One of the UK’s largest casino chains has taken inspiration from the hit Channel Four TV series Peep Show for their latest staff training film.
Owner of 26 casinos – more than 20% of the UK market – Gala Casinos enlisted the help of Staffordshire-based corporate film-makers The Maclagan Men (www.themmen.co.uk) to help build a customer service training programme.
The 20-minute film, which was produced at Gala’s flagship Golden Horseshoe casino in London, demonstrates a customer service scenario played out in two ways – one handled badly and the other handled well – in the POV style of the David Mitchell/Robert Webb comedy.
It will be used as part of a one day interactive customer service workshop being rolled out to its 2300 strong workforce.
Bosses believe the unusual approach will prove to be more engaging, and therefore more successful in enhancing the customer service skills of their colleagues, consistently across the country.
Gala Casino Managing Director Mark Sergeant said: “In a training environment, no other tool can demonstrate what good and bad looks like in practice as effectively as a film.
“There is no room for misinterpretation and it can be replicated again and again.
“We’ve received great feedback from our colleagues who’ve already gone through the workshop, due to the varied, realistic and interactive tools used as part of this, and we’re already starting to see overall improvements in our already good customer service scores.”
Whilst the Maclagan Men were initially recommended to Gala Casinos by the other divisions of the Gala Coral Group (Gala Bingo, Coral Bookmakers and Eurobet), they were successful due to their flexible approach, strong commercial understanding and wealth of great ideas – not to mention their technical expertise.
Formed in 1988, the Stoke-on-Trent company has carved out a reputation for producing films with unusual angles.
Managing Director John Rosie said: “Our biggest and most successful projects have taken an oblique angle.
“For instance, last year we produced health and safety programmes for Travis Perkins in many styles, ranging from hard-hitting and visually-shocking dramas, all the way to Match of the Day.”