Duane Hicks
Tomorrow is the deadline to sign for the Rainy River Future Development Corp.’s seventh-annual customer service challenge.
RRFDC officer manager Cynde Milette said the response has been good so far, with more than 15 businesses signed up, but organizers are hoping at least 30 will take part.
She noted the challenge has been well-advertised in the media, and they’ve also faxed and mailed out forms to area businesses.
To date, they’ve gotten some new participants, as well as repeats, from businesses hailing from Fort Frances, Rainy River, Emo, and elsewhere.
“We want everybody because we are going to travel the district,” encouraged Milette.
Participation is free to all businesses of any size in the RRFDC’s catchment area—from Mine Centre west to Rainy River, and north to Morson and Nestor Falls.
District businesses interested in signing up can contact the RRFDC at 274-3276, by fax (274-6989), or via e-mail at info@rrfdc.on.ca up until 4:30 p.m. today and tomorrow.
The challenge, which is being co-ordinated by Wanda Botsford, will work much like it has in past years.
Businesses that sign up by the March 19 deadline will be contacted, receive an information package detailing the challenge, and then will be “mystery shopped” until the end of April.
Each business is going to be shopped in three different ways, when possible: in person, by phone, and their website will be reviewed if they have one.
After the “mystery shopping” is complete, the RRFDC will tally up the results, review the comments, and then pick the top 10 from across the district, also noting honourable mentions.
The winners will be announced during the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual “After Hours” deck party, which has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 26.
After the winners are announced, all the participants (regardless of how they do) will get access to their performance evaluations so they can find out where their strengths and weaknesses lie when it comes to serving customers.
