This year’s Customer Service Conference was held on September 12 at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA.  We had 52 attendees representing utilities and affiliates from all over New England.

The day started off with Larry Brownell, NEPPA’s Executive Director, welcoming all the guests. After, Joe Sollecito, Chair of the Customer Service Committee, introduced everyone to what the customer service conference is all about. He then went on to thank our two sponsors who helped make the event possible: Cogsdale Cooperation located in Canada and Century Bank located in Medford, MA.

The first speaker was Paul Bagdan, Ph.D., who is a professor of The Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.  Paul provided an overview of best-practices in serving guests across all sectors of the hospitality industry. 

The second speaker was Bob Ryan of Ryan and Wood Distilleries. He presented the art of craft distilling, then discussed the path he and his team have taken to make the consumer aware of their products and sales philosophy.  

After Bob spoke, the winners of the Carol Tracy Customer Service Award were given. Click here  to see the list of who received the award.

After lunch, Paul spoke again and conducted an interactive roundtable that utilized short case studies involving customer service. He also introduced hospitality-related service techniques.

The day ended with the option to take a tour of Old Sturbridge Village. 


Joseph Sollecito, Chair of Customer Service Committee, welcoming everyone

           
Casey Dowd, Cogsdale                                           Brian Feeney, Century Bank


Professor Paul Bagdan from The Hospitality College, Johnson & Wales


Bob Ryan from Ryan and Wood Distilleries


Professor Paul Bagdan from The Hospitality College, Johnson & Wales