Welcome to the
Front Line/Bottom Line
Project Briefing
A joint project of Haywood, Southwestern, & Tri-County Community Colleges
Laura Leatherwood
Haywood Community College
lbleatherwood@haywood.edu
(828) 627-2821
Connie Haire
Southwestern Community College
connie@southwest.cc.nc.us
(828) 586-4091
Bo Gray
Tri County Community College
bgray@tricountycc.edu
(828) 837-6810
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What is RCCI?
• The mission of the Rural Community
College Initiative (RCCI) is to strengthen
rural communities by assisting their
community colleges in assuming a more
active leadership role in three distinct, yet
interrelated areas:
 Civic Engagement
 Economic Development
 Educational Access
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What is the Western Carolina
Partnership?
• The Western Carolina Partnership of the
Rural Community College Initiative (WCP)
is comprised of representatives from
Haywood, Southwestern and
Tri-County Community Colleges.
• It was formed in 2003 by the Rural
Community College Initiative (RCCI) to
operate as a regional cooperative.
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Vision and Goal
 Vision:
• “The Western North Carolina tourism
industry is renowned for hospitality and
customer service and is a model of
effectiveness and competitiveness”
 Goal:
• Enhance the tourism and hospitality
industry in the region as it relates to
economic development
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Project Strategies
 STRATEGY #1:
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Assessing the needs of the area for customer
service programs
 METHODS:
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Identify travel and hospitality industry
employers/employees in the region
Collect date regarding needs and determine
expectations of employers/employees/visitors
Analyze data
Gauge employer/employee "buy in"
(participation)
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Project Strategies
 STRATEGY #2:
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Develop strategies to address the identified
needs
 METHODS:
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Benchmark successful customer service
programs - research employee incentives
Inventory community college resources
Assess hospitality network of organizations
(Chamber of Commerce, travel and tourism,
Smoky Mountain Host, Tribal marketing,
promotions, Heritage Tourism, designated areas.
Develop a pilot program for the Qualla Boundary
Create a customer service certification
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Project Strategies
 STRATEGY # 3:
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Implement customer service programs
 METHODS:
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Rollout program to tourism/hospitality network
(“Qualla Customer Service Project”)
Refine project as presented
Initiate pilot on the Qualla boundary
Certification program developed after pilot
project completed
Modify/refine Qualla Customer Service Project
for seven county region
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Project Strategies
 STRATEGY #4:
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Evaluate customer service needs for
effectiveness and competitiveness
 METHODS:
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Employee performance
Visitor satisfaction
Employer satisfaction (indicators identified, pay
for training, incentives, recommendations for
others)
Participants evaluate Qualla programs
Evaluation (will be important for subsequent
customer service programs)
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What is this project?
• The Western Carolina Partnership is
engaged in a project focused on improving
frontline customer service in the Qualla
Boundary and North Carolina's seven
western counties.
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 Why is the project called
"Front Line/Bottom Line"?
• Experts recognize the key information
source for visitors are the folks on the front
lines - gas stations, convenience stores,
motels, restaurants, attractions, etc.
• The level of customer service provided by
front line employees affects the profitability
(the "bottom line") of a business.
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What is the objective of the project?
• The main objective of this project phase is
to examine how our educational institutions
can help the Qualla Boundary and seven
counties not only to identify gaps in
employer needs, but also suggest education
and training options to employees that will
aid retention and job satisfaction.
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What types of businesses will
participate in this project?
•
Shops, hotels and motels, gas stations,
convenience stores – in general, businesses
serving visitors to our region.
 Why focus on improving customer
service in the travel & tourism
industry?
•
Because travel and tourism has been
identified as a key component for economic
development in the region.
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What benefits do you expect from
improved customer service?
• Visitors will expand their stay
• Visitors will return again, bringing others
• More visitor time spent in the region means
more revenue will be generated for
business owners
• More likely that employees will be rewarded
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 What will the training look like?
• Be financially self-sustaining
• Create a transferable "certification" for the
employees completing the training
• Create a recognizable "brand" for tourism
in the project area
• Result in concrete, basic improvements in
customer service skills
• Respect regional cultures
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 Will the training cost the participating
businesses money?
• Undetermined at this time
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
 How is the project organized?
• The project is being developed in two
phases:
 Phase 1: Project planning and
development
 Phase 2: Project implementation
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Work Plan
 Establish project identity:
• Establish telephone number and remoteaccessed voicemail for project inquiries
• (800) 447-4091, ext. 421
• (828) 586-4091, ext. 421
• Establish physical address:
P.O. Box 504, Cherokee, NC 28719
• Create basic web page for project?
 Establish baseline visitor data:
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Work Plan: May-July 2004
 Conduct a needs assessment –
Design & Research
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Establish a profile for study participants
Design assessment tool
 Conduct a needs assessment –
Survey Qualla Boundary
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Telephone survey begins week of June 1
 Conduct a needs assessment –
Seven Counties
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Refine survey and mail to businesses
 Inventory community college resources
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Work Plan: May-July 2004
 Research best practices for training
front line employees
 Benchmark other successful programs
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KiwiHost, New Zealand
South Dakota's “Great Service STAR”
Montana Superhost
“H.M.S.- Hospitality, Maryland Style”
Oklahoma PRIDE Program
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Work Plan: Aug.-Oct. 2004
 Compare customer service programs from
other tribes, public or private industry
 Develop a pilot customer service program
for the Qualla Boundary. An ideal program
would:
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Be financially self-sustaining
Create a transferable "certification" for the
employees completing the training
Create a recognizable "brand" for tourism
in the project area
Result in concrete, basic improvements in
customer service skills
Respect local culture
Front Line/Bottom Line Briefing
Sponsorship & Support
 This project is being
made possible by the
generous financial
support from the
Cherokee Preservation
Foundation, the RCCI,
and vital assistance from
the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians and
the North Carolina State
University Cooperative
Extension Service