It’s so frustrating to create an effective Attendee registration layout, select appropriate registration hours, plan thoroughly with your registration company, only to have incompetent disinterested event staff show up to sit behind the computers!
Planning for and actually getting top talent placed in your reg area is critical to your success; after all, the reg staffers are viewed AS the association, not separate from the association. Your attendees don’t make such distinctions, and you pay a heavy price for poor customer service, inaccurate data entry, mis-spelled attendee badges and on and on.
What to do? First make your issues known, then ask for improvement with a measureable plan!
We were challenged with improving data entry accuracy from one of our clients in late 2008, and developed the Gold Team Registration Typist Program which quantifies the speed and accuracy of data entry, not on a random test, but on the actual screen shots from the registration vendor. That proof coupled with a review of keying instructions –all BEFORE the typists arrive on site allows for a huge improvement in accuracy.
We implemented the program with a variety of other clients in 2009, not because we had issues with accuracy, but because we seek to improve our systems at all levels for all our customers.
The results have been very favorable: consistent matching to position, less training time for the reg company onsite, more committed event staffers, and happier attendees. When staff is confident and well prepared for their assignments, they deliver better customer service.
Seems so simple doesn’t it? Check out the ProShow page on facebook and linkedin for more details.
Lee A. Nold-Lewis
President, ProShow, national event staffing management
