AustraLearn Employee Recognized By Cairns Regional Tourism Association For Excellence in Customer Service
Q&A With Russell Hosp, Cairns Tourism Award Winner
AustraLearn employee Russell Hosp, front row left, recently received a Cairns Tourism Award for demonstrating excellence in customer service in his work as a Dive Master on the Passions of Paradise sailing catamaran. Hosp is also Operations Manager for AustraLearn's Culture and Adventure Program in Cairns.
For Russell Hosp, good customer service comes down a basic idea: Treat others how you want to be treated.
It is this approach that recently earned Hosp, AustraLearn’s operations manager for the Culture and Adventure Program in Cairns, Australia, a monthly Cairns Tourism Award for his work as a Dive Master on the Passions of Paradise, a sailing catamaran that takes visitors on Great Barrier Reef excursions.
The reef trips on Passions of Paradise are enjoyed by many AustraLearn students who participate in the Culture and Adventure Programs preceding their time studying abroad at universities throughout Australia.
Hosp, an AustraLearn alumnus who studied abroad for a semester at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia in 2003 and returned through AustraLearn for a full post-graduate degree in 2006, has a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University and a master’s degree from Murdoch University. He has travelled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, the United Kingdom and Southeast Asia with his wife Michelle Hosp, who is resident director for short courses and specialty programs for AustraLearn’s South Pacific Educational Support Centre in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Here’s what Russell had to say about the recent honor:
QUESTION: How did it feel to get this award?
ANSWER: It was a very welcome surprise, and it’s nice to be recognised, but part of me feels a tad guilty because everyone I work with, whether it’s on Passions of Paradise or doing the Australearn Culture and Adventure Programs, has the same great attitude when it comes to helping customers. I think the greatest feeling comes from people recognising the work we do every day, and that every day we strive to create a really unique and enjoyable experience for our customers.
Q: Can you describe your approach to customer service (which I understand is the focus of this award)?
A: I think it’s the simplest approach: treat people how you want to be treated. I know going out of my way to do the little things for people makes all the difference in the world, simply because I know I appreciate it when I’m in their position. My approach is “If I can help you, I will. If I don’t know it, I’ll find out.” That attitude is the crux of any job, and people that can have that attitude everyday, and add in a smile or kind word while they do it, will be successful no matter what profession they’re in.
Q: What is it about your work in Cairns that you enjoy most?
A: I really do think I have the best two jobs in the world. Showing people the Great Barrier Reef every day is, quite simply, a dream job, whether it’s taking them diving, snorkeling, or even just answering their questions. I love AustraLearn, in turn, because every few months we get hundreds of brand-new, eager students, and each and every one of them has that excitement that I had when I first came here. I try and absorb a bit from them every time, because it’s really what sustains me in both jobs — the excitement of just being here, doing what I love.
Q: Anything else you’d like me to know?
A: The yearly awards ceremony will be held on December 14, 2010 at the Pacific International hotel in Cairns. I’ll be one of 12 finalists up for the yearly award. After the July Culture and Adventure Program, I’ll be back on Passions and will start training to become a Dive Instructor, which means I can take people who aren’t certified diving.
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