Customer Service and Team Building Mrs. Flowers Finance & Business Technology

 The Importance of Training for Customer Service  How do Customers Evaluate Service Quality?  Customer Service Training ideas  The Importance of Team Building  Easy Team Building Ideas Plan of Attack

Importance of Training for Customer Service  Customer Perceptions To the Customer you ARE the company To the Customer you ARE the company  Organizations with Happy Customers are more successful Financial Benefits Financial Benefits Happy Customers come back Happy Customers come back Happy Customers tell their friends Happy Customers tell their friends  Providing good Customer Service doesn’t come naturally to everyone.

What skills are needed?  Friendliness  Helpfulness  Effective use of body language  Good product knowledge  Listening skills  Courtesy  Effective complaint handling skills

Methods of Delivering Service Customer service can be delivered through three main methods:  Written (letters, faxes, s)  Face-to-face  Telephone

How do customers evaluate service Quality? RATER Reliability – Deliver on Promises with dependability & accuracy Assurance - Knowledge, courtesy, ability to convey trust, competence and confidence Tangibles - Facilities appearance, comfort, look and feel of Marketing materials, etc. Empathetic - Degree of caring and individual attention the customer receives Responsive - Willingness to help promptly – without distraction

Reliability - The Service Promise  Organizational commitments Promises made via advertising, marketing, policies, contracts, etc. Promises made via advertising, marketing, policies, contracts, etc.  Common Expectations Customer expectations are often based on assumptions and past experience Customer expectations are often based on assumptions and past experience  Personal Promises Agent to customer promises Agent to customer promises

Assurance & Tangibles  Assurance Factor Product Knowledge & Company Knowledge Product Knowledge & Company Knowledge Listening Skills – Active listening skills Listening Skills – Active listening skills Communications Skills - includes verbal and written (in-person, phone, and service) Communications Skills - includes verbal and written (in-person, phone, and service) Problem-Solving Skills Problem-Solving Skills  Tangibles Take pride in your environment, yourself, your workspace and any forward-facing delivery mechanisms (online and marketing materials too!) Take pride in your environment, yourself, your workspace and any forward-facing delivery mechanisms (online and marketing materials too!)

Empathy & Responsiveness  Empathy Recognize the Emotional State of the Customer; validate their feelings Recognize the Emotional State of the Customer; validate their feelings Treat each person as an individual Treat each person as an individual  Responsiveness Respond quickly Respond quickly Set Expectations – deliver on those expectations Set Expectations – deliver on those expectations Research shows that the most frustrating part of waiting is not knowing how long the wait will be.

Training for Customer Service  Train for Active Listening, Questioning, etc.  Use Case Studies to open discussions  Group Activities Role Playing, scavenger hunts. Role Playing, scavenger hunts.

5 Forbidden Phrases Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor Forbidden Phrase... Replacement...  I don’t know... “Good Question, let me look into that for you.“ “Good Question, let me look into that for you.“  We can’t... “That’s a tough one, let’s see what we can do” (find an alternative) “That’s a tough one, let’s see what we can do” (find an alternative)  You’ll have to... ”Here’s how we can help you with that.” ”Here’s how we can help you with that.”  Hang on a second, I’ll be right back... “I’ll need to ask an associate to be sure, are you able to wait while I check into it?” “I’ll need to ask an associate to be sure, are you able to wait while I check into it?”  No... Find a positive alternative. “We are all out of stock, but we can give you rain check or a similar product at the same price.”

Active Listening  Pay attention to Content & Intent  Ask great questions Use activities that hone questioning skills Use activities that hone questioning skills Use OPEN ended questions!!! Not CLOSED. Use OPEN ended questions!!! Not CLOSED.  Tips: Tune in to the other person Tune in to the other person Limit distractions Limit distractions Don’t jump to conclusions Don’t jump to conclusions Take notes and reflect information back Take notes and reflect information back Be prepared – use a Question Map/Flowchart Be prepared – use a Question Map/Flowchart Turn off your own worries Turn off your own worries

Teambuilding ideas  Use Icebreakers & Introductions – be creative 3 Truths & 1 lie 3 Truths & 1 lie Helps people learn about each other in a fun way Helps people learn about each other in a fun way  Doodles Helps open up discussions Helps open up discussions facilitates getting to know each other facilitates getting to know each other  Scavenger Hunts  Building activities – balloon sculptures, coffee cups towers, airplanes, etc.

Ice Breakers  Icebreakers are structured activities that are designed to relax learners, introduce them to each other, and energize them in what is normally an unduly formal atmosphere or situation

Example of an Icebreaker  Finish the Sentence  Go around the room and have each person complete one of these sentences (or something similar): The best job I ever had was... The worst project I ever worked on was... The riskiest thing I ever did was...

Create an Icebreaker  Get into groups of 3 to 4  Create an ice breaker for your company  You are making introductions for all new employees  Demonstrate to class  BE CREATIVE!