Customer Service Skills and Excellence

It's not just you. It's a fact. Customers are more demanding today than ever before!

Complaints to Better Business Bureaus and state regulatory agencies are at an all time high, and growing! The words "may I speak to your supervisor?" are heard with increased regularity, urgency and intensity. Statistically, a dissatisfied customer will tell (on average) 12 people about their negative service experience and 91% will stop doing business with the company altogether.

Unfortunately for many organizations in today's highly competitive business environment, superior products and new technology, even though necessary, are no longer the only critical core differentiators. Study after study indicates that World Class Customer Service will provide the most valued differentiator between your organization and the competition. Rather than just responding to the customer's request or demand, the most effective customer service professionals strategically gain control of the inquiry(remember it is not just telephone calls anymore), accurately predict the customer's position and proactively provide the desired results in advance. This approach requires moving from the more traditional reactive customer service mode to a proactive diagnosing and problem solving strategy.

This full day highly interactive workshop will focus on the essential skills that create and support World Class Customer Service. This session is valuable for anyone involved with customer service (both new and experienced representatives) and all levels of supervisors, managers or team leaders.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand and agree on what is World Class Customer Service
  • Learn how to maintain a positive demeanor focused on owning the problem and solving it effectively
  • Master the ability to consistently create a positive first impression
  • Learn how to communicate at a level that can be understood (communicate at the level of the receiver not the sender)
  • Understand the transactional styles of different people and the need to adapt accordingly (dispel the myth of treating everyone the same or the way we would like to be treated)
  • Master the core communication skills of active listening and effective questioning while showing empathy and understanding
  • Learn how to effectively diagnose the "real" issues and needs before taking action
  • Learn how to resolve conflicts and manage customer expectations while negotiating positive outcomes and deadlines
  • Understand the need and learn how to deliver "bad or negative news" early in a proactive manner.