The fact is that there is an abundance of poor-to-mediocre customer service training out there that companies opt for because it can save many thousands of dollars in the initial investment.?? The problem is, of course, is that the money they do spend ends up going out the window.?? It's like throwing a glass of water against a forest-fire.?? What should you be wary of in choosing a customer service program??? Here are five things:
Do-it-yourself approaches:?? Sure, anything you do yourself will have a cheaper price-tag, but unless you're a certified instructional designer with a great deal of expertise in customer service training, it is unlikely your program will make a significant difference to your business.
Self-directed approaches:?? There are tons of self-directed programs out there - workbooks, videos, web-based programs - but they rely heavily on the participants already being engaged and excited about the process.?? At best, only about 20%??of participants will retain anything of value.?? (Having said this, self-directed programs can have great value as part of an overall, integrated customer service training program)
Off-the-shelf programs:?? Set, standard programs that rely on participants making the leap from general theory to application in your industry are only marginally effective, and are often painful to sit through.
Programs from general sources:?? Customer service training is a very popular topic these days, and there are a lot of training companies (and colleges, etc)??with different areas of expertise??who are jumping on the bandwagon with programs of their own.?? Their trainers might be training <em>Excel Spreadsheets 101</em> one day, and <em>Customer Service 101</em> the next.?? There is no way they can possibly be as effective as training coming from a company that??lives, eats and breaths customer service.
One-dimensional programs:?? A training workshop, no matter how good, will not have the impact you are looking for unless there are components in place to support it and transfer the learning into new behaviors in a live environment. This should include corresponding management training, blended learning, follow-up modules, etc. ??Your training should also be supported with a performance measurement program, coaching and a??reward and recognition program
Effective training should have a significant and??measurable effect in the workplace.?? Sometimes, in very transactional industries (like retail), you can actually measure the direct??impact of training on sales - then you will really know how good??the training??is.????Another option is to measure using mystery shopping or a similar approach. In other??industries,??you may have to use a more subjective, anecdotal measurement.?? It's a little less concrete,??but it's really not hard to tell when employees have become engaged.?? You can see them use the skills, hear them talking about and referring to the training for weeks afterward.
Yes, you might get lucky with a bare-bones customer service training program.?? But the question I always ask is, why take the chance?
Creating great customer service in any company begins with management, no matter what the business is. The reason why is simple-Control for the company lies in management's hands. They control how the company runs and the image they wish to produce, all focusing on customer satisfaction to ensure profit goals are met. Managers are in a position to show, teach and model how the customer service is played out. A quality management training program and, in particular, customer service management training, are the preliminary steps toward ensuring all company employees provide ongoing service that keeps customers returning and profits increasing.
By Burton Greene
I'm a customer service expert with over 10 years experience in the public and private sectors
Retail Customer Service Training, The Benefits of Customer Service Training, The Benefits of Customer Service Training
