TOURISTS in Llangollen might be persuaded to give a decent tip to their waiter or activity instructor this year after a number of businesses in the town topped up their customer service expertise.

Tyn Dwr Hall, Gales of Llangollen, ManorHaus, One Planet Adventure, Riverbanc, the Sun Trevor and ProAdventure were amongst the businesses that took part in customer service training days in the town on January 8 and 22.

The City & Guilds qualification course, run by the Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club and the Corwen-based rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd, was funded through the Welsh Government’s 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme which aims to boost the earning potential of rural communities in Wales.

The businesses’ managers and staff attended the full-day course Riverbanc’s meeting lounges which taught international customer service standards, discussing how to resolve challenging situations by turning complaints into a positive experience, and how a £10 transaction could lead to more than £50,000 in return business if handled well.

Pip Gale, owner of Gales Wine Bar in Llangollen, said “It was a fantastic opportunity that gave a vocabulary to things we just ‘do’. I took a lot away from the course, including a new way to talk with my team about putting our values into action.

“I look forward to seeing what my staff members take away from it too.”

Mathew Povey from Tyn Dwr Hall, Llangollen said the day provided a “very good programme which has enthused me with some new ideas and methods which I will be able to put into action immediately.

“I’m looking forward to sharing these ideas with the rest of the team at Tyn Dwr Hall.”

The Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club are a co-operative of independent businesses from the retail, hospitality, farming and food sectors in and around the Dee Valley, North Wales. It offers networking, training and events that aim to increase the availability of food from the region; to provide training and mentoring for local young people keen to work in the food and drink sector; and to improve the quality of the visitor experience to the Dee Valley.

Robyn Lovelock, coordinator for the Llangollen and Dee Valley Good Grub Club, said “I’m delighted the training has been received so well. With all the participating businesses bringing decades of frontline customer service experience to the training, there was a lot of pressure to make sure it offered new information and new ways of engaging customers.

“The strapline for our town is ‘Where Wales Welcomes the World’ so this was a great opportunity for businesses to check they are meeting world class standards.

“It will also be great groundwork for businesses planning to take part in the Denbighshire Ambassador programme later this year.”

Information about the Denbighshire County Council Ambassador programme will be available online later in 2019.

 For further information visit the Good Grub Club website. Alternatively, contact coordinator Robyn Lovelock on 07799896108 or email deevalley.goodgrubclub@gmail.com