On the TICK!
Welcome to the 2008 Winter Newsletter...
The South Australian Tourism Accreditation Board Inc.
Online Feedback Results
The online customer feedback process has been operating for 6 months.
The ability to provide online feedback is available to customers either via the SATAB web site, your own web site if you've "uploaded" the dynamic tick or by you directly emailing your online feedback link to those who have experienced your tourism product.
Emailing the link is certainly providing the highest response rates.
Year to Date (Jan-May 2008) Customer Feedback Results
| Excellent | Good | Average | Poor | |
Value for Money |
68% | 23% | 6% | 2% |
| Staff / Hospitality | 74% | 20% | 2% | 4% |
| Cleanliness | 68% | 21% | 5% | 6% |
| Facilities | 52% | 31% | 10% | 7% |
| Security / Safety | 62% | 27% | 7% | 4% |
| Overall | 65% | 24% | 6% | 5% |
Operators who are receiving feedback are able to measure their performance against these overall results for accredited businesses.
"We're asking guests to rate their experience with us, via the accreditation program. The results are fantastic! I can imagine we'll wonder how we ever did without this feedback."
Bronwyn Lucas : Quorn Caravan Park
As time goes on and participation and the number of returns increases we will have some meaningful results to benchmark and set targets against.
There is a simple excel spreadsheet available to plot these results and generate graphs to assist as a management tool.
As an example: One particular operator has reported a very high number of "Excellent" scores for "Value for Money" and as a result has a level of confidence from reviewing these factual statistics that they are able to raise their rates and increase their yield.
Customer feedback is far more useful if its consistent over time with your customers are answering the same questions in the same format.
For examples of how you could use the dynamic tick on your web site, go to these Accredited Operators' sites...
To see how to attach the dynamic tick to your web site, click here and follow the instructions, or contact Jade or Ward at the Tourism Accreditation Office.
Phone: 08 8463 4511
Email: accreditation@tourism.sa.com
Tourism NT Policy on Accreditation
Following on from WA's recent announcement of its intention to restrict supply of its program and services to accredited tourism businesses only by 2010, Tourism Northern Territory has just released the following:
" From July 1 2010 , particular marketing, promotion and distribution services provided by Tourism NT will be supplied exclusively to accredited tourism businesses operating in certain industry sectors"
Only accredited tourism operators will be able to be involved in certain activities provided by Tourism NT, including
- Inclusion in the NT and Aust Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW)
- Advertisements and PR activities
- NT Discoveries or other wholesale programs
- Participation in the NT Brolga (Tourism) Awards
- Famils
- Trade and Consumer shoes
These developments are in response to a need to reinforce standards and increase consumer confidence. This increased recognition and value of Tourism Accreditation and the "yellow tick" logo can only benefit other Accredited operators around Australia.
A National Web Site for the National Tourism Accreditation Program.
The National Web site for the National Tourism Accreditation Program is now live at www.atap.net.au. Although it is still a work in progress and is yet to be officially launched (late June / early July).
The NTAP program is administered separately in each State/ Territory. This site (known as the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program) is the result of a joint financial and content cooperative effort by all of the NTAP States / Territories (and achieved from within our existing operational budget in SA).
NTAP and the bodies that administer them are actually known by varying names around the country, eventually they will all become known as ATAP.
Operators will able to enter and register through their home state by clicking on the relevant State/ Territory on the map (as we are yet to completely align our back office processes), however all operators complete the NTAP program online with plenty of tools, case studies, templates and other assistance on the site as they work through the program online.
The desktop audit process and communication are also all electronic with the whole experience becoming more effective and efficient for all parties.
Consumers will have the ability to provide online feedback on all NTAP Accredited operators in Australia (1st used in SA and developed by yours truly but I'm not one to brag), as well as find accredited operators and learn about the value of accreditation all on the one site.
This is a great first step (after many years of any movement forward) and the NTAP bodies are all focused on further alignments to decrease the need for visitors to go off in different State/ Territory directions on the landing page.
This site represents over 3000 accredited businesses and over 90% of the accredited tourism businesses in Australia.
The future will involve inviting the other sectoral Accreditation programs to become involved by linking their online programs and presence to the site to create a truly comprehensive National Tourism Accreditation site.
Of course the traditional methods of CD roms and hard copies will remain available for operators who find the online process is not the best option for them.
Climate Change Certification Program
A while back there was a request for operators to put their hands up if they were interested in participating in a pilot for a Climate Change Program, jointly funded by the SATC.
The Climate Change Certification Program was launched at the Tourism Futures Conference in Qld on Monday 2nd June.
I am advised that Ecotourism will be contacting those operators involved in the pilot program shortly. Other operators will be able to access the final version of the program in late September after the pilot is complete.
Emailing Invoices
SA Tourism Accreditation Board is working to reduce its consumption of paper and is now distributing invoices via email.
Most correspondence from the SATAB will be electronic (with the main exception being Accreditation Certificates) and what paper we do have to use is 100% recycled and Australian made.
