Critical Elements of Superior Customer Service (1-Day)

Audience:

This class is beneficial to everyone, but is of special significance to employees in a customer service role.

Prerequisites:

None

Course Description:

While many companies promise to deliver an incredible customer experience, some are better at delivering than others. This course is designed around six critical elements of customer service that, when the company lives them, bring customers back to experience service that outdoes the competition.

Course Objectives:

This workshop will teach participants to:

• Demonstrate a customer service approach
• Understand how your own behavior affects the behavior of others as a foundation for relationship management
• Demonstrate appropriate communication and listening skills
• Demonstrate confidence and skill as a problem solver
• Apply techniques to deal with difficult people
• Understand how their core values align with the core values of the organization to care for internal and external customers

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Course Overview

The instructor will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

Lesson 2: The First Critical Element - A Customer Service Focus

This session will define customer service and introduce the six elements of customer service which will form the basis of this workshop. Participants will also learn about the first element: a customer service focus.

Lesson 3: Who are Your Customers?

In most organizations and agencies, customers take two forms: internal and external. This session will look at both types of customers, as well as all customers’ basic needs and expectations.

Lesson 4: Company Culture and Core Values

During this session, we will look at setting long- and short-term goals and creating a personal vision.

Lesson 5: The Second Critical Element - Defined in Your Organization

In this session, you will think about what your organization expects of you, and how to ensure that those standards line up with what customers expect.

Lesson 6: The Third Critical Element - Given Life by the Employees

Next, participants will explore why customer service must be a philosophy that is practiced by all employees.

Lesson 7: Communication Skills & Assertiveness

This session will give participants an introduction to key communication skills, including empathy, body language, asking questions, and listening.

Lesson 8: Dealing with Difficult Customers

This session will give participants an opportunity to understand difficult behavior, identify some coping strategies, and discuss the difficult person they find most trying.

Lesson 9: The Fourth Critical Element - Be a Problem-Solver

Next, we will look at a plan designed specifically for solving customer service problems utilizing a six-step process that you can use to turn unhappy customers around.

Lesson 10: The Fifth Crticial Element - Measure It

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The only way to know what’s really going right and wrong is to measure regularly. This session will give participants some ideas for measuring customer service.

Lesson 11: The Sixth Critical Element - Reinforce It

Next, participants will learn some ways to keep a customer service focus strong. We’ll also share some powerful phrases that can help you build a positive image.

Workshop Wrap-Up

At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.