Bruce Stratton of CTIS answers the question ”Put simply it is the art of creating the right set of circumstances and perhaps in this present financial climate the right offer to get people from anywhere and everywhere to visit a particular location, place or tourist attraction and spend money”
To then return home happy, having enjoyed a value for money, trouble free experience. Coach companies are sometimes the front line to this experience, working as they do with the accommodation sector, tourist attractions, theatres and sporting venues.
All of these sectors have a part to play to ensure that the customer returns from their day trip, extended tour or holiday destination satisfied and ready to book again and more importantly recommend to others. One bad experience is all that it takes to lose that ‘happy feeling’ customers should have from their leisure time. British weather can sometimes be enough to dampen even the highest of spirits. Bad weather is a very critical time for everyone in the tourism and leisure industry
Not only does it have the potential to discourage visitors but perhaps more importantly it creates a feeling of disappointment for those already on holiday. This is when a big smile and extra attentive staff are needed, ‘keep the guests happy at all times so they don’t have time to dwell on the weather. Make sure they are treated to a little extra care and attention. It costs nothing to smile and smiles normally beget smiles.
Most complaints are best dealt with on the spot don’t let things drag on deal with the problem head on and be seen to have acted upon the complaint, most are trivial and you may think not worth worrying about but to the complainant they are as big as a mountain. Again one unhappy customer on a coach can spread the discontent and that is not good news. Yes you may have to be a little flexible and a touch more patient than normal but in the long term it will pay dividends. Nip every moan and groan in the bud and you will have a happy trip.
Of course this is common sense and perhaps does not need saying but now and again it is well worth reminding our staff and ourselves that the industry we are working in is a service industry and our customers expect the very best from us.
Many people save hard to afford a holiday and they want it to be perfect, don’t we all? No one wants poor service inattentive staff and less than the perfect meal whatever price you pay. So it is up to us all to look at what we do and to become a passenger on our own coach and see it from the passengers perspective, stay in one of our own hotel or B&B rooms for a night and see if what we think gives our customers a good nights sleep and all the services and facilities that we offer are up to standard.
Tourist attraction owners and managers should become a visitor for a day, try the catering offer, queue for the rides, look at the gift shop and ask the question, was I really happy did it look good value for money?
Creative Tourism Ideas and Solutions Limited (CTIS) was established in1997 by Bruce Stratton to cater to the demands of the tourism and leisure industry. Utilising his own wide experience of both private and public sector tourism and gathering a wealth of talent from elsewhere has helped make CTIS a successful force within the industry.
Self-motivated, direct, yet understanding I am passionate about my business and always looking for new opportunities to establish working relationships with new clients. Through my work in the industry I have gained a considerable knowledge and understanding, which combined with my skills in print, design and marketing have helped create a successful business. As a company we say yes and then consider how we will deal with the question in terms of delivering the very best to our clients.
CTIS has over the years established a considerable skill base using creatives and specialists in every element of design, print and marketing, from large format printing to quality design and a wide range of marketing ideas that together can offer clients all they need to develop or promote a product. This has allowed CTIS to expand its client base and it now offers its services to an even wider range of businesses in North Norfolk. Further afield CTIS has worked with businesses including Elfinstar Productions, Kent, Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, Comedienne Jo Little, Konectbus, The Belfry Arts Centre, food producers The Cromer Crab Factory and The Big Prawn Company and ADRC Medical in South Sudan.
We are delighted to have expanded our services and can now offer an ever increasing range of original photographs that are available as canvass prints or on silk photo paper for personal framing. Ideal for bedrooms, cafes, bistros and office area, in fact anywhere that needs colour and an image to create a mood or soften a wall or corridor. The photo library is being added to almost every week so it is well worth looking at our web site on a regular basis if you have a particular image or images in mind. If you can’t wait then please do get in touch, as we might just be able to find what you are looking for.
The tourism and leisure industry will always remain foremost in its activities. Having built up long-term relationships with many of its clients has allowed CTIS and their clients to work on larger projects that can sometimes create opportunities that have benefited several clients by saving them costs and giving them a broader exposure to potential new business. Within the tourism and leisure industry there are any number of businesses that all require the very same thing, people, and sometimes those can be the same people. Coach companies want bums on seats and so do theatres while hotels want bums in beds and cafes and restaurants want to see the seats all taken.
So by working with a number of companies and creating opportunity CTIS can very often satisfy the demands of many.
Our manta ‘Consider, React, Resolve’ has stood us in stead for many years.
Contact details
Tel 01263 515900
Mob 07850 050715
email bruce@ctis-ltd.co.uk
This article has been kindly supplied by Bruce Stratton, CTIS
