Community Perspectives Column: Free Training Empowers Front-Line Workers to Showcase Sheridan’s Best

Note: This column originally appeared in the May 31 edition of The Sheridan Press.

As “the front door to the community,” we here at the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce know that, for many people walking through our door or calling or emailing us, we are their first exposure to the Sheridan community. We take our responsibility to all of these people, and to our community, seriously. Because whether we’re helping tourists inquiring about a nice place to eat lunch or providing relocation information to someone on the other side of the country, we realize we are selling Sheridan and telling the community’s story in every single interaction.

That’s a big responsibility, and not one limited to us. We often hear from visitors and newcomers that they are shocked at how welcoming and helpful people are here, so thanks to each and every one of you who make our visitors feel welcome and helped and ensure they leave believing Sheridan County is a great place to work, play, live and visit.

The responsibility to represent our community well is felt especially strongly by the many community members who work in our service industries, including front desk staff and housekeepers at hotels, servers and kitchen staff at restaurants and retail workers in our stores. That’s why the Chamber and Sheridan County Travel and Tourism are collaborating on a free front-line worker training scheduled for next month.

The training, which will be held June 23 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Best Western Sheridan Center, will equip attendees with useful communication skills, conflict resolution techniques and strategies for exceeding guest expectations, Sheridan County Travel and Tourism Executive Director Shawn Parker says.

As part of the training, Stacia Skretteberg with Peak Consulting will lead “Give ‘Em The Pickle,” an interactive training session designed to empower employees to take ownership of the customer experience and foster a workplace culture centered on attitude, consistency and teamwork. By combining practical strategies with personal reflection, the training supports the development of service-oriented behaviors that drive satisfaction, collaboration and organizational success.

The training will also focus on providing front-line workers with resources they can use to answer visitors’ questions about Sheridan and what it has to offer. This training is intended to teach people how to sell Sheridan and help visitors engage more with everything our community has to offer.

Maybe that extra effort results in tourists staying an extra night or visiting a local business they may have missed. Maybe it earns your business some outstanding reviews or repeat customers. But, however it plays out, this kind of training undoubtedly makes our community stronger.

So, to each and every reader, thanks for all you do to serve as “the front door to Sheridan” – our community wouldn’t be the special place it is without you. And if you want to learn how to take your customer service to the next level, give us a call at the Chamber at 672-2485 to register for the free June 23 training opportunity.

Stephen Dow is office resource specialist for the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce. In his role as Office Resource Specialist, Stephen is responsible for providing professional, courteous and efficient reception and administrative duties to facilitate the best possible service to the Chamber organization, member businesses and the public. He also assists with marketing, member relations, program development and event coordination.