8 NOVEMBER 2017 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: CUSTOMER SERVICE Veterans hold a special place in the company and they strive to pay tribute to them in every way possible with dis- counted rates for military personnel and their spouses and free rides to all Vets during the week of Veterans Day. And, any time a WWII vet wants to take a tour, it’s free. Boston Duck Tours also helps veterans in other ways, as well. Boston Duck Tours has partnered with NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans to help raise money for their Assistance Dogs for Veterans program. This program pairs highly trained NEADS dogs with qualified veterans of the armed services who could benefit from canine assistance. NEADS has matched 92 Service Dogs with veterans since 2006, when the program began. The tour operator raises money to support the pairing of injured veterans with service dogs. Boston Duck Tours donates $2 for every military-style rubber duck sold. These ducks are affectionately known as the “camo duck,” and have raised more than $12,000 for NEADS. In 2013, Boston was rocked by terrorism when two bombs exploded during one of the city’s most iconic and beloved local events, the Boston Marathon. With three deaths and hundreds injured, Boston Duck Tours stepped up to assist survivors. The company had the honor of naming the Pawsitively Strong fund and are strong supporters. This fund provides service dogs to survivors of the Boston M a r a t h o n b o m b i n g who sustained permanent physical disabilities. The operation also works with Boston’s public library and a youth program, as well with local historical organizations to preserve and share Bean Town’s long and important history. Why Do So Much? “ I h a v e a p a s s i o n f o r t h i s community,” Brown explained. “Giving back feels good.” Clearly, her passion has inspired her employees who are always looking for other ways to step up and make a difference. They hired an autistic young man, who was also a huge fan of the Ducks as a passenger, who now sells merchandise to customers, as well as board passengers. A seasonal employee spends his winters helping veterans with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder learn to ski and snowboard. Others spend their off-time at our local mall wrapping gifts to raise money for chari- table organizations. The effect on Boston Duck Tours has been very positive. According to Brown, morale is high and turnover is low. “We’re a seasonal operation,” she explained. “For many in this industry it’s not unusual for seasonal workers to move on to other opportunities at the end of the season. We’ve been fortunate that so many of our employees come back year after year.” Returning employees are a financial advantage to the operation. There’s less need for recruiting and training new employees. There’s little to no downtime of a new hire to learn the position. And, researchers have proven that a work environment that fosters wellbeing creates happy employees who are more productive, use less sick time, and strive to inspire, provide kindness and generosity to their coworkers and customers. Finally, positive experiences may be reported, as Ben Bettis’ story was, on a local news affiliates or newspapers. http://www.wcvb.com/article/bos- ton-duck-boats-gives-boy-with-autism- golden-ticket/8280205. These inspiring events even have the potential to go viral on social media, which helps share the story of the operation’s good intentions. And, who knows where else it could lead? In the case of young Ben Bettis, he dressed as his favorite Boston Duck Boat one Halloween. In serving your customers, does your vessel operation also inspire? n Boston Duck Tours donates $2 for every military style rubber duck sold.These ducks are affectionately known as the “Camo Duck.” Boston Duck Tours has donated over $12,000.00 to NEADS to date. WheelHouse is proud to support Boston Harbor Cruises tracking the maintenance, safety requirements, and documentation for their fleet. www.wheelhousetech.com 978-562-5211 MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM > Cloud Based - Access from any Device with any browser > Maintenance - Spares - Documentation > Intuitive User Interface > SMS Integration > Turnkey Setup Tours stepped up to assist who sustained permanent