Be a part of it, in Australia's Happiest Town, thanks to Sunrise and Vaalia

It's confirmed! The businesses of the Whitsundays have joined forces and made us Australia's Happiest Town, thanks to Sunrise and Vaalia. In May of 2011, we won the prestigious title of Australia's first Happiest Town, thanks to an overwhelming number of nominations from locals. It just goes to show that a little bit of bad weather won't get us down. Nothing beats Queensland, after all!

If you and your business haven't already signed up for the FREE initiative, ‘Smile Whitsundays’, it's not too late. We have an extra 100 free kits to give to local businesses who are committed to providing outstanding customer service. Smile Whitsundays focuses on striving for excellence in customer service and delivering on the brand promise in all areas of tourism.

Participation in Smile Whitsundays involves you committing to a 10 point customer service charter and working with the rest of the businesses in the Whitsundays to give tourists an experience they’ll never forget, and can’t help but tell people about.

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I'm ready to sign up!

Just download this form: Smile Whitsundays Registration Form and Charter, fill it in,sign both pages and get it back to us so that we can arrange for your kit to be prepared for you. Welcome on board! :)
 
 

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What do we want to achieve?

Our community mission is for the Whitsundays to be recognised as a world wide leader in customer service.  Some of the key outcomes we are aiming for are:

• Visitors are cared for to an outstanding level in the Whitsundays.
• The Whitsundays values its visitors and will go beyond the call of duty to attract them and offer an unforgettable experience.
• Backpackers are highly catered for and cared for in the Whitsundays.
• All Whitsundays accommodation is highly recommended with outstanding levels of service and features.
• All organisations offer the highest quality professionalism and customer service.
• Locals are treated equally as well as visitors, and they are proud of their town being a leader in customer service.

 

It's easy to get involved!

This is a FREE initiative that only requires your dedication to customer service:

1. Sign a declaration of commitment to the Smile Whitsundays Customer Service Charter.
2. Discuss the charter with your staff and actively encourage them to apply the principles.
3. Implement that charter throughout your operations and consistently strive for excellence in customer service. 
    
    
    

1. What you get

The first 250 businesses to sign up to Smile Whitsundays will receive a free Smile Kit:

• 500x business cards ‘We hope we made you smile’ with feedback form;
• Up to 10x Smile badges for staff to wear;
• 1x Window decal ‘I’m a Smile Whitsundays business';
• 2x A3 Smile Whitsundays promotional poster displaying the Customer Service Charter (one for the staff room and one for the customers to see);
• Smiley balloons to display at the business. 
   
   
   

Smile Whitsundays Customer Service Charter

Management and staff of this business are committed to making the Whitsundays smile. We aim to help deliver the Whitsundays brand promise by striving for excellence in customer service.

We will strive to do this by:

1. Smiling and making our customers feel welcome;
2. Acknowledging our customers when they enter our business premises;
3. Assisting our customers in every way possible;
4. Valuing our customers by providing a friendly, helpful and professional service;
5. Advising customers of any delays or changes to our regular service;
6. Listening to our customers needs to be able to provide the best possible solutions or products;
7. Answering phone calls and emails promptly and providing responses in a timely manner;
8. Keeping our promises - if we say we will do something, we will;
9. Maintaining a clean and professional presentation of our premises and staff;
10. Fully training staff on these principles who then demonstrate these skills and knowledge with pride. 
      
     

What happens next?

Once you sign up, you'll receive a confirmation of registration from our smile team.  You'll receive your free smile kit including 2 promotional posters, customer feedback business cards, window decals, badges for staff to wear and smiley balloons to put up in your business. 
We encourage you to go over the Customer Service Charter with your staff, and encourage them to adopt the principles throughout their everyday work. 

And keep smiling! :)
 

Want more?

Contact one of our smile convenors for more information:

Tourism Whitsundays - Emily McDonald
Ph. 07 4948 5900 or smile@tourismwhitsundays.com.au

Tourism Queensland - Racheal Klitscher
Ph. 0419 662 933 or racheal.klitscher@tq.com.au

Enterprise Whitsundays
Ph. 07 4946 0111