CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AT THE CORE OF A GREAT LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
By Ed Younglove, PSIA-AASI Chair Y
ou are part of a great “customer fi rst” organization. In fact, you make it so. Your skill and commitment as a professional snowsports instructor means a lot to the industry, your
resort, our organization, and, most importantly, to your clients. Partnership learning, which emphasizes establishing rapport with the student and working together to achieve his or her goals, is at the core of the American Teaching System. Our role as professional snowsports instructors in that partnership is the focus of T e Learning Connection model unveiled by the PSIA-AASI Team members at the 2015 Interski in Ushuaia, Argentina. T e Learning Connection explores the
instructor’s behavior across all disciplines in applying technical, teaching, and people skills appropriate for the lesson. Of these skills, the last one (people skills) can be particularly diffi cult to learn. We might pick up a few tips in clinics on ways to better connect with our students; maybe through a fun activity, an active game, or shared adventures the clinic leader uses to build relationships between the class members, and between instructor and student.
CUSTOMIZE CLINIC WISDOM
I’ve found it works best if I can tailor something I pick up in a clinic, or from watching another instructor, to match my own particular style and personality, rather than just try to mimic the behavior. Be yourself. Borrow what you like from others, what you think works – but then make it your own. T at way it will be more real and sincere – genuinely you – and more eff ective. To help connect with my students, I often focus on that old adage of most successful businesses: “T e customer comes fi rst.” Your client’s needs and wants should be the priority. Sometimes those two don’t perfectly align, making your job more diffi cult – as when the client needs to develop better turn shape to control speed but wants to straight-line a black-diamond mogul fi eld. One key is to help clients recognize that getting what they need will help them achieve what they want. After all, most of us
4 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017
learned to walk before we could run. For alpine instructors, the Skills Concept – with its emphasis on rotational movement, edging, and pressure control as a means of skiing in balance – and the 5 Fundamentals of Alpine Skiing (see page 62) instill the value of developing the same skills and movements at all levels of skill development. For snowboard instructors, AASI principles regarding reference alignments and the board performance skills of tilt, twist, pivot, and pressure off er similar foundations for progressive learning that can be customized for students’ goals.
GO ABOVE AND BEYOND
As a supervisor and trainer, I see examples of great customer service that go beyond giving a good lesson to someone who is already a client. On an almost daily basis, I see an instructor, who’s perhaps out sliding on their own time during a break between classes, stop and lend a hand to a guest struggling with a bit more of a challenge than they had bargained for; a slope a little too steep, or conditions too fi rm or too deep. Sometimes the help is just a matter of politely suggesting a quick tip. Other times it consists of guiding the “easy way” down that might not be apparent to them. T ese instructors don’t do it to generate a lesson, but that often happens. It certainly is a positive contribution to the guest’s overall experience. You might instinctively help resort guests negotiate the mountain, but customer service can start long before you ever get on snow. I see it all the time in the rental shop; instructors working with the rental shop employees to help make sure the guests get the right equipment and correct fi t. Often, instructors improve the guest’s experience in the resort base area by providing information on the location of lifts, the ticket offi ce, the ski school, or even a local coff ee stand. A few minutes like those are almost certain to improve the guest’s experience, which, in turn, can make a return visit that much more likely.
tiny.cc/9yksgy In this video, get more insights from
PSIA-AASI Chair Ed Younglove on how instructors create amazing – and meaningful – experiences for their guests.
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU
Never underestimate just how important good customer service is to our industry partners. We have known for a long time that snowsports instructors are among the resort employees who have the greatest impact on the guest’s experience. T e National Ski Area Association’s Model for Growth (see http://
www.nsaa.org/growing-the-sport/model- for-growth/), which seeks to increase the conversion of beginners to regular snowsports enthusiasts, relies heavily on the infl uence instructors have on whether the guest returns. Great customer service, including a productive and fun lesson experience, is a key component. Customer service is also of critical
importance to how PSIA-AASI serves you. A member-fi rst attitude permeates board meetings and staff initiatives. We regularly survey the membership to keep on top of what you want and expect from your association. T e PSIA-AASI Team members and national offi ce staff focus their eff orts on what these surveys tell us you want, together with what their expertise indicates members need as professional snowsports instructors. Among the results are great educational tools, innovative training opportunities, and other member benefi ts that contribute to the professionalism of you and your fellow members, thereby boosting snow pros’ ability to connect with resort guests. T e goal of your
customer-fi rst
organization is to support your professional development in every way possible to help you be a great partner for your students’ snowsports learning experience. T at’s a winning combination that promotes guest happiness, drives repeat business, and stimulates the growth of the industry.
VIEW VIDEO
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