Frontline tourism staff will enhance their customer skills by taking part in a new interactive e-sales training programme, the Queenstown-based developers say.
SmartrainingTM, a division of Strategies Marketing Consultancy, and Whyte Waters Group Ltd announced a joint venture to provide a self-paced learning system to teach staff how to help guests make the most of their stay.
The programme was developed by consultancy managing director Marijke Dunselman and built into Whyte Waters Group's real-time booking system, which is used to make live booking for sightseeing and activities.
Most Queenstown hotels already had the system installed and operators could buy the training package as an addition.
The "ongoing and flexible" programme was launched at the Heritage Hotel Queenstown recently as its management had been consulted over the development of the programme over the past year.
Crowne Plaza Queenstown also adopted the programme last week and nine large Wakatipu hotels would install it over the next month, as the venture was launched nationally, Ms Dunselman said on Friday.
The user-friendly and humorous programme was "the missing link between activities to sell and the skills to be able to sell them", she said.
The seven modules cover product understanding, building credibility, effective questioning and listening skills, plus dealing with objections and up-selling.
The modules were designed to be completed in 10 days and can be studied at the beginning of an employee's shift, so they can practise what they learn.
Online interactive training was the future of training and it was "extremely efficient and cost-effective", Ms Dunselman said.
