Pontin’s Proud of Good Customer Service

Pontin’s has been offering family holidays at their friendly resorts for over 60 years. A major employer in the North West region and a well established name in the UK, Pontin’s prides itself on delivering good customer service. A recent move for the company’s Contact Centre created an opportunity for members of staff to undertake Customer Service NVQ training, through Intec Business Colleges, to ensure that the company’s reputation for high standards of customer service and outstanding value for money was maintained.

Christine Burns, Contact Centre Manager at the Southport Contact Centre, was recently awarded the title of Contact Centre Manager of the Year, under 50 seats, at the fourth Annual North West Call and Contact Centre Awards and she has spearheaded this NVQ training programme for her staff. Christine has been with Pontin’s since 1988 and was responsible for setting up the current Contact Centre when the business moved from its premises in Eccleston to Southport in 2008.

“When we relocated to Southport I had to build a new team of staff and so I was looking for a qualification everyone could do and that would bring the team together. The Customer Service Level 2 NVQ covers everything we do and reinforces how important good customer service is to our company, so it was ideal,” explained Christine.

“Lots of people had never done qualifications like this before and so it has been a great opportunity for members of my team to gain additional qualifications whilst still being able to work.” Christine is a big believer in leading by example and so also introduced the Team Leader Lever 2 NVQ for her Team Leaders.

After speaking with several companies Christine chose Intec Business Colleges because they connected well with her team and she found that the assessors made her staff feel confident and comfortable. This was particularly important as many of her staff were nervous about embarking on a new qualification.

“My team has gained so much from taking these qualifications. They have learned how to structure their work and also how to take on different points of view. Many have also gained a lot more confidence and are happy to speak up, giving feedback and talking through issues,” commented Christine.

The feedback about the training has been so positive that Christine is now in discussions about beginning further NVQs in Sales and also looking at the possibility of rolling out similar vocational training across the five Holiday Parks in the UK.