Anguillians and visitors travelling on Calypso Charters – a full-service charter boat service in Anguilla – as well as the operators themselves, should benefit from a Customer Service Workshop held several days ago.
The training was conducted by Mr Christopher Richardson, Founder and Managing Director of Rich Pearl Global Training, Coaching and Consultancy Group on behalf of the Anguilla Tourist Board. The workshop participants were the captain, crew members and agents of Calypso Charters, a company owned and managed by Mr. Rosmond Davis.
The training was part of the Tourism Excel Programme, a Tourist Board initiative aimed at improving customer service and the travel experience particularly for visitors to Anguilla.
Mr. Richardson commented on the workshop on Thursday, October 17: “Customer Service is the way to go, and over the years most companies have been looking at Customer Service as the vehicle in promoting their businesses. We are moving from customer service to customer care and ultimately to customer experience.
“What Calypso Charters is actually doing is sharpening the skills of its personnel. As you know, our tourism industry is on the move and Calypso is moving along that same path is shaping its skill as it approaches the 2019/2020 tourism season – now upon us.”
Asked to elaborate on the training, Mr. Richardson stated: “It is a presentation more than anything else we are seeing today. We can have the best advertisements out there but if we, as a people, are not ready to receive our guests, and provide the finest of service, we can be left behind. Calypso Charters has, over the years, stepped up to the plate and continues to sharpen its skills in customer service, customer care and ultimately customer experience.
“Remember, we are selling memories – what visitors are taking back. Calypso Charters is one of the gatekeepers of Anguilla. When persons are coming to the island from St. Maarten, Calypso Charters is meeting and bringing them to our shores. So basically, Calypso Charters is getting ready to ensure that our guests are excited.”
Commenting on the workshop Mr. Davis, the charter boat owner said: “Mr. Richardson has been in the tourist industry for a very long time and he knows what is expected in the service. We look at him as an asset to our company to help us rise to the standards and expectations of our clients coming to Anguilla.”
Mr. Davis said his company had been in the business for over ten years. “We see the tourism industry-changing. Clients now have higher expectations and, in order for us to meet those expectations, we have to continue investing in our staff. Everyone here is a representative of Calypso Charters. I may be the owner, but people hardly see me and interact with me. They interact with the captains, the crew and the agents – and I need to make sure, as the owner, that they are equipped with the appropriate skills to deliver the service expected of them.”
He added: “Calypso Charters is an Anguillian company. We do airport transfers, snorkelling trips, sunset cruises, deep-sea fishing and water sports services for some of the resorts in Anguilla.”
