| Leisuretime Tours offers quality escorted coach tours for the discerning traveller, and is the winner of no less than three local Business Awards for Customer Service. Now in its 13th year of trading, the business was started by a mother and daughter partnership, Mrs Olive Hazell and Mrs Lesley Sulley. Lesley has extensive experience (over 30 years) in retail travel and tour organisation and worked for several local firms before deciding to start her own business, whilst Olive has been a Blue Badge Guide for Colchester, the East of England and South East England for over 25 years.
Initially formed to provide escorted day excursions by coach with an emphasis on local pick ups, most notably from the Colchester area, the business quickly expanded. It now offers a full range of day excursions, and holidays throughout the United Kingdom and world. Leisuretime Tours is based in the prestigious Westwood Park Business Centre with Lesley personally organising all the tours to the high standard on which they have built their reputation. Olive escorts the majority of the tours, thus enhancing the customers experience with her superb knowledge and presentation skills.
Each excursion is based on local pick up points, and features the services of an experienced tour escort and Blue Badge Guide. This emphasis on local operations and the “personal” touch has allowed Leisuretime Tours to build an excellent relationship with its customers, and permits rapid response to customer requests and suggestions. Hot and cold drinks are served during the journey to and from the destination.
On all excursions, every customer is asked to complete either a comments and suggestions form or questionnaire. These are closely analysed to ensure the company is maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. In addition, they allow recognition of regular requests for excursions or holidays not currently in the programme. Thus the company is able to react very quickly to customer suggestions and often amaze them with an ability to offer what they have asked for almost immediately. This positive relationship with its clients is something Leisuretime Tours is very proud of and aims to retain and develop as the business expands.
In the Evening Gazette on 29th November 2005 the following was written by Richard Mugford of BT Local Business who was the judge in the Colchester District Business Awards 2005 Excellent Customer Service:
‘Leisuretime Tours is a small business, successfully run by just two people with more than 50 years experience between them. Lesley Sulley and Olive Hazell have a great understanding of their customers, what they want and how they want it delivered.
So much so they can justify investment in a comprehensive and defined customer service policy.
This small, family run business has an excellent but simple feedback system which allows all customer issues to be quickly and professionally dealt with by the team. The number of congraulatory letters the company receives shows they are getting it right.
Leisuretime Tours’ customers keep coming back for more – such is their appetite for testing how high the levels of service can go! Customers of this business feel they are part of the company and will feel this is their award.
Congratulations to Leisuretime Tours – Lesley and Olive for making the option of a coach holiday into a luxury for their customers.'
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