Saba Tourist Bureau Prioritizes Service Standards With TPI

Simpson Bay, Cole Bay, St. Maarten: On Friday, October 14, 2022 Training Professionals International facilitated, “The Academy of Service Matters for Transportation Ambassadors, Security Officers, Business Owners & Tourist Bureau Professionals, “on the island of Saba.

Training Professionals International firm, (TPI) has a long-standing relationship with the Saba Tourist Bureau and has facilitated courses in the past, that placed emphasis on Service Excellence. Based on their commitment to memorable tourist experiences and ensuring, that “The Unspoiled Queen,” maintains its reputation as a must travel destination, they provided their diverse and valued front line professionals with a refresher course.

Recently, Training Professionals International Firm, (TPI) launched Gittens Consultancy Group, (GCG) an extension of TPI services. GCG provides organizations with a 360 Assessment process, that indicates how your customers and clients feel about your services. This is achieved by conducting Mystery Shops, Training and Developing Front Line staff consistently and including Refresher courses, conducting sessions with community professionals to support challenges and obstacles that may impact the tourist experience, train waiters, waitresses, security guards, hospitality organizations and restaurant owners on how to engage, go above and beyond and surpass travelers and tourist experiences.

The Saba Tourist Bureau understands that transitioning to GCG from TPI will provide them with an enhanced, comprehensive approach to Training & Development island-wide and will be in direct alignment with their strategic Tourism plan for 2023. The Academy training kicked off their new approach to preparing diverse Hospitality populations for a successful season and included the following courses:
Course 1: 360 Customer Service Best Practices.
Course 2: Communication Skills for Diverse Customers.
Course 3: Dealing with Negative Situations & Applying Conflict Resolution Techniques.
Course 4: The Transportation Professional in Today’s World.

Malinda Hassell, Saba Director of Tourism stated: it was wonderful to invite Dr. Gittens to Saba to lead this course, we are committed and want to ensure that our customer service as a tourism destination is one of excellence, this starts with the most important groups; our transportation providers and staff (security) at our entry points. We want to ensure that our visitors experiences are memorable upon arrival, during their stay and when they leave. With a refresher course provided by TPI and Dr. Gittens and her vast experience in these topics, our partners received valuable tips, techniques and felt the added value of this course. We look forward that we can continue our collaboration with TPI to ensure consistency in service excellence and expanding these courses to other industry partners.

Dr. Gittens, President and CEO of TPI & GCG stated, “I am impressed by the Saba Tourist Bureau for their consistent commitment to elevating their community professional and placing service standards first.

When organizations schedule trainings that are not directly linked to refreshers at the time of scheduling, it is an automatic recipe for training failure. Participants receive a positive injection of information and best practices but they are left in a world of uncertainty. Wondering when they will receive another opportunity to share how they benefit from their new adopted skills and add more to their growing tool box of service excellence.
If training does not continue within a minimum of 90 days, their enthusiasm fades and slowly, gradually they return to their original performance.

Participants must be reminded of their learning and supported throughout the year consistently, to maintain levels of excellence and emphasis must be placed on how their personal performance impacts, themselves, the community and the Tourism and Hospitality of the island, if standards of Service Excellence are not present consistently. Hence, why TPI is transitioning all of our valued clients to GCG, committing them to a beneficial long-term commitment to professional development that fosters “measurable change” and a tangible ROI, return on their training investment.”

GCG offers Consultancy options from 3 months to 12 months with the ability for extensions, and the opportunity to select the number of hours that best meets the needs of the organization's goals. Each client's consultancy assessment is customized to identify key indicators that will guide, direct and achieve the goals necessary to position the organization to greater success and in alignment with the organization's mission, vision and desired Culture of Excellence. For mor information contact TPI /GCG 526-2052.