Customer Service Training Is No Longer A Luxury. It's A Necessity
by Nancy Friedman
While the country is experiencing corporate downsizing and layoffs, we highly advise companies not to neglect the staff members they have retained.
Unfortunately, when experiencing the emotional trauma of laying off staff members, companies often forget they still have employees and overlook the value (if not necessity) of customer service training following layoffs. Training employees to be nice can no longer be considered a luxury. Customer service training has always been one of the only competitive advantages that many companies have.
Telephone Doctor® was founded in 1983 because of how rudely I was treated by our insurance agency’s office. “More business is lost due to poor treatment and poor service than poor product. We will pay more for better service.” Our company has been offering customer service and communication skills training ever since. It’s back to the basics. We know it’s not rocket science to treat customers royally; however, everyone seems to have a horror story about one company or another.
As an avid shopper myself, I’ll guarantee that the average consumer can tell if a company is training their employees on customer service or not. The companies that are surviving and growing are treating their customers with kid gloves.
Here is a start regarding the “how to’s” of customer service training:
1. Smile. Yes, customers can hear a smile in an employee’s voice, and they surely can see it.
2. “Please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome” go a long way toward good service.
3. Be a double checker. Let the customer know you’re trying to help.
4. Be prepared to show empathy (or sympathy) when a customer is upset.
5. Remember, some days you are the customer. How do you want to be treated? Learn and live by the golden rule.
Nancy Friedman, Founder/Chairman,
Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, bringing you Zoom programs, and our www.serviceskils.com, a popular boutique, unique online eLearning platform. Nancy is a featured speaker on customer service, communications, and sales. www.nancyfriedman.com or call 314-276-1012.