Achieving customer service excellence is not accomplished by accident, nor is it attained without effort and teamwork. It requires well–trained customer service professionals who have a passion for providing quality service. Providing customer service excellence gives an organisation a competitive advantage in the marketplace and is the key factor that keeps customers coming back. Delegates will learn best practices of world-class customer service providers to develop a customer-focused mindset for continuous improvement.
In today’s customer-oriented business environment, interpersonal skills are a critical component for promoting customer satisfaction and organisational success. Providing world-class customer service requires a unique combination of effective communication strategies, persuasion techniques, and conflict resolution skills. This highly-interactive customer service training course gives delegates the tools, resources, and confidence they need to enhance customer relationships and promote customer service excellence within their organisation.
objectives
By the end of the course delegates will be able to:
- Describe the best practices of a world-class customer service provider
- Develop a customer-focused mindset for continuous improvement
- Identify key components that promote customer retention and loyalty
- Measure customer service standards
- Develop an understanding of internal and external customer expectations
- Use the phone more effectively and leave professional voicemail messages
- Communicate more effectively by utilizing active listening and questioning skills
- Successfully apply the principles of persuasion to key negotiation situations
- Give and receive feedback in a constructive manner
- Understand the importance of written and electronic communication
- Use nonverbal communication to make a positive first impression and build rapport quickly
- Set SMART goals to increase productivity
- Understand the importance of customer and organisational confidentiality
- Utilize stress management techniques to increase job satisfaction
- Use conflict resolution skills to work with difficult or demanding customers in a professional manner
- Manage their emotions during stressful situations
- Appreciate the importance of teamwork and maintaining a positive attitude
Contents
Day One
Principles for Delivering World-Class Customer Service
- Course overview and learning objectives
- How do customers define quality customer service?
- What are the benefits of providing world-class customer service?
- Breakout session: How to use customer service to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty
- Benchmarking exercise: Best and worst rated customer service companies
- Creating a positive first impression: What do your customers see and hear?
- Creating customer service ‘touch points’ to enhance the “customer experience”
- The WOW Factor: Going the Extra Mile to exceed customer expectations
- Case study: The Nordstrom approach to quality customer service
Day Two
Developing Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- The power of nonverbal communication
- Practical exercise: The Body Language Quiz
- How to use body language to build rapport and create a favorable first impression
- Understanding the four customer temperament styles
- Practical exercise: Determining your temperament style
- Developing your active listening skills to enhance communications
- Practical exercise: Active Listening Evaluation
- Use questioning techniques to identify a customer’s expectations and service requirements
- Determining your customer’s “preferred learning style”
- Keys to effective telephone and voicemail communication
Day Three
Principles of Superior Customer Service and Organisational Procedures
- Does the ‘customer experience’ align with your organisation’s vision/mission statement?
- Identifying internal and external customer expectations
- The benefits of teamwork and mutual cooperation
- Teambuilding and leadership exercise
- Guidelines for customer and organisational confidentiality
- Dos and don’ts of written and electronic communication
- Empowering employees to better serve their customers
- Case study: Scandinavian Airlines customer service programme
Day Four
The Importance of Customer Feedback and Service Recovery
- Why is it important to encourage customer complaints and feedback?
- Establishing customer service satisfaction measuring and monitoring standards
- Best practices for recording and monitoring customer service issues
- The supervisor‘s role in service recovery
- The art of giving and receiving constructive feedback
- Negotiating win-win outcomes
- Managing emotions during stressful situations
- Strategies for working with difficult and demanding customers
- Practical exercise: Service recovery role-play
Day Five
Leading the Way to Customer Satisfaction and Continuous Improvement
- Your attitude makes a difference
- Stress management tips for maintaining peak performance
- The importance of personal development
- Setting SMART goals for continuous customer service improvement
- Practical exercise: What is your Action Plan?
- End of course review
