that can lead to:

• Increased revenue, repeat business, average spends and net sales
• Increased tourism and visitor spend in your local area
• Better communication between staff and customers
• Increased staff motivation, and therefore reduced staff turnover and absenteeism
• Higher quality assurance ratings and improved scores on sites like TripAdvisor

The second half of the day will be led by an experienced Blue Badge Guide and will include an overview of the visitor offer of Durham.  Discussions will be around the main attributes of the area and infrastructure to support them as well as an overview of the key selling points such as new developments and events.  This is aimed at giving participants the skills to deliver a knowledgeable customer service experience.   

Participants will then go on a guide escorted visit to a visitor attraction which will provide hints and tips about seeing an attraction though the eyes of a visitor.   

Participants will leave the day with a set of skills and knowledge that can be applied in the workplace immediately, qualifications in customer service and visitor welcome and membership of the Welcome to Durham programme. Benefits of the programme include:

• Access to the some of the destination’s top attractions to familiarise yourself with their offer
• A Welcome to Durham certificate
• A lapel badge that identifies people who deliver excellent customer service in their business
• The chance to be featured across Visit County Durham’s social media pages and PR opportunities associated with the Welcome to Durham programme

For more information, dates the course is running and pricing please contact us.