The years's nearly done and I've been so busy I haven't been able to do a blog !!!

Labels: customer service, teambuilding, training

Well the new year is up and running and I’ve spent a large part of January in and around London.

My continued relationship with Jockey Club Racecourses has seen me spending time at Epsom Downs and Kempton Park where I am involved in a coaching programme, teambuilding and customer service development.

The heritage sector is constantly looking at improving the customer experience and I am talking to a number of leading organisations about developing service skills and guided tours as well as measuring service delivery using mystery visitors.

I’m currently working with the Museum Of London Group (developing an Induction Programme for their new Hosts who will work in their soon to reopen galleries) and the Southbank Centre (designing “Family Friendly Training”) as well as planning another excursion to Qatar in March to work for the wonderful Museum Of Islamic Art in Doha – the biggest and best museum in the Gulf.

I’ll be working with their Docents (front of house staff) helping to develop their communication and guided tour skills and focussing on how they engage with their visitors. I hear their English has vastly improved since I was last there in 2008 so I will not have to rely on interpreters to get my message across!

All this along with helping out with projects at Catterick Garrison and in Shropshire ensures I start the year on the road and extremely busy!

Until next time..

Labels: coaching, customer service, Epsom Downs, Jockeyclub Racecourses, Kempton Park, Museum Of London Group, teambuilding Training

November has been spent working on three new projects with two new clients and an existing client as well as continuing ongoing programmes for the likes of Sandown Park and Fenn Graphics in Stoke-On-Trent (on customer service and sales programmes).

I have worked with the National Trust many times over the past 10 years but this month was the first time I have been asked to focus on "Selling Skills". In particular, helping certain properties throughout different regions to sell their wonderful locations as ideal venues for holding wedding ceremonies. I helped properties to be more professional in handling their sales admin, undertaking memorable show rounds and then following up proactively. We look forward to the results bearing fruit next year!

Over the past 20 years I have worked extensively within the heritage and cultural sector. I have delivered programmes for most national museums and galleries but for the first time this month I have worked for the Wellcome Trust in Euston London, which operates the Wellcome Collection - a fabulous collection of all things medical throughout history. I designed and delivered a "Guiding Skills" programme for a variety of staff from different departments who will have to deliver guided tours in the future. The programme was extremely well received and already a number of the participants are undertaking very successful guided tours.

I have also been involved in a tourism project in Shropshire entitled "Sharing Our Shropshire". Alongside a tourism research colleague we have piloted a programme which we hope to roll out across Shropshire next year. The programme is aimed at tourism and leisure frontline staff who have direct contact with Shropshire's visitors and it has three aims: -

• To provide staff with the confidence to positively engage with Shropshire's visitors and to enthuse about what the local area has to offer
• To equip participants with the skills to gain an understanding of individual visitor interests and needs
• To develop participants’ knowledge to enable them to suggest places to visit and recommend experiences visitors will enjoy

The project has identified lists of top 10 things for visitors to do and see in Shropshire in a number of different categories.

December is going to be a quieter period as organisations get ready for Christmas and it gives me an opportunity to prepare for various projects starting in the New Year-including going back to Qatar to work at the fabulous Museum Of Islamic Art in Doha.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.

November has been spent working on three new projects with two new clients and an existing client.

I have worked with the National Trust many times over the past 10 years but this month was the first time I have been asked to focus on "Selling Skills". In particular, helping certain properties throughout different regions to sell their wonderful locations as ideal venues for holding wedding ceremonies. I helped properties to be more professional in handling their sales admin, undertaking memorable show rounds and then following up proactively. We look forward to the results bearing fruit next year!

The Wellcome Trust in Euston London operates the Wellcome Collection - a fabulous collection of all things medical throughout history. I designed and delivered a "Guiding Skills" programme for a variety of staff from different departments who will have to deliver guided tours in the future. The programme was extremely well received and already a number of the participants are undertaking very successful guided tours.

I have also been involved in a tourism project in Shropshire entitled "Sharing Our Shropshire". Alongside a tourism research colleague we have piloted a programme which we hope to roll out across Shropshire next year. The programme is aimed at tourism and leisure frontline staff who have direct contact with Shropshire's visitors and it has three aims: -

• To provide staff with the confidence to positively engage with Shropshire's visitors and to enthuse about what the local area has to offer
• To equip participants with the skills to gain an understanding of individual visitor interests and needs
• To develop participants’ knowledge to enable them to suggest places to visit and recommend experiences visitors will enjoy

The project has identified lists of top 10 things for visitors to do and see in Shropshire in a number of

different categories.

December is going to be a quieter period as organisations get ready for Christmas and it gives me an opportunity

to prepare for various projects starting in the New Year.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.

Labels: National Trust, Selling Weddings, Shropshire Destination Partnership, Shropshire Tourism, Welcome Collection, Wellcome Trust

As we move into Autumn organisations are increasingly looking to see what they can do to win customer loyalty and to stay ahead of the competition.

As products and prices are increasingly similar it is the quality of staff and customer service that can lead to differentiation! I think this message is beginning to sink in. I am receiving more and more inquiries looking at what organisations can do to improve customer service and to give their customers a better experience.

Developing people skills such as how to give a positive impression, how to build rapport and how to handle difficult situations is more important now than ever before. I am talking to a number of clients about setting challenging service standards, training & coaching staff to deliver & exceed their standards, inspiring and motivating staff to deliver service excellence and monitoring and measuring service delivery through the use of mystery customers and shoppers.

This process is applicable to every sector - it's people who make the difference, customer service is the key!

Until next time...


Stuart

Labels: differentiation through people great customer service quality, excellence, measurement, mystery customers, people skills, shoppers, Stuart Graham

July has rushed by and despite a few days off in the middle of the month I have been busy working for a number of different clients.

My work for Arsenal Hospitality Department has been ongoing. In the past few weeks I've delivered a teambuilding event, trained the supervisors team in "briefing and training skills" and written a training manual for them to use throughout the forthcoming season.

I have also started a new piece of work at the South Bank Centre (Royal Festival Hall), equipping team leaders in training skills.

Other clients I am currently working for include the British Museum, the National Trust and Fenn Graphics. I have been helping them to develop customer service skills - including handling difficult situations, sales skills and people management skills.

August is a bit quieter with a two week holiday in the middle - I'm looking forward to the break!

Labels: Arsenal FC, National Trust, Stuart Graham, The British Museum, training the trainers, training trainers

More work at the Emirates is taking place throughout the summer, working with the hospitality teams…

I am working with Hospitality managers and supervisors providing them them with the skills and training tools to regularly train/brief their teams throughout next season.

At the British Museum I have undertaken a Training Needs Analysis of their front of house teams and developed a Training Plan to be implemented in the Autumn onwards. I have also been delivering training workshops for front of house managers and supervisors on "Attending Incidents & Completing an Incident Report Form".

June is also seeing me work at other prestigious London clients such as Sandown Park and the Museum Of London as well as firms in the Midlands such as Tinsdills Solicitors (running Client Care Workshops), Fenn Graphics (Sales Coaching) & Elite Maintenance (Management Skills Coaching).

Stuart

Labels: Arsenal FC, British Museum, coaching, customer facing skills, customer service, Jockey Club Racecourses, Museum Of London Group, Sandown Park, training