Cross-sector Covid-19 customer service training launched to support organisations re-open safely & boost public health confidence

@SkillsforHealth, the Sector Skills Council for Health are proud to be involved in a new cross-sector partnership with sister organisation People 1st International (@P1stgroup), the employer-led skills body for the UK’s hospitality, retail, travel and aviation industries, to develop an online customer service training solution tailored for organisations to re-open safely post Covid-19.

The impact of coronavirus has been felt severely across all sectors around the world. Organisations, no matter what industry, have been forced to significantly adapt the way they interact with service users and adjust their operations to limit the risk of the virus spreading.

WorldHost 2020, is a new bite-sized elearning module designed to equip front-line staff in customer-facing roles, with the skills required to return to a changed working environment, with new behaviours, and new health, safety, and hygiene measures. It will help organisations to instil customer confidence to return to use their services and boost public health outcomes in a post Covid-19 landscape.

John Rogers, Chief Executive, Skills for Health said:

“WorldHost 2020 combines Skills for Health’s 20 years’ experience in developing interactive and quality assured training that supports public health needs, with People 1st International’s extensive knowledge of the needs of staff working with the public, where risk of infection could be high.

“The mobilisation of collaborative, cross-sector partnerships like this one have proved invaluable to the Covid-19 response, and we are proud to be supporting the nation’s return to work, providing the critical skills required for organisations to re-open safely and improving public health outcomes.”

In the UK, the national effort to support our NHS respond to the increased demand placed on our front-line due to the pandemic has meant many of our private health, social care and personal care organisations have had to limit services. As the initial peak has passed, health leaders are keen to resume wider services that have been paused temporarily and many of these services are now considering how they can re-open safely to support patients and customers.

Whilst a nationwide NHS ‘Open for business’ campaign was recently launched, in response to a decrease in people accessing its services for a range of health and care conditions, not related to coronavirus, this concern remains widespread. Patients are still not seeking the urgent care they require from not just the NHS but other healthcare services because they are fearful about catching the virus.

As these organisations continue to adjust their working practices, and more staff return to the workplace, WorldHost 2020 can ensure our health and care people are armed with the right skills and knowledge to address the challenges of face to face service user interaction, fears of crowds and infection prevention. This vital training can help assure the public that all of our health and care services, across the country, are very much open for business, with patient, customer, and staff safety of the upmost priority.

Jane Rexworthy, Executive Director, People 1st International said:

“Developed in a true collaborative partnership with Skills for Health, WorldHost 2020 has been designed to bring furloughed, redeployed and redundant customer-facing employees back to work and give them the new skills they will require in a post-Covid-19 world.

“The new elearning module, extends our globally recognised WorldHost customer service programme to integrate new measures of hygiene, social interaction and customer experience factors, so that business leaders can reopen their doors with confidence.”

The 60 minute, interactive WorldHost 2020 elearning programme is suitable for any customer facing role and covers:

• Personal Protective Equipment in a customer facing role
• Maintaining good personal hygiene
• Behavioural expectations on public transport
• Communicating key information and setting clear boundaries at arrival and entrance
• Greeting customers, guests, and visitors
• Adapting the interior environment of your organisation
• Customer interaction
• Taking payments
• Maintaining facilities and a clean environment
• The importance of being ‘fit for work’

Karima Khandker, Expert in Regeneration, Social Mobility, Employment and Skills said:

“Now more than ever, it’s important for businesses to continue training their people and teams so they can operate with confidence in a `new normal` post-Covid-19 environment. If staff are confident and know what to do, customer confidence will in turn increase too. WorldHost 2020 is the ideal solution when it comes to training people on the critical issues required to keep customers and colleagues safe.”

Find out more here about how WorldHost 2020 can support your organisation.

To purchase the WorldHost 2020 elearning programme, at a reduced rate of £5+VAT per participant, visit Skills Platform here today.