Customer service
Everyone in an organisation is expected to deliver great customer service. Whether your customers are your traditional external customers, paying for goods and services, or internal colleagues who need your support, you need to provide service to a high degree. And if, as an organisation, you deliver fantastic customer experiences, you create raving customers. Raving customers keep coming back and refer you to others.
Happy internal customers or colleagues are able to do their job with more ease and advocate the business as a great place to work.
This customer service training course builds the emotional intelligence skills that allow participants to create impactful customer experiences. They will define what exceptional customer service in your organisation looks like. They will define the practical actions they can take to create customer interactions that ‘wow’ the customer
Anyone who delivers service to others, inside or outside of the organisation, will benefit from this training course
Full-day training course. Half-day course or shorter workshops available
Training delivered at your offices or in a virtual classroom
training goals are to:
- clarify who the customers are
- understand what creates exceptional customer experiences and why they matter
- identify the ‘moments of truth’ and ways to improve customer experiences
- learn how to respond with emotional intelligence in person, by phone or by email
- take ownership of the customer experience
- know how to diffuse a tense situation and deal with complaints
- handle challenging situations by finding alternative options and solutions
- find common ground and be flexible with a diverse customer base.
Our facilitator for this customer service training course will adapt the content and workshop style to the needs of the group.
introduction and workshop overview
Participants will review the agenda and will discuss their training objectives.
who is the customer?
The group will discuss who their customers are, and they will discuss why they are important. This discussion will look at external and internal customers and stakeholders. Participants will realise that they deliver service internally and that positive experiences are critical.
tuning in
Participants will discuss essential customer service skills such as finding out what the customer needs. They will learn EQ skills such as questioning, listening and observing. They will realise they may have assumptions about why customers behave in a certain way and learn ways to reframe these assumptions.
One of the main take-aways from this customer service training is about keeping an open mind. This is where upskilling in emotional intelligence can lead to better quality interactions and relationships with people, tuning in to perhaps what is not being said and making people feel at ease or assured.
the moments of truth
As a group, the participants will work out the customer lifecycle with your organisation and identify the touchpoints. They will learn how the ‘moments of truth’ are critical. These are the moments where the customer will form an opinion of your team, your brand, product or organisation. Participants will determine the importance of the moments of truth and make practical plans to create powerful customer experiences.
who owns the customer?
An organisation needs to have a customer service strategy where all team members have a shared goal in providing the best customer service experiences. In this session, the group reviews who is responsible for customer interactions and how to ensure customers have a smooth experience.
the wow factor
As the participants consider how they and the organisation can address their customer needs, they will also consider what it would mean to go the extra mile and exceed their customers’ expectations. Forget good customer service, forget excellent customer service – what would legendary customer service look like? The group will discuss what they could do to generate rave reviews or feedback without necessarily costing a lot of time and money.
first impressions
Creating that wow factor often starts with first impressions. In this session the group will brainstorm what creates a customer’s first impression, even if that interaction is over the phone. They will discuss how they can portray a professional attitude through greeting and tone of voice. For staff members who meet their customers in person, they will discuss personal appearance and their surroundings, seeing that this all contributes to a customer’s impression of the organisation.
happy talk, happy customers
Customers will expect to be interacting with staff who are positive and cheerful. It’s not easy to be upbeat all day every day. Therefore, it is a useful EQ skill for customer service team members to have ways of staying positive and maintaining energy. In addition to this, the group will discuss how their language can remain positive. They will come up with responses to flip the negatives to express what they can do and can control and to focus on the good news.
phone and digital conversations
Different ways to communicate with customers present different challenges. Thee participants will discuss the challenges they face and ways of overcoming them with practical tips. They will share how email and phone interactions differ from in-person communication and how to be personable, professional and create positive impressions on the customer no matter what communication method.
dealing with complaints
Inevitably the group will have come across customers who are complaining or are upset. The participants will build their customer skills to handle these situations with EQ. They will learn how to deal with emotional clients assertively and not let their own emotions get in the way of remaining professional. They will put themselves in the customer’s shoes to work out various responses which show respect and empathy. Often these difficult situations are an opportunity to show customers exceptional service and win advocates for the organisation.
dealing with a diverse customer base
We live in a diverse country and customers will reflect that diversity. Sometimes it is not a case that one style fits all. Truly legendary customer service shows sensitivity to customers. The group will learn to use emotional intelligence, for example by altering their normal speed or tone of voice/email or avoiding certain words to make it easier for the customer to understand. Without abandoning the organisation’s brand identity, they can tweak their style to subtly mirror the customer and establish a better connection.
action plan
This training course covers lots of elements of customer service so it is important that all group member compile their own action plan based on their role and where they believe they can go that extra mile. They will then have this personal plan to refer to back at work to exceed their customers’ expectations and be excellent ambassadors for your organisation.
why is emotional intelligence important to delivering legendary customer service?
