Employees at the Akron Zoological Park
know that customer service is not a
one-time deal but an opportunity for continuous improvement.
Patricia Simmons, the zoo’s president and
CEO, recalls an older couple’s visit to the
zoo on a hot summer day. The man couldn’t
walk the grounds anymore, so a guest service staff member brought him a wheelchair,
but his wife wasn’t strong
enough to push it.
Thinking quickly, the
zoo employee pushed the
man in the wheelchair,
gave the couple a private
tour and allowed them to
finish their visit at the zoo.
Taking a valuable tip from this incident, the
zoo now provides motorized wheelchairs to
customers for these situations.
In addition to observing the needs of
guests, the zoo has hosted focus groups
that provide a wealth of information. Zoo
guests always want more animal experiences and greater education and entertainment value but also have said they will
return time and time again because of their
treatment by staff members — as guests,
rather than just customers or visitors.
To communicate this message to employees, the zoo requires all staff members to
attend its customer service training program. New hires learn what the organization expects of them, from customer service techniques to tips on how to please a
difficult guest.
An annual refresher course on customer
service teaches employees how to deal with
day-to-day issues, provides ideas for increasing guest satisfaction and empowers staff to
make guest-focused decisions. As a result, all
employees are prepared to turn a negative
experience into a positive one for guests.
This training also reminds employees
that their co-workers are also zoo guests
and to treat them with the same kindness,
enthusiasm and sincerity, a concept that
has led to enhanced teamwork and more
effective work relationships.
HOW TO REACH: Akron Zoological Park, (330) 375-2550 or
www.akronzoo.org
