Customer care skills are an important facet for services industry which this programme aims to impart to employees of establishments that have constant customer-employee interaction. An OER report
The National Hospitality Institute (NHI) has launched 'Smiles of Oman', a first-of-its-kind training programme to upgrade customer care skills of employees working in the services sector like banks, retail shops, telecommunications, hotels etc. 'Smiles of Oman' has been conceptualised by NHI after receiving numerous feedbacks about the challenges faced by companies in the employee-customer interaction. 'Smiles of Oman' is expected to provide employee with interpersonal skills on how to deal with customers with a smile.
"Every organisation or company which adopt our 'Smiles of Oman' training programme for its employees will be given a 'Smiles of Oman' logo which they can prominently display in their shops in addition to badges which will be given to each individual who undergoes the training," says Robert Maclean, principal, NHI, while giving details of this unique training project.
By displaying the 'Smiles of Oman' logo, that organisation sends out a message to the customer that their employees have been trained in customer care which will generate a certain level of confidence among the visitors. According to Maclean, 'Smiles of Oman' has a very serious commercial value especially for establishments like large retail chains as these are the places where there is a lot of interface with people.
"One of the major challenges being faced by the services industry is the poor interactive skills of employees which has prevented many a customer from a return visit. But with 'Smiles of Oman' programme, the added value for organisations is the fact that you are showcasing your concern towards your customers by making a business statement that your employees are trained in professional customer care," adds Maclean.
NHI is the leading provider of quality vocational training for hospitality, catering, and travel industries in the Gulf region. It operates with the clear intent of providing the most comprehensive and professional training possible. While providing expert training with a focus on internationally accredited vocational courses, NHI continually strives to build its portfolio of deliverable courses to cater to the growing needs of the community. With this stated intent, NHI is rolling out this unique programme for companies in the Sultanate with the hope that 'Smiles of Oman' will set a new benchmark for customer care. Maclean emphasises that customer care is all about dealing with people and is entirely different from the concept of customer service.
"I hope that businesses will see our programme and be inspired to develop their people on the right note as the perception of a company is derived from its people's interaction with their customers. We see this programme as merging customer care which deals with people and customer service which deals with products. In short it is all about merging people and products to give the customers a better experience," says Maclean.
'Smiles of Oman' programme is tailored in such a fashion as to instill confidence among the employees about their skill to deal with hundreds of people with a smile and it will also send across a message that people interacting with customers at the till in a retail store or a reception desk in hotel or bank are all trained professionally. "In the long run, 'Smiles of Oman' will lead to a better retention rate of staff as you will have contented employees dealing with customers with a smile on their face. This will in turn bring back the customers many times over to a particular place and generate more business for itself. So it is going to be a win-win situation for everyone with 'Smiles of Oman'," adds Maclean.
© Oman Economic Review 2012
