Member Article

Iceland offers a warm reception for deaf customers

STAFF at Iceland’s Dragonville branch in Durham are now trained and ready to help customers with a hearing loss after benefitting from deaf awareness training ‘Get Deaf Aware’.

The store’s employees, including frontline staff and management, successfully completed the Get Deaf Aware online training course which aims to increase awareness of the everyday communication barriers faced by people with a hearing loss.

Training included practical exercises as well as examples of clearer communication methods and Liz McKenzie, store manager at Iceland is thrilled that their customers can now benefit from this training.

She said: “We have regular deaf and hard of hearing customers and the staff were beginning to feel frustrated and disappointed that they couldn’t offer the same customer service to these customers as to others without hearing problems.

“We know and appreciate the value of good customer service so wanted to deal with their specific needs. The Get Deaf Aware training was simple, straightforward and very effective and the staff now feel confident and able to effectively communicate and help a deaf person if they need to.

“The training means we are more inclusive and accessible for all our customers and they now all benefit from the same great service.”

Get Deaf Aware is a range of Deaf Awareness and British Sign Language training options. It was created to develop awareness, understanding and skills to improve equality and tackle discrimination for people who have a hearing loss. Course content, qualifications and accreditation come from Signature, the UK’s leading awarding body in deaf communication.

Get Deaf Aware’s marketing co-ordinator Jade Gourley said: “Here in the UK one in six people have some degree of hearing loss. That’s about 10 million people so the demand to learn communication skills with deaf people is now higher than ever.

“The staff at Iceland recognised that they needed to offer a better service for their deaf customers and did just that. Thanks to investment in training and taking on board our advice and guidance, they have added real value to their customer service and made a positive difference to the customer experience.”

Get Deaf Aware can offer employers advice, guidance and access to tailored training solutions which have been created to meet current UK Equality & Diversity laws. For more information please contact info@getdeafaware.org.uk or telephone 0191 383 7903.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Crulley .