1. Customer service

2. Communicate effectively with customers Create a positive impression
OBJECTIVE
Communicate effectively with customers
Create a positive impression
Develop and maintain customer service standards
Plan good customer service

3. Definition of a customer Internal/external customers
Who are Customers?
Definition of a customer
Internal/external customers
Customers are people who need your assistance. They are not an interruption to your job, they are the reason you have a job..

4. Communicating Effectively with customers
Definition:
What describes GOOD service and BAD service?
Good customer service is taking that extra step to help without being asked! It’s all about attitude and skills.

5. 15 Most-Needed Customer Service Skills
1. Patience
Not only is patience important to customers, who often reach out for support when they are confused & frustrated, but its also important to the business at large. Great Service beats fast service every time.
2. Attentiveness
It is important to pay attention to individual customer interaction but it is also important to be mindful & attentive to the feedback you receive at large.
3. Clear Communication Skills
When it comes to important points that you need to relay clearly to customers, keep it simple & leave nothing to doubt.
4. Knowledge of your Business
Without knowing your business from front-to-back, you won’t know how to help customers when they run into problems.
5. Ability to Use “Positive Language”
Your Ability to make minor changes in your conversational patterns can go a long way in creating happy customers

6. Customer Service Skills That Matter, cont:
6. Acting Skills
The basic acting skills necessary to maintain your usual cheery persona in spite of dealing with people who may be just plain grumpy.
7. Time Management Skills
If you don’t know the solution to a problem the best kind of customer service is to get a customer to someone who does.
8. Ability to “Read” Customers
Look and Listen for subtle clues about their current mood, patience level, personality, etc., & you’ll go far in keeping your customer interactions positive.
9. A Calming Presence
The best customer service reps know that they cannot let a heated customer force them to lose their cool; in fact it is their job to try to be the “rock” for a customer who thinks the world is falling down due to their current problem.
10. Goal Oriented Focus
Business goals + customer happiness can work hand-in-hand without resulting in poor service.

7. Customer Service Skills that Matter: cont.
11. Ability to Handle Surprises
It’s best to be able to think on your feet, but it’s even better to create guidelines for yourself in these sorts of situations.
12. Persuasion Skills
You need to have some mastery of persuasion so that you can convince customers that you have the best service.
13. Tenacity
A great work ethic & a willingness to do what needs to be done (& not take shortcuts) is a key skill when providing the kind of service that people talk about.
14. Closing Ability
Being able to end the conversation with confirmed satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) & with the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be).
15. Willingness to Learn
Those who don’t seek to improve what they do will get left behind by the people willing to invest in their skills.

8. Attitude Checklist Know about your organization
Learn the technical parts of the job
Communicate well
Be consistent
Be organized

9. Using Your Voice
Do you
Become loud when angry or upset
Speak faster when nervous
Speak slowly when tired or bored
Have a cheerful voice
My tone of voice is warm and understanding
Find it easy to talk to people you don’t know
Control your tone in most situations
Sound bossy, weak or unsure
Have a clear and easy-to-hear voice
Speak in a very formal or very trendy manner?
Think about how you might modify your voice in certain situations

10. Greeting Customers
The purpose is to create and maintain a welcoming environment - how can we achieve this?
Be attentive, acknowledge a person as soon as they appear, even if you’re busy
SMILE!
Establish eye contact
Tell them your name
Ask how you can help
Give the customer your full attention
Be polite and courteous……………

11. The Communication Equation
What you hear
Tone of voice % of the message
Vocal clarity
Verbal expressiveness
What you see or feel WORDS…… ONLY 10% of the message
Facial expression
Dress and grooming
Posture/ Body Language
Eye contact
Touch
Gesture % of the message

12. Effective Communication Skills
Eye contact & visible mouth
Body language
Some questions
Encouragement silence
Checking for understanding what has been said Smiling face
Effective
Communication skills

13. Barriers to effective communications
Language Noise Time Distractions Other people Put downs Too many Lack of interest Questions Distance Disability Discomfort
Barriers to
effective communication

14. How to Listen =Attending Skills ( being ready)
Active listening = Attending skills (being ready)
Attend to immediate needs (if you need to finish something before giving your full attention)
Being available
Eye contact
Attentive posture
Concentration

15. Telephone Skills Know how to use the phones Speak clearly and slowly
Smile (you can hear it in your voice!)
State your name and organization
Write down the caller’s name and use it
Don’t say rude things while someone’s on hold
If they’re explaining something use words to show you’re listening (umm, yes …)
Have pad and pencil ready to take notes or messages (check spelling and message content)
Don’t eat or drink while on the phone

16. A Positive Organisational Image
First impressions count and will affect the interaction. People make judgments in the first 30 seconds.
Golden Rule – You only have one chance to make a first impression

17. Dealing with Difficult Behavior
Label the behavior, not the customer
Listen
Don’t get defensive
Don’t take it personally
Find out what the customer wants
Discuss alternatives
Take responsibility for what you CAN do
Agree on action

18. What to Avoid Saying ‘I don’t know’ without offering an option
Saying you don’t know where a colleague is or saying they’re at lunch/ toilet/ gone for coffee etc.
Leaving people on hold for a long time
Ignoring people if you’re busy
Treating people unequally

19. The Talkative Customer
Ask closed questions
Limit the time available for them to interrupt (don’t have long pauses)
Provide minimal response
Smile and be pleasant, but don’t encourage them
Wind up – thank them for coming, walk them to the door but don’t be rude or dismissive

20. The Angry Customer
Listen carefully without interrupting so you understand the problem
Empathize in a broad way
Stay calm and remain polite
Don’t escalate the problem
Don’t take it personally, be defensive or blame others
Propose an action plan and follow it
Seek support if you are scared, if you can’t agree on a solution or if the customer asks to see “whoever’s in charge”

21. The ‘know it all’ Customer
Acknowledge what they say
Compliment them on their research
Be generous with praise
Don’t put them in their place no matter how tempting
Don’t try to be smart – you can’t win!
Ask them questions and use them to improve your knowledge

22. Workshop Objectives Our Objectives were to learn how to
Communicate effectively with customers
Create a positive impression
Develop and maintain customer service standards
Plan good customer service

23. Finish thank you
Any questions