Wednesday, July 18, 2012
By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
Bahamian retailers are losing sales by not having adequate language skills in their business, a Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA) executive saying yesterday that “they are literally letting money walk out of the store”.
The BHA and tourism executives yesterday announced the launch of the second phase of a foreign language e-training programme to maximise the potential of the Latin American tourist market. Frank Comito, the BHA executuve vice-president, said more than 1,200 hotel and tourism industry professionals had enrolled in the LiveMocha programme, the world’s largest provider of on-line foreign language training.
Highlighting the importance of foreign language training as the Bahamas looks to make significant inroads into the Latin American market, Mr Comito said many retail outlets were losing out on sales as a result of not having adequate language skills in their business.
“The retail shops are losing out on a tremendous opportunity to generate additional sales by not having adequate language skills in their shops,” Mr Comito said.
“We did a survey and found that the extent to which they don’t have multilingual skills in their sales force is alarming.
“They are literally letting money walk out of their store because the level of comfort isn’t there. The Latin American market likes to bargain, it’s a culture that likes to bargain. We are not allowing that to happen if the communication isn’t there.”
The BHA rolled out the first phase of the programme back in April and was “blown away” by the response, according to Mr Comito. By April over 1,200 employees from seven hotel properties including Atlantis, Sandals, the British Colonial Hotel, the Wyndham Nassau Resort, the Lyford Cay Club, Comfort Suites Paradise Island and the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort enrolled in the programme, making it the largest on-line training initiative in Bahamian history.
“I think it is quite significant and shows our commitment to furthering the foreign language skills of our people,” Mr Comito said, noting the roll-out of phase II would go beyond the seven major hotels who participated in phase I, and include all BHA members throughout the country.
Mr Comito said discussions were ongoing as to how to roll out the programme to taxi drivers, as well as the police, and Customs and Immigration officers.The programme is being made available to BHA members for a fee of $10, and a fee of $20 for non-members.
Tameka Forbes, president of the Bahamas Hotel Association for Human Resource Professionals, said persons enrolled in the programme represented a “mixture” of employees in the tourism sector.
“It was a mixture of employees, not only line staff but management as well, and also different divisions within the properties. They can learn online at their own pace,” Mrs Forbes said.
“For the very first time the Bahamas is making serious inroads into this new market that has tremendous growth potential,” said Shena Newton, the Ministry of Tourism’s general manager for foreign languages.
“Our goal now is to maintain our growth in this market. Customer service is important, and key to the Latin America visitor is to be able to communicate with them in their own language.
“Last August we did a survey of Copa’s passengers, where visitors said that they were enjoying the destination but felt they could get more if they didn’t experience the language barrier. That is an ongoing challenge for us. This new market represents a lot to us. If we really want to make a good go of this we really have to learn the language.”
Comments
karina says...
They need to train their sales personnel immediately so that they could better their sales graph. However, when you shop online you simply do not have to worry about these problems. Recently, I even bought monogrammed smart phone cases online from <a href="http://www.pinkpuddle.com/shop-categori…">http://www.pinkpuddle.com/shop-categori…</a>.
Posted 7 December 2013, 5:34 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
They should deal with these problem as fast as they could. However, when you shop online you usually do not have to face this language issue. I mostly go online to buy exclusive products like sports memorabilia which I buy from <a href="http://store.superiorsportsproducts.com…">SuperiorSportsProducts.com</a>.
Posted 9 December 2013, 4:42 a.m. Suggest removal
dana says...
The retailers should immediately find solution to this language problem, you can not let business get away from you just because of language. Most shoppers are opting for online shopping these days because this is a more convenient and hassle free solution for them. This Christmas I am doing my gift shopping online, I just bought beautiful mantel clocks from <a href="http://www.clockshoppes.com/mantel-cloc…">http://www.clockshoppes.com/mantel-cloc…</a>.
Posted 16 December 2013, 5:18 a.m. Suggest removal
karina says...
They should focus on the weak points of their sales personnel only then they would be able to make progress. Most shoppers these days prefer online shopping because it offers a lot of convenience to them. My neighbor is a nurse, she started online shopping few months back, now she has started buying her uniforms online from <a href="http://www.uniformstoyou.com/healthcare…">http://www.uniformstoyou.com/healthcare…</a>.
