Businesses served up top tips on customer service

* Representatives of Dee Valley businesses during the training session. 

Leading businesses from in and around Llangollen have been given some top tips on meeting international customer service standards.

They took advantage of an opportunity offered by the Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club to participate in Welcome Host Gold Customer Service training.

The course was made possible by Cadwyn Clwyd who receive funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

Businesses who sent their staff on the course included Tyn Dwr Hall, Gales of Llangollen, ManorHaus, One Planet Adventure, Riverbanc, the Sun Trevor and ProAdventure.

The course was a full day leading to a City & Guilds qualification in customer service and covered how to resolve challenging situations to turn complaints into a positive experience and how to building lasting relationships that encourage repeat business and recommendations.

Showing the importance of customer service, it covered how a £10 transaction can lead to over £50,000 of follow-up business if handled well.

Pip Gale, owner and manager at Gales Wine Bar in Llangollen, said: “It was a fantastic opportunity that gave a vocabulary to things we just 'do'.

"I took a lot away from the course, including a new way to talk with my team about putting our values into action.

"I look forward to seeing what my staff members take away from it too."

Mathew Povey from Tyn Dwr Hall in Llangollen said: "The day provided a very good programme which has enthused me with some new ideas and methods which I will be able to put into action immediately. 

"I’m looking forward to sharing these ideas with the rest of the team at Tyn Dwr Hall.”

Robyn Lovelock, co-ordinator for Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club, said: “I’m delighted the training has been received so well.

"With all the participating businesses bringing decades of frontline customer service experience to the training, there was a lot of pressure to make sure it offered new information and new ways of engaging customers. T

"The strapline for our town is ‘Where Wales Welcomes the World’, so this was a great opportunity for businesses to check they are meeting world class standards. It will also be great groundwork for businesses planning to take part in the Denbighshire Ambassador programme later this year.”

Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club is a co-operative of independent businesses from the retail, hospitality, farming and food sectors in and around the Dee Valley.

It offers networking, training and events that aim to increase the availability of food from the region, to provide training and mentoring for local young people keen to work in the food and drink sector and to improve the quality of the visitor experience to the Dee Valley.

Information about the Denbighshire County Council Ambassador programme will be available online, with online certification launching later in 2019.

* For further information see www.GoodGrubClub.wales, or contact Robyn Lovelock, Good Grub Club co-ordinator, on 07799896108 or deevalley.goodgrubclub@gmail.com