During a time when finances are a daunting challenge to most any business or industry, emphasizing a positive customer experience has become critical toward maintaining success, and that is the focus of a week-long conference for On Location personnel.
Beginning July 23, On Location staff will meet in Las Vegas for a week-long conference to learn more about providing the ultimate return on experience. On Location is a full-service labor and management company specializing in tradeshow and event support.
Company officials define return on experience as a “term for services based on a fair rate, better productivity and the entire labor experience, from planning to on-site services and project billing.” But tightened purse strings in recent years have made it difficult for many firms to provide a truly fulfilling return on experience.
“In an increasingly budget-challenged industry, the only real differentiator is the service we deliver to our clients in their continual effort to squeeze more value out of their live events with fewer budget dollars,” said Michael Mulry, general manager of On Location. “Investing in our people through meetings like this and always upping the bar for customer service provides a better performance per hour than our competitors.”
Leading the event is Tim Schneider, president and founder of Soaring Eagle Enterprises, which helps client organizations to improve their leadership and customer-service capabilities. Schneider has created a customer-service training program designed to help On Location management to emphasize customer service throughout all levels of the organization. And with On Location providing staffing and other services at venues across the nation, providing customer service means more than just paying attention to the bottom line.
“Service isn’t always about the lowest price. Rather, it’s about a fair rate, better productivity and the entire labor experience, from planning to on-site services and project billing,” said Joyce Mollure, head of sales, On Location. “The industry has moved away from vendors that once focused solely on the simple delivery of labor and toward a continuum of service.”
While return on experience might seem difficult to quantify, On Location personnel plan to survey future event attendees to better assess their tradeshow and exhibits experiences.
“It’s about keeping the client happy. The return on experience will be measured on the feedback received during the event,” said Mulry. “On Location also conducts surveys annually to measure feedback. We measure results through everyday feedback directly from our clients as our goal is to provide a high-level of service and exceed their expectations.”
The recent economic downturn caused many tradeshow-support companies to cut back on costs and, ultimately, the level of service provided to customers.
“There are leaders and those that lack leadership in the industry,” said Mulry. “As companies have found ways to be more competitive in the economy, they have done some of this by skimping on service.”
While customer service and return on experience are the primary focus of On Location’s annual meeting, Ian Wright, training coordinator for Tradeshow and Sign Crafts Union Local 831, also will lead a session on training safety and labor management.
