Thursday, 11 February 2016

Ode to NWR's Cornelia Thierauch

#CorneliaThierauch
#NWRReservations

 Namibia: 28 Years of Customer Service

IN this day and age, when climbing the corporate ladder is what most new employees are focused on, it is always refreshing to meet someone who has been at their trade for over 28 years and still takes pride in it.

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) have this sort of person in Cornelia Thierauch who started off on 1 September 1987 as a filing clerk and a telex operator at the then Central Reservations Office (CRO) which fell under the directorate of tourism in the department of nature conservation.

Thierauch was drawn to the tourism industry due to it being a customer-centric industry.

"The reason I chose to come work at CRO was because a lot of people always complained about it then and I wanted to know whether there was truth in the complaints, so I applied and initially did not get the job as I could not speak German. However, after some time I was called back and given the job. When I look back, I can firmly say this was the best decision I have taken," said Thierauch.

Over the years Cornie, as she is affectionately known to her peers and clients, has occupied various positions within the department with her current position being that of customer care and front office supervisor. The thing that puts a smile on her face is when she assists a customer and he or she is satisfied with her service.

When she looks back over the years, two experiences in her working career stand out. One day she was in a hurry to leave the office and entrusted someone to close off her float for the day. However, when she came back from leave, she realised not only was it not closed off properly but the money was missing, too. She was grateful that NWR did not fire her, but made her take responsibility for her mistake.

The second experience that has stayed on her mind was made on a day when one of her big tour operators had requested for one client's booking to be cancelled. Thierauch, however, accidentally cancelled the whole booking and the resort where the clients were going was nearly full, which resulted in her having to move some of her clients to other resorts.

At the end of the day she was very happy that her clients did not complain but were very satisfied. The lesson here was that, when one goes the extra mile people always appreciate it.

When it comes to relaxing, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two grandchildren.

YouTube channel: Exploring Namibia
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