National Adult Literacy Database

The Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation (AHSC) is a regional health authority serving a catchment population of 200,000 people in southwestern New Brunswick.

In 1996, the corporation’s food services department made the switch from preparing food on site to using a meal service where food is prepared off site, then heated and served on site. However, workers weren’t trained to deal with the new system and, as a result, there were problems with customer service and job performance.

To overcome these problems, managers, supervisors and workers at AHSC developed a program to address five core competencies: customer service; food service; sanitation and safety; quality improvement; and other, which dealt with miscellaneous topics not covered elsewhere. They named the program SUCCESS, for Satisfaction, Unbelievable service, Comfort, Consideration, Empathy, Support, and Smile.

The author of this document looks at the program’s implementation and at how it can be used in other settings.

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