Kent Cricket Aims For Customer Service Excellence

Kent Cricket Aims For Customer Service Excellence

Kent Cricket staff enrolled on the management diploma and in the centre Alan Hilliker (Kent Cricket product implementation manager), Lois Grant (Acua Solutions Limited associate trainer) and Jamie Clifford (Kent Cricket CEO)

©Kent CCC

Kent Cricket Aims For Customer Service Excellence

left to right – Alan Hilliker (Kent Cricket product implementation manager), Lois Grant (Acua Solutions Limited associate trainer) and Jamie Clifford (Kent Cricket CEO)

©Kent CCC

Kent County Cricket Club is aiming for excellence in customer service, having signed up match day and frontline staff for a university course.

The club are believed to be the only first class County Cricket Club in the UK to offer a Management Diploma, accredited by Coventry University, to match day and frontline staff.

The introduction of the programme follows an £8 million project to redevelop Kent Cricket’s St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury as the Club make strides to improve the visitor experience.

The Professional Development Diploma is being developed and delivered by personnel development specialists Acua Solutions Limited, a group company of Coventry University.

The course is being piloted by 25 staff at Kent Cricket and focuses on customer service, skills for effective sales, management and team leadership.

Kent Cricket is the second major sports organisation to have brought in Acua Solutions Limited to help improve the skills of staff, following the successful launch of a development programme at Premier League Club, Fulham Football Club.

Jamie Clifford, Kent Cricket CEO commented: "Over the last two years the St Lawrence Ground has undergone a major redevelopment to make it fit for purpose and meet the challenges of a modern county cricket club. 

"While having great facilities is important, we recognise that making sure our customers and supporters enjoy the best possible experience while with us is equally so.

"This programme has been designed to help maintain and build the level of service we offer.  Our match day staff  have as much contact with our visitors as anyone, and play a major role as ambassadors of Kent County Cricket Club.

"We are committed to investing in our staff and developing the skills of local people through this initiative fits with our desire to offer the best possible in ground experience.

"We’ve been hugely impressed with the exceptional level of customer service at Fulham Football Club and are excited to be partnering with Acua Solutions Limited and Coventry University to help make the experience at Kent Cricket as good as it can be."

Jeannine Mortlock, Managing Director at Acua Solutions Limited said: "We're delighted to be involved in this pioneering development at Kent County Cricket Club, which is a club steeped in history.

"Like the programme at Fulham Football Club, it focuses on improving standards of service excellence on match days, and covers leadership and management principles."

Michael Costello, capability coach at Acua Solutions Limited, who is leading the programme, added: "Kent Cricket has its own unique challenges, such as managing the needs of visitors during breaks in play on the cricket field, like rain delays.

"The programme has been carefully designed to help the Kent team meet the needs of these challenges whilst also increasing levels of engagement with workers, improving knowledge and skills."