Business & Tech

Training for Walnut Creek Service Excellence

Downtown Business Association plans training workshops for a variety of organizations, retailers and restaurants.

The Downtown Business Association is trying to infuse the spirit of service excellence all over the city in a training program slated for August.

Service Excellence, City-Wide — a three-day workshop of training for a variety of businesses and organizations in Walnut Creek — is intended to gain the city an award whose prestige will help brand the city.

"We will put ourselves on the map as not only having great shops and restaurant, but having great service," said Heather McNeil, marketing manager for the the Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association. "We hope it will brand Walnut Creek as a destination in Northern California, not just this little suburban town outside of San Francisco."

The training is run by Service Arts, a company that began its program by training and certifying Healdsburg in Sonoma County earlier this year as it brands itself as a wine country destination.

"Our goal is to make Walnut Creek  the  very  best  it  can  be  for  both  residents  and   visitors  alike," said  Emily  Chang,  executive  director  of  the  DBA. "Positioning  ourselves  as  a  premier  destination  in  Northern  California   cannot  be  accomplished  without  recognizing  the  importance  service  holds  on  all   sectors  of  business.  It  is  our  goal  to  set  new  standards  of  excellence  in  and  for  our community."

The DBA, with the aid of a consultant, in the last couple of years has focused efforts on rebranding the city.

The training will cost $225 for employees of DBA members, $275 for non-members. The Service Arts team will be in  Walnut Creek for seven days starting Aug. 21. Three-day sessions will be held for three groups:

  • restaurants and hotels
  • retail
  • professional services and city government

The city of Walnut Creek is participating, McNeil said. 

Santa Barbara, Napa and New Orleans are also in discussions about using the Service Excellence, City-Wide program, McNeil said.

Workshops will be held at the Clubhouse at the city's Boundary Oak Golf Course. After the workshops, area businesses will get certificates that can be displayed in shop windows.


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