As part of our Erasmus traineeship abroad, my colleague Romana and I were given the chance to complete the WorldHost Principles of Customer Service Training programme, this learning and certification opportunity was kindly gifted to us by our Mentor Christine Watson, a Licensed WorldHost Trainer and founder of Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing and Training Matchmaker.com.
The programme behind the course, which has been delivered to over one million people worldwide, was very modern and offered a comprehensive workshop, which is relevant across a wide variety of industries to enhance the customer service delivery for the benefit of external customers as well as internal customers.
But what does it mean and why is it so important? – The 3 second rule is the principle of acknowledging and greeting another person (as your customer) as soon as they arrive at your establishment or make contact with you (or your business). First impressions include your premises, you in person, the online representation of you or your business (where it has been claimed that online visitors may form a first impression of your brand in as little as 50 milliseconds!) and how you talk to others over the phone. Trainer Christine was adamant that she can tell if you are smiling on the other end of a phone call and everyone attending the workshop agreed!
My Trainer, Christine, called it one of “the moments of truth”, explaining that there are many touchpoints and some may be more impactful or important than others in a customer journey – before, during and after an interaction.
We also dealt with topics like “Customer Needs Versus Customer Expectations” as well as “your role in delivering excellent service” which was about walking a mile in each of our customer’s shoes and being aware that different customers have different needs, expectations and preferences.
The verbal, vocal and non-verbal communication process was one of our group-exercises – it sounds way easier though than it really is – and another one was a quiz about being a good listener. These exercises engaged all delegates and were funny but with an underlying point about how hard it can be to effectively communicate and to listen well.
For lunchtime, we enjoyed a very good catering experience with tasty sandwiches, fresh fruit bowls and WorldHost branded Muffins (have a look at them in the picture). Knowing that some customers have different preferences and allergies the caterer even served lactose free sandwiches and gluten free muffins on request – we were attending a customer service training course that teaches these necessaries after all!
Samantha from Tinholt’s Tasties was booked in advance to provide some locally sourced Lemon Marshmallow Fluffs for our tea break in the afternoon and Tania from LekkersNI was brought on board to delight delegates with her big chocolate letters as a surprise to our attendees who each took them home for their wives / boyfriends and their kids, which in my opinion was really cute of them, because it showed how much they love their families. This extra touch also served to support the local female led businesses supported by social enterprise Mallusk Enterprise Park in their entrepreneurial journey.
In my opinion Christine did a brilliant job delivering the training and I’m very thankful for the opportunity she gave to me – I also got a certificate for successfully completing the training which I can now add to my CV and LinkedIn profile to show my commitment to always going the extra mile for my internal and external customers.
My name is Michelle and I´m from Bad Ischl in Austria.
Currently, I´m 20 years old and completing my second year of an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at KTM AG.
In my free time I go to the gym and love to spend time with my boyfriend and my best friends.
My first impressions of Belfast are very positive – the buildings are beautiful, and the people are really nice – I´m very excited about the following weeks and really want to get to know the culture and landscapes of Belfast, Northern Ireland better. Indeed, my Trainer Christine advised me that from Belfast I can also easily explore the rest of Ireland – there are frequent day return buses and trains from Belfast to Dublin.
You can even follow me on Instagram, where I have a Michelle in Belfast profile set up to share my Erasmus experience. I am also found on Twitter and LinkedIn.
LekkersNI is a family business of highly qualified and motivated professionals and a supplier for bakeries and artisanal speciality stores. They produce luxurious couture chocolate letters and luxury chocolate boxes with the best ingredients and Callebaut Belgium chocolate.
To find out more about LekkersNI, check out her Instagram!
My Mentor and WorldHost Trainer Christine met Tania via the ‘Women in Business NI Yes You Can’ programme where Christine volunteered as a mentor sharing her experience as a peer business founder and expertise as a Chartered Marketer and SOSTAC Certified Planner with the group of female entrepreneurs being supported by the programme at Mallusk Enterprise Park.
Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing is a marketing consultancy and training company established in April 2005 by the multi award winning and industry experienced Chartered Marketer Christine Watson – my Trainer during my Erasmus work placement in Belfast.
Christine and her team of talented Chartered Marketers, SOSTAC Certified Planners and Licensed WorldHost Customer Service Trainers work with businesses to deliver creative and effective marketing and customer service solutions to achieve optimal results for them.
WorldHost is a world-class training programme that helps organisations deliver excellence in customer experience. Trusted globally, the programme is delivered through an innovative, human and transformative approach. Over one million customer-facing staff have been trained on WorldHost customer service programmes.
ABOUT THE WORLDHOST CUSTOMER SERVICE COURSE:
The first topic I learned about was the 3 second rule.
Christine delivering the WorldHost principles of customer service training programme to delegates.
The training workshop took place in the main room of the Mallusk Enterprise Hub.
Christine with the gluten-free WorldHost Muffins.
Samantha’s Lemon Marshmallow Fluff.
ABOUT ME:
Me working al fresco at Ormeau Park in south Belfast on a sunny day in Northern Ireland.
ABOUT TINHOLT’S TASTIES:
In 2020, Samantha, the founder of Tinholt’s Tasties, became a marshmallow maker offering treat boxes during lockdown. They were a well-received addition to her treat boxes. Recovering from lockdown she had moved across to concentrate on her love of mallowing, the beautiful art of making big fluffy squishy pillows that taste like, in her words, “loveliness”. And that’s where she’s at now, offering many new flavours and taking her treats to all the small craft fairs as well as local markets for everyone to enjoy. On some weekends you can find her at St. Georges Market and you can check out her Instagram, where she posts all of her lovely marshmallow sweet treats. Samantha was supported by social enterprise Mallusk Enterprise Park on her entrepreneurial journey and my Mentor and trainer Christine met her and her marshmallows at the Mallusk Christmas Market which was hosted in the Mallusk Enterprise Park in December 2022.ABOUT LEKKERS NI:
Tania Ventura Menendez founder from LekkersNI.
ABOUT WATSON & CO. CHARTERED MARKETING:
My Trainer Christine Watson.
ABOUT TRAINING MATCHMAKER:
At Trainingmatchmaker.com you can find all different types of learning opportunities. Free or paid, online and Face-to-Face Courses, categorised by topics so that you easily and quickly find what you are interested in or a brand-new topic to inspire your next learning journey. Trainingmatchmaker.com exists to inspire learning. Training Matchmaker was founded by my Trainer: Chartered Marketer Christine Watson. She has been a Licensed Trainer for over 10 years. Delivering training to over 1,000 individual clients herself personally, Christine understands first-hand the desire to have all seats on a training course filled as well as the juggling and time pressures of trying to develop a training business whilst at the same time delivering energetic training to delegates.ABOUT WORLDHOST:
The WorldHost Logo.
