Survey gauges visitor experience

Students from the Oregon State University-Cascades Campus hospitality management class will survey Sisters businesses in an effort to determine how to enhance the Sisters visitors experience.

Throughout the months of October and November, four students in Professor Chen's course will conduct a survey of Sisters Country businesses in a partnership with the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

Surveys will be conducted between several randomly selected business owners and their employees in order to identify visitor and service patterns. This data will then be used to assess customer service and potentially develop training or employee incentive programs for the entry-level workforce.

"What an opportunity it is to work with the university and give these students 'real-world' experience in the hospitality industry," said Erin Borla, executive director of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "To have the opportunity to interview business owners and employees about their experiences with visitors and how to improve their customer relations can truly give these students a valuable tool to use once they graduate - not to mention useful data and information for the Sisters Chamber to enhance our community."

OSU-Cascades' hospitality management program launched this fall and is an option within the business degree program. OSU-Cascades offers 12 undergraduate majors and three graduate degree programs, along with 25 minors and degree options, plus study abroad and internship opportunities, and multiple opportunities for hands-on learning.

Through a partnership with Central Oregon Community College, OSU-Cascades creates a four-year university experience for students, with COCA providing freshmen and sophomore classes and OSU-Cascades providing upper-level courses and graduate programs.

The collaboration between the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and OSU-Cascades is an example of how the university's faculty and students routinely take advantage of a vast natural laboratory to better understand the hospitality and other industries' impact on the local economy.

Professor Chen's course is designed to encourage students to begin to think strategically about the creation of value in a hospitality setting.