A WORLD CLASS WELCOME FOR VISITORS Monday, 27 June 2016

As Bishop Auckland prepares to welcome thousands of visitors on the back of the heritage led regeneration of the town, businesses are being urged to sign-up to a benchmark customer service initiative.

A free training programme has been launched to boost the town’s skill base and job prospects, and ensure visitors’ experience of Bishop Auckland is a positive one. Businesses working in the leisure, hospitality and retail frontline are being encouraged to enrol their employees for a series of WorldHost ambassadorial workshops, with 125 FREE places being made available.

Two taster workshops held in June have already seen 30 participants gain WorldHost accreditation, the first step towards creating a network of trained visitor ambassadors. Among the organisations who took part were the Bishop Town Team, the Park Head Country Hotel, Durham County Council, South Durham Enterprise Agency, Bishop Auckland Methodist Church, Darlington Building Society, Bondgate Gallery, Pod, Shewan Opticians, Painting with Thread Gallery, Image Bridal, Castlegate Café, Trimmers Hair Design, Victorian Coffee Tearooms, Plautus Hair and Beauty, the Newgate Centre, and David Scott & Co.

The WorldHost training programme was used to great effect for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to help raise customer service standards. Among the leading UK brands using WorldHost visitor training are Balmoral Castle, Travelodge, Wembley Stadium, View from the Shard, The London Eye, The Docklands Light Railway, and the medieval city of Salisbury. The hope is that the globally recognised brand will now help Bishop Auckland get into shape.

Claire Gibbons, Director at the Park Head Country Hotel, who attended one of the taster workshops, said: “As a business owner I feel investing in your staff is vital, and when you are in a service industry good customer service skills are essential. After attending the recent WorldHost training day at Auckland Castle, it gave me and my staff more knowledge, training and confidence in sending out a powerful message promoting Bishop Auckland and its world class attractions.”

The next  WorldHost training sessions are planned to take place at Auckland Castle on:

• 5 August – 9am-1pm
  12 September – 1pm-5pm
  13 September – 1pm-5pm
  23 September – 9am -1pm
• For further information or to book a place call 01388 743 797 or email: [email protected].