AlaskaHost Classes

The following classes are available year-round for your organization or business. To schedule a class for your community or organization, please contact the AlaskaHost Program Manager.

Customer Service Essentials (4 hours)

This is a condensed and revised version of the original 8 hr. AlaskaHost class. Topics covered include:

• What is customer service and why is it important?
• The economic benefit of tourism to the state of Alaska
• The power of positive first impressions
• Types of angry customers
• How to handle angry or dissatisfied customers

CulturalHost (4 hours)

The Alaska Native CulturalHost Seminar is a comprehensive training program designed with assistance from the Cook Inlet Tribal Council to provide a greater understanding and appreciation of Alaska Native culture for workers within Alaska’s hospitality and tourism industry. The course covers:

• Discussion of the meaning of “culture”
• Overview of the main Alaska Native groups
• Detailed presentations on the culture and characteristics of several Alaska Native groups

Serving Customers with Disabilities
(1 hour)

This class provides participants with information on how to better accommodate and respect the varied needs of customers with disabilities. Coursework focuses on:

• The economic impact of the disability market within the overall tourism industry
• Effective communication techniques when serving customers with disabilities
• Discussion of the video “The 10 Commandments of Communicating with People with Disabilities”.

Telephone Customer Service (1 hour)

The telephone is often the first point of contact that potential customers may have with you. The Telephone Customer Serviceclass will provide instruction on the basics of handling incoming and outgoing telephone calls for your business or organization. Coursework includes:

• General telephone etiquette
• Effectively resolving customer complaints over the telephone

Alaska in your Backyard: Learn about the “Last Frontier” (1hour)

How well do your employees know the local history, sights, activities and attractions of your community? Alaska in your Backyard provides an opportunity for participants to learn more about the local area and provide factual community and regional information for many different types of visitors. Coursework includes:

• How and where to obtain local and regional information
• Developing a list of attractions, activities and events in your community
• Familiarization with local services and providers
• Visitor safety
• Alaska state facts trivia

Serving International Visitors (2 hrs.)

Are you or your employees able to effectively serve visitors with differing needs within a cross-cultural context?  Would you like to learn more about Alaska's international visitors?

This class is designed to help hospitality providers better serve the unique needs of international travelers and make them feel welcome while in Alaska.  The objectives of this class are:

• To raise awareness of what cultural differences may arise with international guests, why these differences may exist, and how best to work with the differences.
• To give tips for communicating verbally and non-verbally in an effort to avoid misunderstandings and frustration on both sides.
• To provide country specific customs/etiquette information about Alaska's leading international markets.
• To provide service tips for making the international visitor's experience more pleasant.