| Many external Customer Services Courses are | | | | type, that is not worth the bother! |
| theoretical, with only a little practical application to the | | | | These training sessions can be held by in-house |
| real world of the attendee. In-house training given by | | | | trainers, Team Leaders or other experienced staff. |
| experienced staff or an in-house trainer has huge | | | | However, it is important that the trainer really is |
| benefits. It is relevant, on the job Customer Service | | | | Customer focussed, and is promoting the right positive |
| Training which will, hopefully, combine the technical | | | | values and attitudes. |
| knowledge of the job with call handling skills with | | | | A good idea for existing Teams is to plan short |
| Customers. However, there is a difficulty with this in | | | | Customer Focus sessions at the regular Team |
| the way the Company personnel may view their | | | | Meetings. Team members can be allocated to various |
| Customers. | | | | projects to promote awareness of Customers. |
| The Difficulty with Internal Trainers | | | | However, this will only take the Team so far. The real |
| A big downside of Customer Service Training | | | | key is to involve both new and experienced personnel |
| provided by internal trainers is often that the agent | | | | in Customer Service Training sessions that involve a |
| learns to see the Customer interaction from the | | | | good deal of role-play. |
| Company’s side ONLY. The problem with this is | | | | The Benefits of Role-play in Customer Service |
| that the Customer Service Representative then finds | | | | Training |
| difficulty seeing each situation through the | | | | Role-play sessions are extremely powerful in building |
| Customer’s eyes. | | | | Customer awareness, and in building new skills and |
| The result of this is - | | | | techniques to handle different Customer types and |
| 1. They may find difficulty empathising with the caller, | | | | different situations. |
| and controlling a difficult Customer effectively. | | | | They have four major benefits – |
| 2. With the passing of time, this CSR now becomes | | | | 1. The person playing the agent will learn to build up |
| more experienced, but the lack of appreciation of the | | | | their focus, their skills and the timing of the call |
| Customer’s situation is more likely to become | | | | 2. The person playing the Customer will experience |
| worse, rather than better. | | | | what real Customer’s feel. They will know when |
| 3. The result is a group of CSRs with little appreciation | | | | an approach or phrase works – or when it will |
| of their Customers. Because of this, they are only | | | | trigger a negative reaction on the Customer |
| building the skills to handle pleasant Customers and | | | | 3. At the de-brief of the role-play, the Customer can |
| easy queries, not the more challenging situations or | | | | give the Agent what worked, what didn’t work, and |
| irate Customers. | | | | what they needed to hear that was missing from the |
| 4. The group will then stereotype the more challenging | | | | interaction. |
| callers as ‘bad’ or ‘stupid’ etc. | | | | 4. They can plan another approach, and try it again |
| 5. This is then passed on when training new recruits. | | | | and again till they get it right. |
| Breaking the Cycle | | | | With role-plays, they not only appreciate even the |
| Breaking this cycle begins with planning Customer | | | | most difficult Customer, but they learn that this person |
| Service Training sessions that includes - | | | | is just human, and they can be turned around with |
| 1. Focussing on their Role with their Customers | | | | effective use of good skills. |
| expressed in terms of the Customer’s satisfaction | | | | Ensure all Staff use Role-Play |
| 2. Fostering a positive attitude to the Customer, seeing | | | | If you are planning bringing in an external Customer |
| the world through their eyes | | | | Service trainer, make sure they have a high level of |
| 3. Understanding the importance of each Customer | | | | role-play on their course and that they have a sound |
| experience to the Company and to all the staff. Happy | | | | methodology for running the role-plays. |
| Customers come back, they spend, the Company has | | | | In-house personnel can carry out role-play sessions |
| money and we all have jobs! | | | | very well, and these are hugely beneficial. Each Team |
| 4. Appreciation that each Customer is different, each is | | | | Leader can take a tricky situation, and have role-plays |
| important and each is worth all the effort to ensure | | | | to find a better way of handling this. One tricky call |
| they are satisfied. There is no Customer, or Customer | | | | solved each week will really improve any Team. |