Lake County >> Small town charm, rural simplicity, Andy Griffith. Reality may never be quite so idyllic, many people are working hard to give Lake County the friendly vibe that will draw visitors through the Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Program — 222 people, to be exact. That’s since the program began in June of 2015.
The CTA Program is a national endeavor which has certified over 15,000 people since 2006. The goal is to give residents, business owners, retail workers and many others the tools to provide exceptional customer service to tourists, on par with Anaheim, home to Disneyland.
“Most places your expectation of customer service is kind of poor,” said Tony Barthel, who’s overseeing the county’s CTA program. “To just deliver more than is expected, it really makes a big difference to how people view the area and what they tell people when they go back.”
To become a CTA, a person must complete a three-hour workshop and pass a test. Two weeks prior to the class, thick binders are distributed containing facts, history and things to do in Lake County. CTAs receive a certificate to keep as part of their credentials, which can be invaluable when moving from job to job.
But completing the class and receiving a certificate is just the beginning of the program. CTAs are constantly discovering things about the county and experiencing all it has to offer for themselves. Program organizers recently put on an Easter egg hunt where CTAs won prizes and learned more about Lake County history. There are ongoing events, like one at the Featherbed Railroad Bed and Breakfast in Nice where they discussed the wine industry, tours during the upcoming Wine Adventure, guided boat tours on Clear Lake and wildflower viewing at Eleven Roses Ranch.
The constant stream of events ensures that CTAs know the county inside and out. “If you think about it, let’s say you go to a restaurant that has really great food, if someone tells you about it, it’s not the same,” Barthel explained. “You have to see things first hand.”
And business owners who are also CTAs often help one another out on this front. Lisa Wilson, owner of Shaw’s Shady Acres in Clearlake, offers two hours of free kayaking to any CTA. This allows CTAs to see the county through a visitor’s point of view. “They get to experience something I want them to know about,” she said. “When they experience it they feel more confident talking about it to their guests.”
With tourism being Lake County’s second largest private industry after, of course, wine, ensuring visitors experience a top of the line visit is vitally important. Good customer service can be the difference between whether someone ever returns to not.
“The way the world is now, if someone has a wonderful experience or a terrible experience they’re going to share with the world,” Barthel said. “The better experience we can provide for the people who visit, the better it is for all the businesses up here.”
Wilson is so enthusiastic about the program and the good it can do for Lake County, she volunteered to teach the classes. “It’s such a powerful program I wanted to do everything I could do to help grow it in the county,” she said. “I’ve experienced customer service in the county and I think we have a long way to go and I think this is the perfect tool to get us exceeding our customers’ expectations.”
CTAs receive yellow, star-shaped pins to wear on their chests when out and about. For those who know about the Certified Tourism Ambassador Program, this allows them to recognize those with superior customer service skills. And for those who don’t, it’s a talking point and a way to increase awareness of the program.
Ambassadors also carry business cards with them bearing the words, “You’re a star.” When they receive excellent service they hand over the card, informing the service provider that they would make a great CTA. Inversely, if they have a poor experience, they still give out the card and discuss the program with the service worker so that they might sign up to improve their skills.
Though Wilson feels Shaw’s Shady Acres was ahead of the game when it came to guest experiences, completing the class still gave her invaluable skills. It also creates consistency; when visitors travel to all reaches of the county, they’re experiencing the same level of service no matter which venue they’re patronizing. “It’s given me the tools and the language to greet and support our guests,” she said. “We’re small business owners here and I think there’s power in having our guests hear the same thing around the county.”
The program appears to be working, too, according to Barthel. Business owners have expressed that becoming a CTA helps their employees better serve customers, as evidenced by visitors who will often walk in asking for the “star people.” Then there’s the empirical evidence, gathered from sites like Yelp and Trip Adviser. Evaluating the ratings of local businesses on those sites shows starred reviews are more positive now than they were a year ago. And on a personal level, becoming a CTA increases job satisfaction and is a huge asset on the job search front.
Many feel that the CTA program is a significant asset to Lake County, including the Board of Supervisors (BOS), who recently voted to pay for 200 people to complete the course for free.
Heading up the CTA program is no small undertaking. Barthel is tasked with sending 450 people through the course by the middle of the summer. And though that’s upwards of 200 individuals, he isn’t too concerned. He’s traveled to numerous establishments around the county and found that many are enthusiastic about sending their employees through the program. A number of Twin Pine Casino workers have elected to take the course and the entire staff at Lakeport’s Cheese’s Pizza will be CTAs soon.
“It’s an integral part of our marketing plan,” Barthel said. “As summer comes up, tourism season is about to start … having a great source of knowledgeable people is a huge differentiator for Lake County.”
If they continue in this fashion, a good deal of Lake County citizens will proudly be donning a yellow star pin. As a goal, Wilson likes to look to Sonoma County, which has over 5,000 CTAs. “It’s a community in itself,” she said. “I would love for us to get that way.”
Any and everyone can get something out of becoming a CTA, whether they moved to the county last month or have lived here for 20 years. The program is perfect for people in all different positions, from business owners to front-line workers. There are still a number of free classes available through the BOS. To sign up for a workshop, visit CTAnetwork.com and enter the coupon code 0000.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
