Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 20/Nov 21:58

Dennis: PNM will fix Tobago’s poor customer service

PNM Tobago Council political leader Ancil Dennis says poor customer service remains the bane of the island’s tourism sector. In August 2021, during his term as chief secretary, the PNM-led THA had launched a three-year island-wide customer service initiative to change the service culture in Tobago. At that time, Dennis said he had received frequent complaints about poor customer service in Tobago. The initiative, funded through the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTAL) and executed by the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (THTI), was being led by etiquette expert Ron Kaufman, of a Singaporean company, Uplifting Service. Dr Stephen Sheppard, former CEO of the THTI, told Newsday in March 2023 that the initiative continued under the Farley Augustine-led THA. On that occasion, he said, approximately 2,000 people across several sectors had already been trained. But speaking to residents of Castara on November 19 during the party’s Community Conversations series, Dennis said poor customer service was still a problem in Tobago. Castara falls within the Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside electoral district, which is represented by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. He recalled the TTAL had led the customer service initiative, targeting not only workers in the tourism sector and other private stakeholders but employees in the public sector, including the THA. “The intention was to partner with a reputable customer service training agency of international repute – and we started that process,” Dennis said at the Castara Community Centre. Dennis said if the PNM wins the upcoming THA election, customer service will be among its main priorities. “Customer service has to be a priority because it is something that we are suffering from, a lack of effective customer service. People complain about it. We have had bad press reports on it, even in international news, whether it is the reef boats in the Buccoo Marine Park or some of our taxi drivers, we must quickly improve our customer service on this island. “I can tell you that one of our first priorities when you return us to office is that we will revisit and restart immediately that islandwide customer service retraining thrust that we had in place when we were there.” At a post executive council media briefing on April 17, Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris said customer service on the island was still not at an acceptable standard. She said, then, that destinations which were doing well in tourism had populations with the right attitude towards the sector. “They are helpful. They have the right attitude towards visitors. They want to make sure that people enjoy themselves. They want to make sure that people feel safe. They want to make sure that people have the best experience on island,” Burris said. Dennis described the electoral district as the most neglected on the island. He said the area has the worst performing assemblyman as its electoral representative. Apart from deplorable roads, he claimed farmers in the community were also neglected and abandoned. At the meeting Dennis also endorsed farmer Maxslon Roberts as the party’s candidate for Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside in the upcoming THA election. The post Dennis: PNM will fix Tobago’s poor customer service appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.