On March 12, Narva-Jõesuu service sector employees and representatives of the city government and the city government gathered at the Meresuu Spa Hotel for the training “Customer-centric service as a competitive advantage”, where training expert Eero Palm(Trendline Analytics OÜ) spoke about how to make service one of the strongest competitive advantages of the region.
One of the central themes of the training day, organised in cooperation between Narva-Jõesuu City Government and Narva-Jõesuu Port SA, was the management of customer emotions, which made the participants think about the deeper meaning of their daily work.
Trainer Eero Palm stressed that good service does not happen by chance, but is based on consciously designed standards and the ability to understand the customer’s needs. “When you step on the pitch, you need to know what game you are playing. In basketball there are one set of rules, in football there are different rules,” Palm explained at the training, drawing a parallel with the world of sport. According to him, service situations also need a clear game plan so that the employee does not have to invent from scratch every time how to interact with the customer.
Palm also highlighted the specificity of Narva-Jõesuu as a resort town. “Our goal in Narva-Jõesuu is not a one-off aggressive sale. The key to our success is a loyal customer. We want our guests to leave feeling that they have not experienced everything today and must definitely return,” he stressed.
According to Veronika Solovjova, manager of MANGAL restaurant, who attended the training, such practical learning came at a very good time for entrepreneurs. “Our business is growing fast – in addition to the restaurant, we are opening a hotel this spring. Therefore, it is extremely important to create a cohesive team and high service standards even before we open,” said Solovjova. According to her, the training helped to put in place many of the activities that had previously been done more by intuition. “It was particularly valuable to look at service through the eyes of the guest. It taught us to notice the details that create the overall impression. We are now much better prepared to open a new hotel and welcome guests.”
For the city of Narva-Jõesuu, the development of a service culture is important in a broader sense, as the area’s natural assets, resort image and growing tourism potential require strong and professional service that gives visitors a reason to return. The message of the training day was clear: service is not just an internal issue for the business, but an important part of the overall image and visitor experience of Narva-Jõesuu.
The training took place in the framework of the project “Development of waterways network and tourism business in the Ida-Viru region”. The project is funded by the European Union Cohesion Policy Fund under the measure “Attractive regional business and living environment”, the support measure for the implementation of regional development strategies and the partners’ budget.
Arvo Juhkov
Development Manager
Narva-Jõesuu Port Foundation
arvo.juhkov@narva-joesuu.ee