Emotional intelligence is about being in tune with and managing your own emotions other people’s emotions. What can be more important when you’re interacting with customers?
No customer wants to speak to a grumpy or complaining person delivering service to them. So as a person aiming to deliver legendary customer service, it is essential that participants can project a positive outlook. This means they need to be able to correctly identify the emotions they feel and also control them. This customer service training course will help participants build that emotional awareness and use the awareness to create better customer connections.
It is similarly critical that a customer service person tunes into the emotions of the customer and responds appropriately. Great customer service people respond differently if a customer is sad or disappointed from when they are enthusiastic or happy. At the same time, it is an important customer service skill to deal with angry customers. It takes EQ to de-escalate tension and build confidence with the customer that things will be sorted out.
Finally, it takes emotional intelligence to communicate with impact. That is, to listen well, adapt communication to the style of the customer and to speak assertively and with persuasion. Our unique focus on building emotional intelligence of your customer service people will build the underlying capacity of your organisation to deliver consistent and legendary customer service.
"The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary."
-Sam Walton
Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) - the capability of individuals to recognise and manage their emotions and those of others.
Being aware of the concept of EQ and then developing it is essential for employees, regardless of their role. High EQ is no longer an add-on but a ‘must-have.’
read more about customer service
Customer Service Skills Training Courses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth & Australia Wide
why is customer service training so important?
In today’s world, trust is the most important thing you can cultivate with your customers. This is an asset you can’t buy or rush; instead, you have to build trust with each interaction by satisfying customer expectations and providing consistent, effective customer service skills training.
While your offerings are still important as a selling feature, what really sets organisations apart and convinces customers is their actions. Your employees are the face of your organisation; every interaction they have with clients or members of the public represents you and will influence their view of you. Most importantly, your team’s customer service skills training influence whether a person will buy from you, both now and in the future.
The organisations that invest in improving customer relations and in customer service courses Melbourne typically do so with three goals in mind:
- Improve customer retention rate
- Improve overall customer satisfaction
- Cross-sell and up-sell customers on products/services
Whatever your intention is, customer service training courses can help improve those soft skills that are so crucial to provide exceptional customer service course Sydney and deal with difficult customers. A training session with us, designed for staff at any level, will serve as the foundation for excellent customer service and allow your team to connect with clients to create a positive experience.
Take your service to the next level and book your customer service training course today! Simply fill in the form below and receive an instant quote!
the power of a great customer experience
After a single exceptional customer service interaction, customers are 77% more likely to recommend products or services to a friend; 93% of customers will give repeat business to organisations that consistently deliver excellent customer service. Additionally, a great experience can cover for any mistakes or make it easier when dealing with difficult customers.
the cost of bad customer service
While good customer service creates trust and loyalty, bad customer service can have a devastating effect on organisations. After just one bad interaction with your team, around half of your customers will conduct their business elsewhere; this number jumps up to 80% after more than one negative experience.
Not only does ineffective service lose you a client, but it also means that you’re losing out on all the prospective business they would bring through recommendations. More people will share a negative experience of customer service training than a positive one, meaning that you may soon gain a reputation that prevents potential stakeholders from engaging with your organisation.
the power of customer feedback
Building a relationship with customers and taking their feedback on board is absolutely essential, both to improve your performance and deliver what customers are actually looking for as well as showing them that you value what they have to say.
Being able to ask and adapt to feedback is a crucial skill that will allow both your organisation and your staff to grow.
the future of customer service
Even though many customer service processes are now automated, you want to make sure that your customer service team and other staff are equipped with the customer service skills training and customer service techniques that allow them to effectively handle any situation that comes their way. Simple service or product knowledge isn’t enough; your staff must work together to create an environment that provides customers with value and easy answers to their questions or concerns.
Everything your team members do when interacting with clients — what they say, the way they say it, and their body language — communicates a message about your organisation. We’re here to help you make sure it’s the right one. Coaching from EQ professionals such as ourselves will allow your team to provide stellar service every time.
Ready to increase satisfaction? Simply leave your name, email address and other details below and get an instant quote for your customer service training course today!