By Mary Stewart | The Selma Times-Journal

The Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and the city of Selma have an opportunity for those in the customer service field to get ahead of their competition.

The organizations will be hosting a customer service workshop on Monday, June 12 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Alagasco Auditorium.

Landon Nichols, destination/marketing director, said that both parties are very excited for the upcoming workshop.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have this coming down the pipe,” Nichols said. “More than anything, we are excited to bring in our partners from AIDP from the state of Alabama, who have broad experience implementing programs just like this across the state. This is really a proven, tried and tested model, and we are glad to be bringing it here to Selma.”

Nichols said the project was born out of conversation between the chamber and the city council. Both parties were looking for the best way to serve Selma and grow the businesses here.

“One area one opportunity that we really identified was with regards to customer service, and we really feel that if we can improve customer service then we can improve the bottom line for these businesses. As we improve the bottom line for individual business, they will reinvest in the Selma community and drive more commerce.”

Nichols said that the workshop will give attendees a leg up on their coworkers and competition.

“If you’re looking to move up in the administrative structure, or if you’re looking to move toward the management position having this sort of training on your resume and in your portfolio of experience really puts you in a unique position to apply for better jobs,” he explained.

The workshop will be open to anyone looking to enhance their skills or better their chances for a job opening.

“If it’s front line service at a food service organization, working at a hotel, working in a full-service restaurant, or even if you work at the desk in a service station, having this sort of training can really put you in a positon to move up in the workforce,” Nichols said.

Nichols believes that workshops like this one will provide a friendlier environment in Selma.

“By having a friendly happy face that’s there, not just take your money and send you along your way, but that’s ready to smile, assist and serve you in any way you need as a customer is really going to encourage further commerce in Selma,” Nichols said. “In general, if an individual had a good experience at an organization, they are much more likely to be a repeat customer, and most of our organization make the bulk of their income off of repeat customers. So being able to satisfy those customers and keep them coming back day after day and week after week is critical to future success.”

The chamber is primarily advertising June 12 with 20 spots in the workshop, but if all of the spots are taken, they will offer an overflow class on June 14.

Nichols said the workshop is not only a benefit for employees but also for employers.

“If you have an employee that is interested in this, I definitely would love to encourage all employers to allow their employees to participate because you will see returns in this time investment.”

The chamber expects to have some customer service training modules as an ongoing element of chamber programming.

If you are interested in attending the workshop or would like more information contact the Chamber of Commerce at 874-1640.