County town to recreate the magic

The Create The Magic initiative, aimed at improving customer service in a bid to make Ennis the friendliest town in Ireland, is set to be re-launched. In preparation for the tourist season and ahead of St Patrick’s Day, Ennis Chamber and Ennis Development Forum, in association with KT Sullivan & Associates, have announced a re-launch of the popular initiative.
Create The Magic was launched in March 2011 in recognition of tough economic times for local businesses and their customers.  “It is an initiative that has challenged business owners and employees to work together to really listen to their customers and raise the bar on their service offering.  It is intended to bring positive energy, pride and success into the community and enable Ennis and Clare to be the first out of recession and to be considered the friendliest town and county in Ireland,” explained a spokeswoman for Ennis Chamber.
“The initiative has since broadened to encompass collaborative marketing initiatives to increase local and tourist shopping to sustain and grow Ennis and County Clare businesses and employment.  This is achieved through training programmes for owners/managers and frontline staff as well as networking events where businesses share their knowledge and experiences.”
To date over 30 businesses, including nearly 200 staff, have undertaken the training.  The type of businesses participating in the initiative has ranged from hospitality, services, retail, trades, and professional services.
The spokeswoman added, “Those businesses that have participated have all experienced a deeper awareness of customer service within their businesses and many have seen measurable improvement in their relationships with customers, staff and overall business due to the initiative. In their quest to entice consumers to “shop locally” business must realise that customer care and employee engagement is their biggest competitive advantage.  In this economy, consumers are looking for more than good value and a fair price.
“The global customer service bar is being raised every day.  Many people living in the area or travelling through County Clare are experiencing customer service all over the world.  The intention of the initiative is to help businesses stay ahead of the curve by enhancing their service offering and employee engagement to give consumers an experience they cannot get elsewhere.  This will ultimately add to the profitability of every business and to the viability of the local business community.”
Trainer Kathleen Sullivan of KT Sullivan & Associates added,  “Create The Magic is both an initiative and a forum that provides business and company owners with world-class ideas, a plan and a forum to enhance their service offering, engage and inspire their employees and take advantage of a fantastic business network.”
Any business interested in knowing more about the initiative is invited to attend the next networking and information event in the Temple Gate Hotel on Wednesday, March 7 from 6.15pm to 8pm. 
Those attending will receive an insight into current customer service trends and learnings from Ms Sullivan. 
The event will also welcome back all existing businesses that are part of the initiative.  Participating businesses will be on hand to provide feedback on what this initiative has done for their business.
Training for any new businesses and further training for existing businesses will take place the following week, Tuesday, March 13, Wednesday, March 14 and Thursday, March 15, with afternoon and evening sessions.  Full details of the training will be given at the networking and information event.
However, if any interested business is unable to attend on the night, they are still welcome to participate in the initiative and training by contacting the Ennis Chamber on 065 6842988 or email events@ennischamber.ie.