Latest TIA Blog

	KiaOraMai – delivering world class service
	By TIM COSSAR - 13 November 2009

We all know the old adage. A customer gets great service, they’ll come back for more and they’ll tell their mates. If they get bad service, not only will they never come back, they’ll tell twice as many people. These days disgruntled customers are also just as likely to blog, Facebook or Twitter about their bad experience, to a much larger audience.

The new KiaOraMai Essential Service Skills programme is aimed at ensuring that we deliver a positive, memorable and uniquely New Zealand customer experience every time, everywhere, for every visitor and customer in the country. Featuring on and off-site training and taking about four months to complete, the programme is designed for entry-level employees across tourism and the wider service sector.

Rugby World Cup 2011 was the catalyst for the development of KiaOraMai, which was launched in Wellington last month by the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key, who also appears on the KiaOraMai website endorsing the programme and the importance of “providing top-notch service” to visitors to New Zealand.

RWC 2011 will be the biggest event ever held in this country - the Government forecasts it will inject over $500 million into the economy and will attract over 60,000 international visitors. KiaOraMai will boost the economic return we get from major events like the RWC. It will also establish a legacy that will provide lasting benefits to the economy and to your business. If your employees know what to do to create a memorable New Zealand experience and engage positively with customers, based on your business’s service promise, it will ultimately improve your firm’s reputation and your bottom line.

TIA spearheaded this training initiative because our members told us they wanted an accepted single, recognisable entry-level standard for employees working directly with visitors and customers in the service industries. KiaOraMai is linked to unit standards on the National Qualifications Framework, offering employees a clear career path and a starting place for further training. The programme content has been developed with industry input and covers a broad range of skills such as customer service, personal presentation, managing customer complaints, knowledge of New Zealand tourism features, activities and events. It also embraces the value of manaakitanga (hospitality), which is all about ensuring visitors enjoy a unique and memorable New Zealand holiday.

KiaOraMai is innovative, both in terms of content, and because it’s a collaborative effort, developed by TIA and the Services Industries Training Alliance, which comprises industry training organisations from six service industries. Collectively we represent businesses spanning hospitality, accommodation, travel and transport, tourism events and activities, retail, hairdressing, beauty and spa.

Our target is for 8000 to 10,000 trainees to go through the KiaOraMai programme before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in Auckland in September 2011. It’s a big ask, but the potential benefits are immense - better job satisfaction, increased customer loyalty, stronger businesses and a stronger New Zealand economy.

KiaOraMai is not just your normal customer service skills course. It’s about lifting the whole customer service experience throughout New Zealand. If we can achieve that, Rugby World Cup 2011 will be a winner for our industry, regardless of who takes home the silver!