The 12 Musts Of Customer Service Training

By www.customerfocusinc.com.

A recent Google search for “customer service training” produced 272,000,000 links. How can you sort through an overwhelming number of options to find the training program that meets your needs? And how do you know you’ll get the results you’re looking for from the training?
Training can be presented in many formats. For example, you can show a DVD on customer service or hold a one-hour “lunch and learn”. You could assign an online course. You could develop a program yourself. You could find a proven classroom course or a blended program using classroom learning and DVD or online elements. Or you could assign an experienced employee or the manager to conduct on-the-job training. Which of these work best?
After having worked with hundreds of companies of all sizes and in all industries, Customer Focus (www.customerfocusinc.com) has found that there are 12 Musts for effective customer service training.

1. Must include skills-practice with feedback.

Customer service is all about people skills. Whether an employee talks to customers face-to-face, on the phone, by email, or all three, he or she must be aware of how people react and respond to different situations. Practicing these skills in a classroom setting allows participants to see how their actions and statements affect the other person in the interaction. Online courses in which employees answer questions about what they would do in certain situations do not give employees the situational experience and practice that they need.

2. Must include skill examples and visual demonstration.

Customer Service training must include visual demonstrations of the skills — by the facilitator, video, other participants or all of the above. Visual demonstrations and written examples provide models for participants to practice. Responses must not be scripted. Instead, participants must internalize and adapt the skills to their style so they are perceived as sincere and authentic.

3. Must include discussions for shared insights.

Class discussion is essential to developing employee understanding. An experienced facilitator/trainer can direct discussions that aid employees in discovering their knowledge and abilities. Good trainers can help participants challenge assumptions and share information that is rarely offered in the workplace. Employees learn from the facilitator and from each other.

4. Must be about meeting customer needs.

Before participants can practice and learn skills, they must understand and internalize what customers need and expect. Knowing why customers behave as they do helps employees meet their needs — regardless of the individual situations. Unless employees know what motivates customers to leave and what drives them to be loyal, all the skills in the world won’t keep their customers happy.

5. Must include greeting skills.

Initial impressions are the most important. Within the first few seconds, the customer forms a lasting impression of the employee and the company. How can you ensure that they perceive warmth, caring, professionalism, and competence? By focusing on using greetings that are proven to show your employees and company in the best light. Effective greetings consist of three steps: A welcome statement, an open question, and a positive response, such as “I’d be glad to help you with that.”

6. Must include questioning skills.

Asking effective questions requires more than knowing the difference between open and closed questions. Beyond merely gathering information, good questions demonstrate listening skills, competence, empathy, and concern. Good questioning technique includes making an initial bridge statement, progressing from open to closed questions, listening for hidden needs, confirming questions, using positive voice tones and body language, and making aligning responses.

7. Must include explaining skills.

Customers often don’t fully understand the information they receive. Sometimes they don’t even realize that they’ve misunderstood. That is where effective explaining skills can help. Good explanations confirm that the customer truly understands, and also confirms customer acceptance. Explaining skills should include ways to provide unpleasant information, how to present choices clearly, the importance of giving the “why” in terms of customer needs, how to be clear and concise, why to avoid technical jargon, and how to check for customer understanding and acceptance. In addition, questioning and explaining skills must blend together into a seamless conversation.

8. Must include handling complaints.

Often, you have only one chance to turn a complaint into a delighted customer. This is the time to make a customer who would spread bad-word-of-mouth into the customer who wholeheartedly recommends you. Complaint-handling must include how to uncover and prevent complaints, show empathy, say you’re sorry, defuse emotions, say what you can do instead of what you can’t do, value the customer, take ownership instead of making excuses, find and present alternative solutions, and confirm acceptance and resolution. And these must be practiced, practiced, practiced.

9. Must include ways to go the extra mile and exceed expectations.

Simply satisfying a customer is not enough to create a loyal customer who spreads positive word-of-mouth. Employees must find ways to go the extra mile and exceed customer expectations. A customer who is merely satisfied, will leave for the next good offer. But a delighted, loyal customer is more willing to pay for the special treatment that your employees provide.

10. Must involve managers.

Customer service begins with a company’s culture, which starts at the top. The best customer training includes managers, supervisors, and team leaders. Managers are responsible for ensuring that their people use the skills they have learned. If managers are not taking the course, or if they don’t embrace the skills and philosophy taught in the course, the training will have no effect.

11. Must involve different learning styles — visual, auditory, and tactile/ kinesthetic.

People have different learning styles. Interactive, skills-based classroom training provides information in multi-sensory ways to reach all employees in the way they learn best. This ensures maximum effectiveness, resulting in the greatest movement toward excellent customer service.

12. Must include follow-up activities.

Customer Service Training is not simply an event; it is a long-term process that starts with the training session. Manager and executive involvement, regular skill-refreshers, reward programs, and infusing customer service excellence into employee reviews are only a few ways that the training can be kept alive and effective beyond the classroom door.

Customer Focus, Inc. provides the Creating CEOs™: Customer Experience Owners™ learning program that is changing customer service and customer-centered cultures in many world-class companies. Contact Steve Fugate: (817) 303-5256 or www.customerfocusinc.com.

© Copyright 2008 Customer Focus Inc.

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