Galway Independent Column - May 12th 2010

It’s that time of year again, the tourist season is upon us and we hope its going to be a good one. Like in the old days when we whitewashed before the Stations, businesses in the city are getting spruced up and the flower boxes are beginning to bloom. The retail sector in particular is getting ready for its busiest time of the year. It’s a time to think about the Galway experience for visitors and Galwegians alike. What makes the visitors return and the Galwegians stay loyal?

Customer service is one reason. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. To make a business profitable, customers must come back. Good customer service is about sending customers away happy and then bringing them back. Satisfied customers tell others. In the retail circle the customer is at the centre. With this in mind and as part of Galway Chamber’s ongoing efforts to offer business enhancing events to members and their guests we are running a full programme of events for SME (small and medium enterprises) week this year from May 24 to 28.

As part of SME week on Monday May 24th from 8.30 am to 10.30 am in the Chamber offices we are hosting a Customer Service Seminar. This event, free to attend, will feature Dr. Aidan Daly of NUIG, an authority on Customer Service whose background in business before joining the Marketing Department in NUIG in 1982 places him in an ideal position to share his ‘Five Step Approach to Managing Consistent Customer Service’ with attendees. This event will also feature Galway Chamber’s three female ambassadors, Judy Greene of Judy Greene Pottery; Liz Cassidy of Irish Time Design and Audrey Kinahan of University Pharmacy who will share their experiences related to customer service. This is an ideal opportunity for all businesses dealing with the public especially in the retail sector to add value to their customer service offering before the summer season. Contact Elaine on 091 563536 to reserve a place.

And still speaking of retail, GMIT offer a Bachelor of Business Degree in Retail and Customer Service Management which is a particularly relevant and innovative idea. The course aims to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for a management career in a retail organisation and subjects include everything from customer care to management and finance to communications and marketing and everything in between. The interesting part of this degree course is that there is a full module of work placement for three months in the retail industry during semester 5 of the degree programme. This is a really good example of an academic institution educating for the real world. For further details contact Cáit Noone at the School of Hotel and Catering Studies at GMIT.

And finally, on the subject of Customer Service, if your business fits any of the categories in Galway’s Best Awards, why not enter the awards. Launched by the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, Galway’s Best Awards 2010 aim to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group. The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm.