The Millennial Marketer (July 2021)

JULY 2021 / ISSUE 03 / VOLUME 21

As we continue to recover from the effects of Covid-19, we are seeing a great deal of pent-up demand from both local and foreign consumers who are eager to start consuming again. Local markets are buzzing again and flights to the island are packed. Our collective Cabin Fever can’t break fast enough!

With the Prime Minister’s recent announcements to reopen the entertainment sector and loosen curfew hours, this summer will surely bring even more demand than we saw in 2019.

From the Editor

The Montego Bay Hip Strip is being re-imagined and transformed through a comprehensive upgrade, and the PIOJ predicts that the economy will have grown 7% to 9% in the April to June 2021 quarter.

The government is also calling on local suppliers to increase production to keep up with the demand.

The overall message is “get ready!”

As we continue to talk about marketing your business on a budget, this month’s issue addresses one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy and successful business — customer service.

In this issue’s feature article, Customer Service is Not Optional!, we offer some simple, no-cost ideas on how to develop an effective customer service strategy that is guaranteed to position your business above all the rest and ready your team for when the business comes flooding back.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous Summer!

Warm Regards, Paul Bauer EDITOR, THE MILLENNIAL MARKETER

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COMPREHENSIVE UPGRADING OF THE MONTEGO BAY HIP STRIP The Government has budgeted $1.2 billion to undertake comprehensive upgrading of the popular Montego Bay Hip Strip, located along Jimmy Cliff Boulevard (formerly Gloucestershire Avenue), in the resort city.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the sum includes $150 million earmarked in the 2021/22 Budget to commence preliminary work on the project, which, he notes, will form part of the focus on re-imaging and transforming the Hip Strip and by extension Montego Bay. The Minister made the announcement while delivering the closing 2021/22 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives, under the theme ‘Recovering Faster, Stronger and Better’.

Mr. Bartlett said the proposed Hip Strip development includes physical improvements, new product development and substantial operations, heavy street-scaping, and possible pedestrianising of the area after re-scoping of the transportation and road networks.

Additionally, he said the work will include creating thematic facades and developing an entertainment park, spanning the stretch from the Harmony Beach Park to the popular dead-end beach on Kent Avenue.

Mr. Bartlett further advised that the programmed renovations will be complemented by the proposed construction of a 13-storey mixed-use facility along the strip by a local developer that is intended to accommodate hotels, residences and entertainment activities.

He added that this development will push the value of investment in that area to approximately $7.9 billion.

Meanwhile, the Ministry will be partnering with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to build out a promenade from the cruise terminal in the Montego Free Port, along the seafront incorporating Catherine Hall, linking that with Harmony Beach Park, and culminating at the Hip Strip.

Mr. Bartlett, who advised that this proposed development will be taken to the House of Representatives “shortly”, said it is envisaged that the stretch will have areas for entertainment, shopping, access to craft development and artisan activities, and facilitate a fisherfolk village, adding that “we will have, for the first time, a complete tourism experience”.

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CUSTOMER

SERVICE

IS NOT

OPTIONAL By: Paul Bauer Editor, The MIllennial Marketer

The best way to distinguish your business from any other is through informed, attentive, and seamless customer service.

Many businesses select the right product and a premium location. They generate a marketing buzz and put a great deal of focus on merchandising their product, but they give little, if any, thought to the overall customer service experience. As a result, the customers that flock to their doors leave impressed by the product and aesthetic, but turned off because the customer service experience left them feeling unappreciated and taken for granted.

Quite frankly, in this day and age, there is so much poor customer service out there that experiencing even the most basic customer service can be impressive. It’s such a crucial component to the success of any business that we’ll be outlining more customer service tips over the next few issues.

Here are some basics to get you started and, remember, if you overlooked this crucial step in the beginning it’s never too late to establish your customer service experience or to take it to the next level.

Create a customer service philosophy.

Think about every single employeecustomer interaction point (answering the phone, greeting customers in person, managing difficult orders or customer complaints, bidding them farewell, etc.) and outline the customer experience as you envision it (What should they say?

What should they know? How should they act?). Write it down step by step and give employees examples of what to say in certain interactions, but don’t make them follow scripts by rote, otherwise they’ll sound robotic and insincere.

Consistency is key.

Keep at it and don’t let anything slide.

Many new businesses start out strong.

They open with a high standard of service and deliver it well—for about six months to a year. After that, they may offer good customer service, and they may not. It often depends on the particular day or team member who happens to be working that shift.

Review your philosophy with your team and live it every day, without fail. Set the example and don’t allow any laxity. Make sure you and your employees understand this concept fully, and are willing to demand it of yourselves and deliver what is required without resentment or complaint.

Focus on the basics and don’t resort to hollow gestures and gimmicks.

It may be nice to offer every customer who visits your store a glass of wine, or pack up your product in high-end wrappings and fancy bags, but if the cashier doesn’t even acknowledge the customer because she’s having a completely unrelated, personal conversation with a colleague, that wine and fancy packaging turn out to be hollow (and unnecessarily costly!) gestures that added nothing to the experience.

Many flagging businesses implement discount offers or meaningless gimmicks to put sales back on track, when all they have to do is ensure that the basic customer service principles they established are being met. If the most basic customer service experience isn’t being provided, no amount of fluff will help.

Set the example. Get involved in the dayto-day operation.

As a business owner, it’s important that you adhere to the customer service philosophy that you’ve created. Get involved in the day-to-day so that you can see and hear how well your employees are providing the customer service experience and identify any opportunities to strengthen and improve its delivery.

Teach employees to be proactive in their approach to the customer and think through exceptions.

Listen to customers and understand what they need. Not every need or request will follow a typical pattern. In creating your ideal customer service experience you won’t have thought of every possible customer interaction and how to manage the outcome, which may lead employees to follow a script that doesn’t fit an unusual interaction. Teach them how they can discard the script and think through the exception while still adhering to your customer service philosophy.

For example, it makes sense for a restaurant to require servers to ask every guest if they have any food allergies as part of their standard introduction, but if the guest is a repeat guest and the server already knows the answer to that question, asking that question is redundant and tedious. This will not only annoy the guest, it will make them wonder if the server is really listening to them and understanding their needs.

Give employees the product knowledge and tools to deliver what you promise.

Educating your employees about your product enables them to interact with customers competently and confidently.

This in turn gives customers confidence in your business. Also make sure employees consistently have all the tools they need – whether it’s product, packaging, technology, and so on. Not having these crucial elements in place will lead to frustrated employees, who often pass their frustration along to the customers.

As I said at the beginning, these just are some basics to get you started. Next month, I’ll discuss choosing the right employees and managing the employee experience as a way to improve the customer service experience.

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GROWTH PROJECTED FOR APRIL TO JUNE QUARTER. The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is projecting that the economy will grow within the range of seven per cent to nine per cent during the April to June 2021 quarter.

Director General of the PIOJ, Dr. Wayne Henry, who made the announcement, said this outlook is based on “the commencement of the recovery process relative to the low output levels recorded in the corresponding period of 2020”.

Dr. Henry spoke during a virtual media briefing on Wednesday, June 2.

The Director General noted as well that the projected growth will also be dependent on the relaxation of some coronavirus (COVID-19) containment measures relative to the lockdown, which occurred in the corresponding quarter of 2020.

In addition, he noted that the anticipated positive out-turn will also be based on increased domestic demand due to an expected expansion in employment levels.

“Preliminary data for the April to June 2021 quarter has indicated some positive movements which support this projection. Airport arrivals for April 2021 totalled approximately 83,000 visitors compared to none recorded in April 2020. Water Consumption for April 2021 grew by 2.2 per cent relative to April 2020,” he said.

Dr. Henry pointed out that a potential upside to this growth forecast is the extent to which the COVID-19 measures implemented globally are relaxed, given the increased pace of rollout of vaccination programmes.

“On the downside, the official commencement of the hurricane season in June poses a risk to economic performance as well as a slower than expected rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine globally and locally,” he said.

In the meantime, Dr. Henry informed that for the 2021/22 Fiscal Year, it is expected that the economy will grow within the range of four per cent to eight per cent.

“In addition to the factors expected to influence the April to June 2021 quarter, the performance of the fiscal year will be influenced by the gradual relaxation of measures globally that restrict the movement of persons as countries seek to attain herd immunity through continued rollout of vaccination programmes. This augurs well for the world economy and a strengthening of external demand for Jamaica’s goods and services,” he said.

In terms of employment prospects, he noted that the increase in economic activities will also support the strengthening of employment levels, with some industries expected to get closer to their pre-crisis levels.

According to the Labour Force Survey undertaken by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) for the month of January 2021, the unemployment rate was 8.9 per cent. This was 1.5 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in January 2020.

“Despite the relatively strong economic performance anticipated for this Fiscal Year, it should be noted that a full recovery to pre-crisis levels of gross domestic product (GDP) output is not anticipated until Financial Year 2023/24, while employment levels are expected to recover to pre-crisis levels in Financial Year 2022/23,” Dr. Henry said.

TOURISM MINISTER CALLS ON LOCAL SUPPLIERS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION TO MEET DEMAND. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is calling on local suppliers to increase their production of goods and services to match the increasing demand from the industry.

“If we aren’t able to supply on that demand, we’re going to have to import, which means that the dollars that we get into Jamaica from tourism will be leaked out back to the sources from which they came, because we can’t supply the goods that are required,” he said.

Recently, the Minister was delivering the keynote address during a virtual meeting of the Kiwanis Club of East St. Andrew. Mr. Bartlett pointed out that for the first seven days in June, 37,000 visitors came to the island and he projects that by the end of the month, Jamaica could see at least 150,000 tourists.

The arrivals, he argued, would cause an increase in the demand for goods and services.

He pointed out that before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the industry saw a demand of some $369 billion worth of agricultural supplies, but the sector was able to supply only 20 per cent.

“But here is an opportunity now for us to scale up and go well beyond that 20 per cent, to have more people employed in the farming areas, to have more entrepreneurs developing as farmers and as Managers, but then that’s the agricultural side,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, he also urged manufacturing plants and service stakeholders to seek opportunities to supply technologies, medical services, beds, towels and other types of goods and services that can enhance the Jamaican experience for tourists.

“We want to establish in Jamaica a Tourism Supplies Logistics Hub and the various elements that are required in tourism, that the manufacturers can provide furniture, textiles of various types, paper facilities of various types,” he noted.

He pointed out that with an opportunity to increase investments, bankers can become connected with entrepreneurs.

Procurement and Marketing are two other areas, he insists, that have opportunities to meet the emerging demands of the tourism industry.

The Minister emphasized that to strengthen the linkages among the various sectors, the Tourism Linkages Network will be working closely with Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.

PM ANNOUNCES PROTOCOLS FOR REOPENING OF ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR.

Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 announced special measures for the reopening of the entertainment sector.

The protocols were crafted by the Ministries of Health and Wellness, Local Government and Rural Development, and Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, working in tandem with industry practitioners.

Mr. Holness, who was delivering a statement to the House of Representatives, said that at this stage, the Government is contemplating two categories of events – small events with no more than 100 persons in total, including organisers and support personnel, and large events of over 100 persons.

Small events include outdoor concerts, parties, round robins, festivals, community events, corporate mixers, handover or ground-breaking ceremonies, and other activities of this nature.

“Organisers of small events may make applications for permits as they normally would through their local authorities, who will work with them to ensure that the protocols are in place for a safe event. The municipal corporations have agreed to reduce the cost for permits and licences by 50 per cent,” he said.

He noted that for indoor events held in a covered area with controlled entry, there is a cap on the number of persons who can attend.

“This is determined as 60 per cent of useable square footage, not including bathroom or kitchen, divided by 40 square feet, or 100 persons, whichever is lower,” he outlined.

For public-sector events, such as handover or ground-breaking ceremonies, that remains at the maximum number of 50 persons.

As it relates to large events – stage shows, church conventions, conferences or crusades, festivals and related activities – organisers will be required to go through an additional layer of approval.

“Organisers of large events must first send an application to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. The Ministry will review the application to see that it meets the requirements,” the Prime Minister indicated.

PM ANNOUNCES PROTOCOLS FOR REOPENING OF ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR. Once the Ministry is satisfied, it will forward the application to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), which will consult the Health Ministry, the municipal corporations and any other relevant authority, and if they are satisfied, the application for an event to be held at a specified place and time will be approved, he further outlined.

The Prime Minister said that the distinction between small and large events is not based on the nature of the activity but on the maximum number of persons allowed to be present.

“For example, a wedding with less than 100 persons in total would be a small event while one with more than 100 persons would need to follow the application and approval process for a large event,” he pointed out.

He noted that the same applies to general and special meetings of companies, cooperative, friendly, industrial or provident societies.

Mr. Holness told the House that the Government will not mandate, as part of the protocols for approval of events, that persons attending must be vaccinated or tested.

“While such protocols would definitely reduce the risk, the shortage of vaccines and the cost associated with testing would result in a significant burden on the industry at this time.

However, if private event holders wish to include such requirements to market their events, they would be free to do so,” he said.

Meanwhile, to provide support to the sector in restarting, the Government is prepared to offer certain government-owned venues to the organisers of large entertainment events rent-free.

Organisers would only be required to cover the operating costs such as for utilities and security.

The list of venues, so far, include facilities under the management of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, including the National Stadium complex and the Trelawny Stadium, Fort Rocky and Fort Charles, and the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre; and facilities under the management of the Port Authority of Jamaica, including the Falmouth Pier and the Port Royal Pier.

Mr. Holness also informed that negotiations are being undertaken with the local authorities and the private sector to see how subsidies can be provided for the use of other venues across the country, as a stimulus for the entertainment industry.

To signal the reopening of the entertainment sector as well as to demonstrate how a large event could be staged within the protocols, the Government will be organising a concert on July 1 at the Port Royal Cruise Terminal.

Further details will be announced by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange.

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