Customer Service Excellence course

1-day session

“96% Of unhappy Customers never complain — they simply leave and never return !” 

Why the need for this training ?

In a recent international report, SA’s customer service levels were measured as being one of the lowest internationally. We still struggle to grasp the concepts of customer service basics. 

The employees in your company are your most valuable assets. They keep the company running, help generate revenue, keep your customers satisfied and not only contain the intellectual property of the company, but also hold the keys to your future success. Some of the leading Fortune 500 companies understand the importance of investing in their employees. Not only is it important for a business to improve the effectiveness of its staff, as human beings we are all striving to improve our overall quality of life by working and living better rather than harder. By improving our skills in managing time, improving organisation and communication we are enriching our quality of life on all spheres.

Let us explain. 
Companies tend to focus on product before they focus on process and or people, forgetting that each of these components adds direct value to the company’s bottom line. Did you know that 96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain, they simply go elsewhere. Handled correctly, only 50% of the remaining 4% complaining customers will return. It costs a company 95% more to win new customers, than it does to retain existing customers. The only way to retain existing customers is to provide a service that exceeds expectations. 

Here’s the crux. 
Many companies will train their frontline staff in the basics such as: How to operate the till / telephone / sales processes etc. So functionally, the staff excel in their environment. But it is assumed that the staff knows the basic skills required in delivering excellent service. The skills required to provide excellent customer service needs to be taught, and does not necessarily form part of a person’s characteristics. In South Africa we have the added difference of dealing with many cultures in our work force. However, customer service is not different from one culture to the next. It is measured on internationally accepted standards and should not be influenced by culture. The different cultures also makes it even more important to ensure that customer service training is provided that will ensure that all service delivery is based on internationally accepted standards. 

Many South African organisation's customer service is not related to business processes, but to the soft skills such as business etiquette, customer care and service attitude. Therefore, these companies still has a huge challenge to continuously raise the levels of its service standards to equal or even exceed world class benchmarks. Service quality is not only crucial to the individual businesses, but is directly related to the success of our economy. As products are widely available in our global markets, and customers are spoilt for choice, service excellence in ensuring the securing and retaining of customers becomes the driving force to the success of any organisation.

Who should attend ?
This workshop is for anybody representing your brand name through dealing with your customers, such as:

• Frontline staff who deals with clients telephonically or face-to-face
• Receptionists or switchboard operators who are the first point of contact for customers
• Back office or support staff who interact with customers in writing, telephonically or in person
• Sales staff expected to build relationships with customers
• Personal assistants or secretaries who are the first point of contact between customers and the organisation
• Customer Service Managers, Supervisors and Process Owners
• Refresher for in-house organisational training entities

Course Outline

• Introduction and Course Overview - Acquaint yourself with fellow participants and gain an understanding of what will take place during the workshop. Identify personal learning objectives. Receive a training manual that will also function as the notebook throughout the day.
• What is Customer Service? - Analyse and think about the importance of customer service to the organisation and the individual. Identify  expectations from the employee in delivering Customer Service.
• Expectation Management - Analyse and focus on the expectations of the customer and the importance of realistic management thereof.
• Professionalism and presentation - Analyse and focus on the impression you make on a customer and the impact that it can have on the business. It teaches the fundamentals of presentation.
• Communication - Analyse and focus on communication barriers and how we can overcome them. It will address ways on how to communicate more effectively through addressing telephone skills, verbal- and e-mail etiquette. Feedback and the importance of communication are also discussed.
• Managing the difficult customer - Providing principles to follow when dealing with the difficult customer and will include an interactive group session where common problems are identified and practical solutions sought for them.
• The role of Management in Customer Service - Analyse the impact which management has on Customer service in the organisation and provide guidelines as to effective management to empower the staff to perform at their best.
• Continuous Improvement - Analyse and focus on the importance of identifying the level of customer satisfaction, problem management and identification of continuous improvement and change in the customer service process.
• Wrap up - Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss and ask questions to complete an individual action plan. Each student will receive a certificate of completion for the workshop.

Outcome

• Understand what customer service is and the importance of customer excellence to the organisation and the individual
• Understand the qualities and values required to create an excellence in customer service
• Are able to handle challenging situations with more confidence
• Understand the importance of professional and effective communication in attracting and retaining customers
• Defusing conflict situations with tact
• Represent your company with pride and self-assurance
• Play a vital role in delivering excellent customer service for your organisation and be able to assist management in a continuous customer service improvement process