Posted 17 December 2013, 3:30 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
The retailers could increase their business by taking their venture online. Most shoppers now prefer doing their shopping online, it is not just apparels, grocery or gadgets that people buy online, even exclusive items like boat lifts too are also bought online, you can find boat lifts at <a href="http://lunmarboatlifts.com/">http://lunmarboatlifts.com/</a>.
Posted 1 January 2014, 4:29 a.m. Suggest removal
karina says...
Ever since I started doing online shopping I hardly visit a regular store. I think online shopping is the best solution for every shopper, this Christmas I bought all my gifts online, I even found a shop which offered amazing collection of <a href="http://www.planbsales.com/">diecast cars for sale</a>.
Posted 31 January 2014, 6:57 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
The wise thing for them to do would be to hire sales people who are adept at speaking these languages. This way they could expect better sales in future. These days many shoppers buy products online, even women are now buying jewelry online. My neighbor recently bought some amazing Acrylic charms online from <a href="http://www.twopurplepandas.com/">http://www.twopurplepandas.com/</a>.
Posted 1 February 2014, 4:02 a.m. Suggest removal
dana says...
It is simply incredible to think that they have not noticed this issue before. They should now train their people or take some other step to rectify the situation. They could also launch their shops online, this way they would be able to reach millions of customers. I mostly go online to buy special items like sports memorabilia, I buy these memorabilia items from <a href="http://www.collectible-supplies.com/">Collectible-Supplies.com</a>.
Posted 3 February 2014, 5:43 a.m. Suggest removal
karina says...
This doesn't seem to be a big problem for them, they still can rectify the situation. If they just train up their sales people they would be able to bring the consumers back to the shops. But they should consider launching online stores. Like many other modern consumers I too buy things online, just recently I bought cases for my camera and laptop from <a href="http://www.casesbypelican.com">CasesByPelican.com</a>.
Posted 4 February 2014, 5:37 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
The retail market everywhere is stretching their boundaries far and wide by launching online outlets. Shoppers could buy branded products online at a low price, if you need branded toolboxes, you can find that within your budget at <a href="http://www.elitetoolboxes.com/">http://www.elitetoolboxes.com/</a>.
Posted 4 March 2014, 4:19 a.m. Suggest removal
leonardo85 says...
It seems that the retailers are not taking this matter seriously, if they let this situation continue for long then they would find it hard to survive in this competitive market. They could consider opening online outlets, it would help them solve this issue of language and increase sales. Most shoppers buy their products online these days, you can even find items like caster wheels online at <a href="http://www.accesscasters.com/">http://www.accesscasters.com/</a>.
Posted 7 March 2014, 4:03 a.m. Suggest removal
dana says...
Language should never be allowed to be the barrier in the path of progress. However, if they train their people, they could expect a significant increase in the sales. The best way to widen customer base is to approach customers online. Many popular retailers, manufacturers like <a href="http://gavereleather.net/westernthemebe…">Gavere Leather</a> have online presence now.
Posted 8 March 2014, 6:27 a.m. Suggest removal
karina says...
Communication plays a significant role in the success of a business, so the retailers here have to make the effort to find solutions to this language problem. As a shopper I feel that online shops are the places where you can do your shopping in a comfortable manner. There are some good online stores which has really exceptional products range, for instance, you can find cool <a href="http://www.angryyoungandpoor.com/store/…">punk dresses at angryyoungandpoor.com</a>.
Posted 20 March 2014, 6:49 a.m. Suggest removal
leonardo85 says...
If the sales personnel do not have the required language skills then the retailers should hire people who are fluent in these languages. The store owners need to make their product range more appealing to the consumers. I love decking up my house, so wherever I go I buy some interesting decor items, just recently I have bought a couple of Tie-Dye Bowls from <a href="http://www.amusinglass.com">AMusinGlass</a>.
Posted 31 March 2014, 8:21 a.m. Suggest removal
dana says...
