Customer Service Charter -Training Programme

The Local Enterprise Office, Cork City is offering a Customer Service Charter programme aimed at Cork City based retail and hospitality owners. The programme will comprise of the following:

• Briefing Session for Owners/Managers to present an overview of the Customer Service Charter and content of workshop for key “Train the Trainer” staff.
• Workshop for Key Staff to provide them with Train the Trainer Tools to bring back learnings to other staff to improve customer service in line with the new Customer Service Charter for Cork City.

At the Briefing Session (in advance of the workshop), James Burke (of James Burke & Associates) will meet the owners/managers from each participating business and take them through the content of the training that will be delivered to each of their staff representatives. Please note that only businesses whose owner/manager attends the Briefing Session will be eligible for the Train the Trainer workshop.  The Briefing Session will take place on Tuesday 12^th June, 2018. 

This half-day Train the Trainer workshop, taking place on Tuesday 19^th June, 2018, is aimed at senior members of staff operating in consumer facing shops, cafés, beauticians, etc. who:

• command the respect of the staff team
• have already demonstrated that they excel at customer service
• understand the need to empower staff as to the importance of good customer service supported by the Cork City Customer Service Charter
• will be provided with time to train other staff and continue to retrain as the Mystery Shopper results come through.

Workshop Content:

• Overview of the Cork City Customer Service Charter presented by Charter Team Member (business owner)
• Understanding the difference between ‘good’ and ‘great’ service (how it links to the Customer Service Charter)
• Focus on the lifetime value of a customer and how the Charter can help to deliver this
• Practical “great customer service principles” including managing irate customers
• Practical tips for the trainers on how to train their team
• Time of day
• Material required
• Duration of training
• Using interactive exercises and case studies
• Q & A
• Participants will be taken on an “Inspire” tour of The Crawford Art Gallery which will be led by one of the Charter Team.

 Each attendee will be provided with Train the Trainer materials which can be used to train the staff and teams in each business.

Following on from the workshop there will be a number of mystery shopper visits to assist in assessing the impact of the workshop and training Each business will be provided with its own feedback as a guide to identify best practice and areas for improvement. 

Programme Details

Cost

As this is the inaugural training session for the Cork City Customer Service Charter, the cost will be reduced to €25 per business (this includes Briefing, Workshop, Training Materials, Mystery Shopper Visits and Feedback. 

Profile:

James Burke MBA, Senior Consultant and Manager

Originally from Bantry James spent over 23 years in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector, the majority in Superquinn, James is now Irelands leading consultant within the artisan food manufacturing and retail sectors. 

Having spent the first 10 years of his career at the operational side of the business, James responsibilities included store management and business development. For the latter ten years of Superquinn, James worked at head office level with most of this time spent working with suppliers in the supply chain arena as group purchasing manager. James final role before he left Superquinn was trading manager where he had a responsibility for the strategic purchasing and overall sales of a €250 million section of the business. He was also appointed to the Board of Superquinn during his career there. In his current role as business consultant, James provides strategic advice and business planning for some of Ireland’s best-known companies within the manufacturing and retail sectors. 

JB&A run extensive programmes for Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices and Bord Bia working with artisan, start up and large food producers. JB&A have worked on several regional food strategies including Kilkenny, Limerick, Wexford, Donegal, etc. 

James is a current member of the TASTE Council (the strategic advisory group for the artisan food industry) which involves continuous contact with the agricultural and artisan sector. He is also a former advisory Board Member of AMS the €100 billion European buying group and he was also a director of Aontas (the Irish buying company). He is one of only ten people in Ireland who holds an MBA in Retailing and Wholesaling from Stirling University in Scotland. 

James Burke and Associates was formed with a view to turning 23 years of retailer and supplier experience into practical solutions to help companies to grow and expand. Associate Consultancies cover fields outside of the core expertise and allow for total business solutions to be delivered through one single contact. James Burke and Associates focuses mainly on strategic planning and business development and has become the leading consultancy within the sector over the last 3 years.  

For further information/to express your interest in the Customer Service Charter programme, please contact Adrienne Rodgers at 021 4961828 or email adrienne_rodgers@leo.corkcity.ie