Insights into how to manage, motivate and inspire more than 15,000 volunteers to deliver the very best customer service at the London 2012 Olympics is set to help dealers further develop their own ‘people’ strategies.

Keynote speaker Linda Moir (pictured), who was responsible for the Olympic 'gamesmakers', takes to the stage at AM's all-new Customer Service Summit.

In order to deliver an exemplary customer service, Moir, who shattered the myth that the British ‘don’t do service’ when she led the front-of-house event services team at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, says a few simple cornerstones need to be in place.

These are, according to Moir, the way people who deliver the service on a daily basis are themselves treated, the support they receive from those who operate behind-the-scenes, understanding the full picture and consistency.

She said: "How employees are managed by senior members of the organisation is crucial because their treatment will be reflected in the way customers themselves are treated. If the style of management is autocratic, for example, it is unlikely that staff will be empowered to carry out whatever is required to deliver a good customer experience.

"Back-of-house is just as important as front-of-house; if something in the process has not been put in place or undertaken properly, the customer facing staff are unable to deliver the service to the highest standards because someone else hasn't done their job properly.

"An organisation also needs to have a holistic view and look at the brand from a customer's perspective even if that is across multiple sites. The trick is to deliver a brand experience that's low in cost but high in value. At both Virgin Atlantic and the Olympics, we emphasised people's behaviour, after all, it costs nothing to smile. But you have to be careful your behaviour does not come across as gimmicky.

"A company's customer service is only as good as its weakest link.

"If an employee fails to treat a customer properly, that person's perception of the brand will be poor which makes consistency a key component.

"Achieving consistency over time and across several sites without being robotic is a difficult balance to strike but makes all the difference.

"You need tight guidelines and processes, but the flexibility to be able to assess a situation and allow employees to make their own judgment on how to handle different circumstances."

Moir, whose previous role was director of in-flight for Virgin Atlantic for five years, will also moderate the conference when it takes place at Whittlebury Hall, near Silverstone on Thursday, April 14.

The Customer Service Summit brings the best the sector has to offer as well as drawing on expertise from outside the industry.

Event website

http://amcustomerservicesummit.am-online.com/

Tickets

Tickets are available to dealers and manufacturers, to book please visit AM’s newly launched microsite http://amcustomerservicesummit.am-online.com/ or contact Emma- Louise on 01733 395133, email emmalouise.kinnaird@bauermedia.co.uk  

Venue

Whittlebury Hall, near Silverstone, NN12 8QH