The team at HelpMeChoose.com.au in Melbourne, Australia hosted a Customer Service Week celebration that was packed with fun activities. And with careful planning and forethought, the activities also included many important lessons on teamwork, service excellence, communication skills, and more.
- Kick-off brunch. The week started with a kick-off brunch, which was attended by the company CEO. It was also the time for reps to form teams for group activities. To help everyone in the service center get to know each other, they were randomly assigned to teams.To do this, each beverage glass had a different colored ribbon tied around the stem. When reps grabbed a glass, they were randomly choosing their team. Each rep then received a matching lanyard and name tag to help everyone get acquainted.
- Training day. The national training and development manager for HelpMeChoose.com.au traveled roughly 900 miles to give a presentation on Customer Service Excellence. This was also a dress up day, so a fire fighter, waitress, and others were in attendance.
- Amazing race. Next came a fun twist on the television program Amazing Race. Local shops got involved handing out clues and acting as sites for different activities. Teams took photographs, or in this case “mug shots,” outside the police station, photographed themselves dancing like chickens outside a popular lunch spot, and more.
- Office Olympics.The underground garage was transformed for the team’s Office Olympics. Chair races are always popular activities but the team added a vivid example of the importance of accurate communication. One team member pushed the office chair while blindfolded. Another team member sat in the chair guiding the driver through an obstacle course.
- Closing ceremony. Finally, Friday brought a barbecue lunch and closing ceremony. The highlight of the event was a presentation on the results of the companies first annual customer satisfaction survey.