Montana Superhost Program
A Statewide Customer Service Training Program
Custom-designed for Montana hospitality providers.
Traveling to your communities and delivered directly to your computer.
Take time to find out more about our completely re-designed curriculum
for community sessions taking place in 2013-2014, Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service.
2013 Community Seminar Schedule
Click on the logo to the right to see the full seminar outline.
Imagine every resident and employee in Montana being able to
- Explain the economic impact of tourism in Montana
- Connect with customers and build a positive reputation
- Demonstrate the skills of an effective travel counselor
- Identify resources available in your community
- Employ skills for tactful and effective communication with challenging customers and co-workers and
- Continually take personal steps to make a difference
The Montana Office of Tourism and Montana Superhost have the vision of making this vision reality!
In the long term, Montana's tourism success will be judged not only by the number of guests who visit the state but also by the quality of their stay and the number of times they return. Montana has an outstanding reputation for friendly people and is fortunate to have a comprehensive customer service training program in place. The Montana Department of Commerce through the MT Office of Tourism contracts with Flathead Valley Community College for professional trainers to provide Montana Superhost customer service training throughout Montana.
The Montana Superhost program is designed to create an awareness and understanding of Montana's travel industry and to enhance the level of customer service provided by the industry. Ultimately, the program strives to encourage the state's visitors to stay longer, to tell their friends about the positive experiences they found here and the great people they meet, and to make plans to return to the state year after year. The Montana Superhost program stands ready to lead the way in educating Montana communities and businesses about the importance and economic impact of Montana's tourism industry.
To find out more about your Montana Superhost training options, please visit our Training Services tab.
Training Services
Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service: A Montana Tourism & Hospitality Program
Customer service training custom-designed for Montana and traveling to your communities.
- Overview Flier
- Current schedule of sessions
- Scheduling form – to complete after connecting with your trainer
Threaded with tourism-based videos and resources, the program gives participants new perspectives, tools, and resources they can use to elevate their customer service and interpersonal skills to create effective interaction with each unique customer they serve.
Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service will focus on what businesses need to do to attain rave reviews from customers and how to keep them returning:
- Come to Perform – Be prepared
- Focus on your mission
- Clarify your role
- Expand your knowledge
- Build Your Stage – Setting the tone with your customer
- Get to the point
- Lead your customer
- Listen uniquely
- Connect with Your Audience – Selling is a Benefit
- Reveal your authentic style
- Master storytelling skills
- Sell naturally
- Practice for the Improv – Handling the Unexpected
- Adjust your perspective
- Identify conflict triggers
- Lead through conflict
- Try it out
Participants are encouraged to bring brochures, flyers, or information to share about area businesses and attractions. Each participant will receive a certificate of completion.
Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service is our signature, 3-hour live training taking place on location in Montana communities with all materials provided. There is not a better way to learn. And, we have a brief timeslot reserved for your representative to talk about specific community-based highlights to educate participants. All training, travel and materials are covered for $350 per session.
The organization sponsoring or hosting the seminar is asked to provide the seminar location and assist with marketing the seminar to their community and region as well as help provide the audio/visual needs of the Montana Superhost trainer. Check out our Sponsor Checklist. For each Montana Superhost seminar, a minimum of 15 registered participants is required.
- You can sponsor a seminar open to the community for up to 30 people for $350 and offer it free of charge to participants who attend.
- As a seminar host, you can schedule a session to come to your community for $350 and then charge up to $25 per person to cover the cost and provide refreshments for participants attending.
- For $5 per student, we will bring the session to your local high school for our next generation of service providers.
Each Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service seminar also offers an opportunity for the local chamber, convention and visitors bureau, tourism region or other tourism promotion organization to provide a 15 minute overview of things to do, see, places to go and people to ask in your community.
To find out more information or request this training for your community, please download this Scheduling Form and contact the certified trainer assigned to your tourism region found on our Overview Flier or on the Contact Us tab).
We have identified 40 communities that will be offered these in-person training sessions free of charge. These communities have been targeted due to their ongoing partnership with Superhost in the past – having a strong combination of number of years coordinating training, number of sessions offered, and average participants per session. Our certified trainers will be making the offer to these targeted communities in trade for providing a meeting room, assistance with marketing the session, providing a night of lodging if needed due to travel distance, our trainers will.
24/7/365 – Passport to Service
Customer service and tourism training delivered directly to your computer.
Customer service and tourism training delivered directly to your computer.
Would you appreciate a practical self-paced training program to complement your new employee orientation? Do you have employees who start later than the rest of your staff? Do you sometimes have turnover during the season and would like the new person to receive training? This online, computer-based training program is available to you and your staff 24/7, free of charge. Start your session of Passport to Service now!
Service Supervisor – Advanced Topic Webinars
Montana Superhost offers training to Montana supervisors and frontline employees year round and, most recently, right at your business computer! Watch the left side of your screen at this site for upcoming webinars or email superhost@fvcc.edu to be placed on the notification list. In the meantime, we have been receiving enthusiastic feedback on these webinars and have a couple of the recordings available.
Each webinar is one hour in length. The content is directed toward owners, supervisors and managers but much of it is applicable to everyone. We encourage you to show this at a team meeting or to direct other staff to watch it individually. Please click the following links to access the recorded webinar and/or download the supplemental materials. (Please note: you may be required to download a codec for the video to display properly. A link for the download will be provided if necessary.)
Communication in Generations
Each generation has its own, unique, communication preferences. This can create management conflicts, misunderstandings between coworkers, and challenges with customer service. After a brief overview of the different generations, this webinar will review the various communication styles of each generation. We will consider how these styles impact interactions for managers, coworkers, and customers. The webinar and handouts will provide specific suggestions for using this information to create a more positive workplace and more effective customer service.
This webinar is one hour in length and received very enthusiastic feedback from the live participants! The content is directed toward owners, supervisors and managers but is applicable to everyone. We encourage you to show this at a team meeting or to direct other staff to watch it individually. Please click the following links to access the recorded webinar and/or download two versions of the handouts that supplement the recording.
Pocket Change: Are You Worth a Penny?
Presenter: Mark Willmarth - Vision Quest, Inc.
The copper content in pennies "born" before 1982 makes them worth more than a penny! Are you worth more than your face value? Do you make others feel more valuable than their face value? In our fast-paced world we often forget about the importance of fostering our relationships and showing appreciation. Build a foundation for future, more difficult conversations. You as a supervisor have the greatest impact on your employees' satisfaction levels. Learn a few simple tools to make you more mindful of how you perceive the world, the things for which you are most grateful, and the power of appreciation in your role.
Why Are They Difficult?
Presenter: Mark Willmarth - Vision Quest, Inc. Every day we come into contact with difficult people. Have you ever stopped to think about why they are difficult? When are you difficult? Our ability to handle difficult people and situations hinges on how we perceive the situation and choose to handle it. Very few people choose to be difficult but we often forget how our behavior impacts how others see us. Learn about what being difficult means and how we can shift the conversation to create a positive and productive outcome.
Certified Communities & Businesses
Certified Communities
In order to become a Montana Superhost certified community, local groups or organizations must develop and initiate a plan to provide ongoing Montana Superhost customer service training, provide staffing for a local visitor center and develop tourism materials that list events, attractions and visitor services available in the area. Each certified Montana Superhost community receives "Montana Superhost Visitor Friendly" highway signs to welcome visitors and direct them to the local visitor information center.
Businesses
In order to become a Montana Superhost business, at least half of a business' current manageers and employees need to have participated in a Montana Superhost seminar within the previous year. Certified Montana Superhost businesses receive a Montana Superhost window/door sign.
Contact Us
Jodi Smith, Statewide CoordinatorPhone: 406-756-3833
Mail: Montana Superhost 777 Grandview Drive Kalispell, MT 59901 |
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Certified TrainersBecky Henne - Southwest & Central Montana Countries (406) 465-0147 or bhenne0524@aol.com
Lisa Jones - Glacier & Central Montana Countries (406) 261-9020 or lisa@ljcomm.com
Dylan Boyle - Southeast, Yellowstone & Missouri River Countries (406) 599-7929 or dylan@geotravelconsulting.com
Montana Office of TourismPhone: (406) 841-2870
Scheduling form for in person session
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