Echelon Wins Contract to Help Select Service Staff
<p><strong>London — May 30</strong><br />Arsenal's Emirates Stadium is the setting for a novel form of assessment for would-be customer care staff with High Speed 1 (previously known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link). </p><p>These centers form part of learning consultancy Echelon's ongoing selection of, and support for, these staff.<br /><br />The selection process begins this month for staff who will work at the refurbished St. Pancras International and new station Ebbsfleet International.</p><p>Under the contract with High Speed 1, Echelon will run a series of assessment centres, taking place at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in north London.<br /><br />Each candidate selected for interview will be confronted with a number of role-play scenes, involving professional actors. </p><p>The candidates' reactions to these scenarios will determine their suitability to be a customer service officer or manager.<br /><br />"In order to be a successful customer care officer with High Speed 1, you have to have much more than a personable manner," said David Hill, Echelon managing director. "Among other things, you have to have well-developed powers of observation, tact, confidence and initiative. This novel use of professional actors to assess candidates is essential because it represents the most cost-effective and lifelike way of testing these qualities in the candidates.</p><p>"Moreover, since St. Pancras is being redeveloped along the lines of Grand Central Station in New York — complete with gourmet restaurants and the longest champagne bar in Europe — the customer care staff there will have to know more than just the basics of which train goes from which platform."</p>
