The goals

The goal was to elevate customer service to an exceptional level so that a visit to Weymouth Harbour during the Olympics was a very positive, memorable experience for visitors and competitors alike. The customer base was a demanding and complex one and included existing harbour users, Olympics officials and competitors and visitors with smart yachts and very high expectations.

What we did

We spent time with the leadership team looking at what was working well, their collective and individual areas of strength and what needed to be improved in order to deliver Olympic-standard service. Then we made four key interventions:

• One-on-one strengths-based leadership coaching with the Harbour Master who was responsible for entire operation. We helped him to develop a compelling vision and an implementation plan.
• Support to the Head of Marketing and Communications which included helping her to recruit an exceptional intern using a strengths-based recruitment approach.
• Collected existing customer feedback including ‘mystery shopper’ reports to elicit what was working well and what needed to improve.
• A one-day strengths-based development workshop for the entire harbour team of 40 people (including new members who had been drafted in for the Olympics) to agree objectives and standards and to prepare the team to pull on their collective strengths. The goal was to equip them for and fire them up to deliver an exceptional quality of customer service and customer experience.
• We also knew we needed to bring renewed energy and focus when the team were tired. It had been a long run up to the Olympics. Our client told us,
  “When time was running out and we were flagging your encouragement, support and occasional friendly emails were very powerful. This kind of support differentiates you”.

The difference we made

The proof of the pudding was the feedback that the Harbour Master received during and after the Olympics – it was excellent. The whole team stepped up to the plate and provided first class service. Their energy and enthusiasm was apparent even after months of long days and arduous preparation. The wall in their rest room is now papered with letters and cards of thanks and congratulations from new as well as regular customers!

What is more, they are all now well aware of their strengths as individuals and as a team and continue to work to exceptional standards. They are proud to have delivered such a memorable experience that will be their legacy for many years to come.

The client’s feedback:

“With the Olympics fast approaching we needed help to raise our game in terms of our customer service culture. Sally and David quickly got to the nub of the issues and worked with us to create a strategy and plan to deliver ‘Monte Carlo’ level service for the Olympics at Weymouth. The end result was a highly motivated team, an extremely high level of customer service and a fabulous legacy for Weymouth! It was pleasure to work with Engaging Minds — they are a breath of fresh of air and their work is outstanding.”
Captain Peter Mole — Harbour Master, Weymouth Harbour Authority