If they are really serious about making profit in the long run, they need to make sure that their people have proper foreign language skills. Shoppers do not like shopping at a place where they have trouble communicating with the sales personnel. Most manufacturers these days prefer having online presence, which helps them reach more customers. The reputed trailer manufacturer Magneta Trailers also have web presence, so now you can buy <a href="http://magnetatrailers.com/">canoe trailers from Magneta Trailers</a> online.
Posted 1 April 2014, 5:48 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
They should not let language be an obstacle in the path of their success. However, as a shopper I feel that online shopping is the most convenient mode of shopping for any shopper. Since I am a health care professional I do not get time to go shopping, so I mostly buy the things I need online, just recently I bought a pair of harem pants online from <a href="http://www.khwanpants.com/pants">http://www.khwanpants.com/pants</a>.
Posted 23 April 2014, 2:09 a.m. Suggest removal
karina says...
They are probably not taking this issue seriously, they should immediately hire stuff who do not have any language problem. Most shoppers these days prefer shopping online because it is a much more convenient mode of shopping. I mostly buy all sorts of good I need online including my shooting supplies which I buy from <a href="http://www.smartreloader.com/">SmartReloader.com</a>.
Posted 5 May 2014, 5:02 a.m. Suggest removal
cgold says...
The language barier can be a problem especially in tourism, and everything that revolves around sales. Just <a href="http://www.royalsunset.com/resort-suite…">click this link</a> if you want to make travel plans. As a business owner I only hire sales people who are fluent in two foreign languages, other than their native one.
Posted 12 May 2014, 3:02 a.m. Suggest removal
isabella says...
Language should never be allowed to become a barrier, the retailers have to hire people who can communicate properly. Most shoppers are turning to online shops, I hardly visit any big shopping mall now. I buy my clothing, accessories online, just last week I bought beautiful cashmere snoods from <a href="https://shop.thecashmereshop.com/access…">https://shop.thecashmereshop.com/access…</a>.
Posted 20 June 2014, 9:07 a.m. Suggest removal
holymoly says...
Having adequate language skills is a must in every business especially in the tourism industry. People who run businesses in the tourism industry should hire qualified personnel who speak very well at least a foreign language. There are a lot of famous hotels or other travel accommodation places such as <a href="http://www.brokenbowlakecabins.com/cabi…">http://www.brokenbowlakecabins.com/cabi…</a> where employees are having very good foreign language skills and customers are very satisfied about that.
Posted 3 September 2014, 2:44 p.m. Suggest removal
holymoly says...
If you are runing a business in the travel field, it is essential to hire people who are having good language skills in order to increase your profits and to have success. There are a lot of hotels and resorts such as <a href="http://www.royalsunset.com/">www.royalsunset.com/</a> where foreign tourists enjoy spending their vacations and they are very satisfied because people who work there have very good language skills.
Posted 23 October 2014, 12:28 p.m. Suggest removal
holymoly says...
When you run a business even if it is in the travel sector or in the food industry it is essential to hire people who speak at least a foreign language in order to interract with customers. For instance, if you are having a restaurant like <a href="http://regencygrill.com/">http://regencygrill.com/</a> it is not enough to provide quality and tasty food but you should also provide the best customer service. This involves hiring qualified personnel who have very good language skills in order to interract with foreigners.
Posted 27 October 2014, 2:41 p.m. Suggest removal
holymoly says...
The travel sector has developed a lot in the last decade and there are a lot of hotels and resorts like <a href="http://www.quisisanaresort.com">Quisisana Resort</a> where people enjoy spending there vacations. However having a business in the travel industry is not easy as you have to hire qualified people, who have good communication and language skills.
Posted 31 October 2014, 1:06 p.m. Suggest removal
holymoly says...
The majority of the people like travelling and there are a lot of beautiful destinations such as the <a href="http://singerislandresortandspa.net/res…">Singer Island Marriott</a> where they can spend a nice vacation. However tourists are interested in finding accommodation in places where people speak at least a foreign language as this makes them feel comfortable. The majority of the hotel owners hire people who speak foreign languages as this is very useful in order to develop their business.
Posted 3 November 2014, 3:15 p.m. Suggest removal
Log in to comment