Westport based entrepreneur Olwen Dawe has been announced as one of the new ambassadors for the Towns of Excellence programme, which has been officially launched in the West of Ireland. Towns of Excellence is a national initiative which has been set up to research, recognise and reward towns and businesses for achieving excellence in a variety of business disciplines including customer service. Olwen Dawe joins existing ambassador RTE’s Retail Therapy presenter Senator Fergal Quinn who launched the programme nationally.
The initiative invites towns to unite their business communities to compete for titles such as ‘Towns of Excellence in Customer Service’. Offering assessment, monitoring and training services the initiative will involve regular audits on businesses and towns and will culminate in an annual awards ceremony where they will be acknowledged for their efforts in ensuring excellence in customer service.
“It’s very clear now, having experienced a recession and the ongoing repercussions we deal with every day, Ireland’s businesses need to limber up and realise that there is more to operating a business than simply offering a service; it’s about offering a great and professional service,” said Ms Dawe. “Senator Quinn highlights this regularly in the retail domain, however, I think businesses in general must pay attention to their operating style and ensure that they are doing their very best. It’s an honour for me to help promote the Insititute in the West of Ireland.”
On signing up businesses are automatically entered into a customer service assessment process under which their businesses will be mystery visited twice in year one and a full confidential report provided on their performance. Businesses will also be offered the opportunity to complete FETAC Level 5 Certificate in Customer Service Training Online. For more see www.townsofexcellence.com.