Don't forget to keep us up-to-date with any changes to your contact details!
SA Tourism Commission calling for Nominations to Regional Tourism Committees
The SATC are seeking expressions of interest from people to volunteer their services on the ministerial appointed Regional Tourism Committees in the following regions Adelaide Hills, Flinders Ranges and Outback, Barossa, Limestone Coast, Clare Valley, Murraylands, Eyre Peninsula, Riverland, Fleurieu Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula.
Accredited Businesses represent the best the State has to offer, they need people like you, if you feel you can afford the time you should get involved.
South Australian Tourism Awards
Nominations for the prestigious South Australian Tourism Awards are now open.
Accredited Tourism Businesses were outstanding at the 2007 SA Tourism Awards. Of the 27 categories; 16 Winners, 2 Gold Medals, 24 Silver Medals and 8 Bronze Medals were awarded to Accredited Tourism Businesses.
A new initiative this year is the adoption of a national Sustainable Tourism award, which South Australia initiated in 2005.
Qantas, as sponsors of the new award, have taken this South Australian concept to the national level with an award recognising Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.
Qantas will provide the South Australian winner of this category with a $2,000 prize to use towards an environmental initiative or airline tickets to attend the national awards in Melbourne.
Our South Australian winner will then be in the running for a $25,000 prize as a finalist at the Australian Tourism Awards. This prize can be used for a sustainability project in line with the philosophy of the award, such as solar panels, a community project or educational initiative.
Due to the overwhelming success of the gold, silver and bronze medal format this will also continue in 2008.
In total, there are 27 categories this year including accommodation, tour and transport operators, wineries, restaurants, events, tourism marketing, attractions and more.
Nominations close on 11 July and submissions are due by 18 August. The Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner will be held on Saturday 22 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
For more information refer to the South Australian Tourism Awards web site - www.satourismawards.com.au or contact Bianca Borrett, Tourism Awards Manager on telephone (08) 8463 4626 or email bianca.borrett@tourism.sa.comTourism Accreditation as an Introduction to Quality Management
Why do it?
Customer service is important in all industries, in tourism, customer service is inextricably linked to visitors’ perception of quality. The service you provide becomes an integral part of visitors’ overall travel experiences.
Unlike tangible products, ‘bad’ customer service cannot be recalled or replaced. For this reason, there needs to be a zero tolerance of service ‘defects’ within Tourism (as there is landing planes).
The Tourism Accreditation Program has its origins in the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Program. Basic international principles of management to ensure consistency and quality of output. They apply to all business as they treat all work as a process.
The definition of "Quality" - the degree to which a product or service fulfils requirements
The 8 Principles of Quality Management
1. A Customer focused Organisation
- Understanding the whole range of customer needs and expectations
- Communicating those needs throughout the Organisation
- Measuring customer satisfaction and acting on results
- Managing customer relationships (suppliers are customers too)
2. Leadership
- Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of an organisation
- Being proactive and leading by example
- Understanding and responding to the external environment
- Considering the needs of all stakeholders
- Establishing a clear vision
- Establishing shared values
- Building trust
- Providing required resources
- Inspiring and encouraging
- Promoting open and honest communication
- Educating training and coaching people
- Setting goals and targets
- Implementing strategy
3. Involvement of People
- People at all levels are the essence of an organisation
- Accept ownership
- Seek opportunities to make improvements
- Enhance their competencies
- Share Knowledge
- Creation of value
- Innovation
- Represent the organisation
- Derive satisfaction
- Be enthusiastic
4. Process Approach (a process is turning inputs into outputs)
- A desired result is achieved more efficiently if related resources and activities are managed as a process.
- Defining the process
- Identifying the inputs and outputs
- Identifying the interfaces
- Evaluating the risks, consequences and impacts of processes
- Consideration given to process steps, activities, controls training resources
5. System Approach to Management (system is interrelated processes)
- Identifying and managing a system of interrelated processes for a given objective improves and organisation's effectiveness and efficiency
- Identify or develop the processes
- Achieve the objective
- Understand interdependencies
- Continually improve the system
- Establish resource constraints prior to action
6. Continual Improvement
- A permanent objective of the organisation
- Objective for every individual
- Incremental improvement for breakthrough improvement
- Periodic assessment against criteria
- Promoting prevention based activities
- Appropriate training, plan do check act
- Measures to track improvement
7. Factual Approach to Decision Making
- Effective decisions are based on data and information
- Measurement and collection of data
- Accuracy and reliability
- Valid methods
- Statistical methods are understood
- Logical analysis balanced with experience and intuition
8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships
- An organisation and its suppliers are interdependent
- Identify and select key suppliers
- Balance short term goals with long term considerations
- Clear and open communication
- Joint Development and improvement
- Clear understanding of client needs
- Share information and future plans
- Recognise supplier improvements and achievements
Kind Regards,
Ward Tilbrook
Manager Tourism Accreditation, SA
ward.tilbrook@tourism.sa.com
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