It’s time to celebrate the businesses and individuals who make Tavistock a great place by nominating them for the Tavistock Customer Service Excellence Awards 2024.
The awards are the brainchild of Rhiannon Spurgeon, who manages the Enterprise Hub in town. She set them up in 2019 after she sought recognition for the phenomenal staff in the Tavistock store Superdrug store from their own head office, finding at that time no system in place (this has since been rectified).
The Tavistock awards give businesses the opportunity to flag up brilliant customer service to customers as well as earn themselves a public seal of approval.
Jolene Taylor from Peak Health and Fitness, winners of the Wellbeing category last time, said: “Out of all the awards we have won as a gym, winning the Customer Service Excellence Awards meant the most to us as it was based on the nominations and honest recommendations of our members. The fact they took the time to share their experience of Peak meant a lot to us. It was also lovely to win the wellbeing category in our hometown.”
Johnny Hounsell from Tavistock Laundrette, previous winners of the Services category, confirmed that they still have their trophy proudly on display. “Customer service is at the heart of our business and it means so much to us that the community wanted to acknowledge our amazing staff,” he said.
Lucy Ash of pet care business Tavistock Happy Tails was thrilled to be a ‘Highly Commended Business’ in the 2019 Services category.
“This presents a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to engage with their customers and asking for their nomination is a way for customers to give back in a meaningful way which doesn’t cost,” she said. “It also encourages the town to be positive and share their recognition for our small independent businesses.”
Rhiannon, in collaboration with Janna Sanders of Tavistock BID (Business Improvement District), hopes the launch of the 2024 awards will focus attention on the businesses of the town and environs and make people reflect positively about where they shop and the amazing customer experience on offer here.
When the awards were run for the first time in 2019, the winners were announced out on Bedford Square as part of the Christmas lights switch on. This time, celebrations will take place during a special awards dinner at the Bedford Hotel in September.
Who will be the winners? It’s up to you. The finalists and winners will be judged based on the quality of the nominations submitted in their name, not the quantity.
The categories this year are Hospitality, Retail, Services, Wellbeing, Outstanding Individual, New Business (since January 2020) and Lifetime Contribution.
The entry form is printed in this week’s paper and will be in the paper each week throughout July and August. You can nominate as many businesses as you like, as long as you submit them before midnight on August 31. Drop your entry into the box at the Tavistock Times Gazette office at 42 Brook Street, Tavistock.
The awards, staged by Rhiannon and Janna, are being supported by ABC Service, Tavistock BID, Tavistock & District Chamber of Commerce, Tavistock Enterprise Hub, the Tavistock Times Gazette and The Bedford Hotel. More sponsors will be confirmed in due course.
