Training for Training for Customer Service and Customer Service and

Team BuildingTeam Building

Written by : Mostafa Ewees (PhD)Written by : Mostafa Ewees (PhD)

Stanford, GUCStanford, GUC

Oxford English Academy –Egypt Oxford English Academy –Egypt

Importance of Training for Importance of Training for Customer ServiceCustomer Service

Customer Perceptions Customer Perceptions To the Customer you ARE the companyTo the Customer you ARE the company

Organizations with Happy Customers are Organizations with Happy Customers are more successfulmore successful Financial BenefitsFinancial Benefits Happy Customers come backHappy Customers come back Happy Customers tell their friendsHappy Customers tell their friends

Providing good Customer Service doesn’t Providing good Customer Service doesn’t come naturally to everyone.come naturally to everyone.

How do customers evaluate service How do customers evaluate service Quality?Quality?

RR

A A

TT

EE

RR

Reliability – Reliability – Deliver on Promises with dependability & Deliver on Promises with dependability & accuracyaccuracy

Assurance - Assurance - Knowledge, courtesy, ability to convey trust, Knowledge, courtesy, ability to convey trust, competence and confidencecompetence and confidence

Tangibles - Tangibles - Facilities appearance, comfort, look and feel of Facilities appearance, comfort, look and feel of Marketing materials, etc.Marketing materials, etc.

Empathetic - Empathetic - Degree of caring and individual attention the Degree of caring and individual attention the customer receivescustomer receives

Responsive - Responsive - Willingness to help promptly – without Willingness to help promptly – without distractiondistraction

Reliability - The Service PromiseReliability - The Service Promise

Organizational commitments Organizational commitments Promises made via advertising, marketing, policies, Promises made via advertising, marketing, policies,

contracts, etc.contracts, etc. Common ExpectationsCommon Expectations

Customer expectations are often based on Customer expectations are often based on assumptions and past experienceassumptions and past experience

Personal PromisesPersonal Promises Agent to customer promisesAgent to customer promises

Often the challenge is to reshape customer expectations. Often the challenge is to reshape customer expectations. Are you training your folks how to do this?Are you training your folks how to do this?

Assurance & TangiblesAssurance & Tangibles

Assurance FactorAssurance Factor Product Knowledge & Company KnowledgeProduct Knowledge & Company Knowledge Listening Skills – Active listening skillsListening Skills – Active listening skills Communications Skills - includes verbal and written Communications Skills - includes verbal and written

(in-person, phone, and email service)(in-person, phone, and email service) Problem-Solving SkillsProblem-Solving Skills

TangiblesTangibles Take pride in your environment, yourself, your Take pride in your environment, yourself, your

workspace and any forward-facing delivery workspace and any forward-facing delivery mechanisms (online and marketing materials too!)mechanisms (online and marketing materials too!)

Empathy & ResponsivenessEmpathy & Responsiveness

EmpathyEmpathy Recognize the Emotional State of the Customer; Recognize the Emotional State of the Customer;

validate their feelingsvalidate their feelings Treat each person as an individualTreat each person as an individual

ResponsivenessResponsiveness Respond quicklyRespond quickly Set Expectations – deliver on those expectationsSet Expectations – deliver on those expectations

Research shows that the most frustrating part of waiting Research shows that the most frustrating part of waiting is is not knowing how long the wait will be.not knowing how long the wait will be.

Training for Customer ServiceTraining for Customer Service

Train for Active Listening, Questioning, Train for Active Listening, Questioning, etc.etc.

Use Case Studies to open discussionsUse Case Studies to open discussions Group ActivitiesGroup Activities

Role Playing, scavenger hunts.Role Playing, scavenger hunts. FISH! Philosophy FISH! Philosophy

Active ListeningActive Listening

Pay attention to Pay attention to ContentContent & & IntentIntent Ask great questionsAsk great questions

Use activities that hone questioning skillsUse activities that hone questioning skills• See See the big book of customer service training gamesthe big book of customer service training games

Tips: Tips: Tune in to the other personTune in to the other person Limit distractionsLimit distractions Don’t jump to conclusionsDon’t jump to conclusions Take notes and reflect information backTake notes and reflect information back Be prepared – use a Question Map/FlowchartBe prepared – use a Question Map/Flowchart Turn off your own worriesTurn off your own worries

Responsibility of LeadershipResponsibility of Leadership

The following quote from The following quote from The Leadership The Leadership ChallengeChallenge, outlines the responsibility of , outlines the responsibility of leadership in Customer Service Deliveryleadership in Customer Service Delivery

Lindsay Levin took over the reigns of her family Lindsay Levin took over the reigns of her family automotive business, Whites Limited, at only 29 automotive business, Whites Limited, at only 29 years old. She talks about what she knows years old. She talks about what she knows about enabling her folks to provide great about enabling her folks to provide great customer service.customer service.

ResourcesResourcesAnderson, Kristin & Zemke, Ron. Anderson, Kristin & Zemke, Ron. Delivering Knock Your Socks off ServiceDelivering Knock Your Socks off Service. .

United States of America: AMACOM, 1998.United States of America: AMACOM, 1998.

Carlaw, Peggy & Deming, Vasudha Kathleen. Carlaw, Peggy & Deming, Vasudha Kathleen. The big book of customer service The big book of customer service training gamestraining games. United States of America:McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., . United States of America:McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1999.1999.

Friedman, Nancy a.k.a “The Telephone Dr.”Friedman, Nancy a.k.a “The Telephone Dr.”http://www.telephonedoctor.com/

The Berkshire Leadership Group – Steven Green presentingThe Berkshire Leadership Group – Steven Green presentingDelivering Exceptional Customer ServiceDelivering Exceptional Customer Service

Weisler, Kirk. Weisler, Kirk. Teambuilding Made EasyTeambuilding Made Easy. SupportWorld Magazine. Also . SupportWorld Magazine. Also available at: available at: www.kirkweisler.com

Questions?Questions?

Dina FoudaDina Foudadsfouda@hotmail.comdsfouda@hotmail.com