Since customer service tactics can have a direct impact on sales and profits, it is more important than ever to get proper customer service education to your employees. Don't let the pricing and costs of customer service education and training in the traditional sense deter you from your goals.

It is essential that your employees have the skills to provide customers with the best experience at your business. This will allow your business to have an edge over the competition. When evaluating the pricing and costs of customer service education and training programs, consider the following:

1. Make sure the customer service training program has key elements that will make it worth your money; these include listening skills, conflict resolution and stress management.

2. Think about giving one key employee in-depth customer service training, who can then develop a customized training program for subsequent hires.

3. Review cross-training options that are relevant to your business, such as implementing sales or technology skills in the customer service education.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Save money with online customer service training

E-learning has many benefits besides the low-cost, which can cost between $30 and $80 per employee. Online training can be done at the pace of each employee, whenever their schedule accommodates it, and are sometimes even taught by live instructors.

I recommend: RemoteCourse, a service of Webucator, offers an online customer service 23-hour learning series including various subtopics. Subscribe to an online course from UniversalClass for a six month period of time so employees can finish at their own pace.

Try customer service training software

Customer relationship management software has the same scheduling benefits of online learning, but also includes special features like worksheets, quizzes, printable notes and interactive graphics. The cost of software training can start as low as $80 per disc for general customer service training software and go up to $1,000 for highly specialized training.

I recommend: Try a free demo of CRM software by eSales Track or Soft Skills Courseware.

Offer traditional customer service training classes

Customer service classes led by actual instructors or consultants will provide the most up-to-date industry-specific training an employee can get. These classes provide materials and valuable training techniques like role-playing, but will cost between $500 and $1,500 per employee.

I recommend: Find classes and seminars offered in nationwide cities by Bakers Communications. Get onsite customer service training from Onsite Training Solutions.

Buy customer service training materials

A low-cost solution for customer relationship training is buying materials to keep on hand at the business to use over and over again for new employees. Spend as little as $100 or as much as $1,000 for customer service training videos, workbooks and audiotapes, but beware that these materials get out-dated quickly, so reinvestment may be needed every couple years.

I recommend: Order customer service training books from Walk The Talk or training DVDs and videos from Telephone Doctor.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask for input from your employees about customer service employee training and education; any money spent on training is a waste if it is not valuable. You can incorporate good suggestions to enhance your customer service training program, or eliminate sections that do not work for your employees.

It's no secret that you need customers in order to grow your company. Without them, all you have is a good idea. But attracting customers is only part of the equation. You have to figure out how to build loyalty and create an experience that makes them want to continue doing business with you. That means developing a winning customer service strategy. The basis of such a strategy should answer these fundamental questions:

1. How do you expect to be treated as a customer?
2. What will the total experience feel like when customers come to you?
3. How do your actions, attitudes and behaviors reflect your customer service philosophy?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train your employees

Emphasize the importance of customer service to all employees, beginning with the interview process and continuing throughout their employment tenure. Send employees to customer service training programs and seminars.

I recommend: Sign up for an American Management Association customer service training seminar, offered in major metropolitan areas. Discover customer service training programs from the Richardson Company.

Hire service-minded employees

Keep customer service in mind during the hiring process and consider if candidates can meet your standards of service. Once employees are on board, keep them focused on customer service.

I recommend: PsychTest.com offers a free Customer Service Job Fit Test to help employees evaluate their own customer service skills.

Thank customers early and often

When customers make a major purchase or when they make an inquiry about your products or services, follow up with a sincere thank you. A handwritten thank you note or an email can do wonders to create goodwill with customers.

I recommend: Purchase professional thank you cards online from CardsDirect or NISA Business Greeting Cards. Make thank you emails look more professional with email stationery templates from ConstantContact.com.

Respond quickly to customer comments and complaints

When potential customers call or email with inquiries about your products or services, a fast response is a must. Late responses can irritate customers and prompt them to go to your competitors for their needs. Likewise, when existing customers contact you with a problem or a return, respond rapidly.

I recommend: Contact management software, such as ACT! can issue reminders to ensure that you contact customers in a timely fashion. To make vast improvements in customer communications, consider a full-fledged customer relationship management (CRM) solution, such as Entellium's eSalesForce, a Web-based program that's designed specifically for small businesses.

Emphasize phone courtesy

The way you and your employees interact with customers on the phone can cement your relationship or sever it permanently. Good phone techniques include answering the phone with the name of your business, the employee's name and a simple 'How may I help you?'

I recommend: Improve phone skills with ServiceSkills.com's online Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training program.

Encourage customer feedback

Make customers feel important by asking for their input. Survey customers about your products, services and customer service.

I recommend: QuestionPro offers a Customer Satisfaction Survey template and a sample Customer Satisfaction Report, and for a fee will conduct your surveys for you.

Recognize customer service

Motivate employees by offering awards and recognition when they provide top-notch customer service.

I recommend: Consider the employee recognition programs offered by the Awards Network or Successories.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Establish customer-friendly policies, such as money-back guarantees.
• •  Keep customers impressed by offering unexpected extras, such as free samples or free shipping.
• •  Greet each and every customer who comes into your store. On the Web, welcome registered customers with a personalized message.

Customer service is the level of assistance and courtesy given to customers of a business establishment. The quality of customer service is so important, it can actually make or break a business. Poor customer service can cost a business thousands of dollars in the end by losing out on customers and referrals, but too much service can leave employees dismayed and unmotivated.

It is critical that businesses find a delicate balance between happy customers and satisfied employees, which makes customer service training essential. Discover all customer service education options and understand these customer service education and training basics:

1. Teach employees stress management in a customer service training program, which will translate into good service practices.

2. Provide customer service employee training and education that practices conflict resolution, so employees are prepared for any situation.

3. Be sure the selected customer service classes that include listening training, which is a skill that can be learned.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find expert customer relationship training

Hiring a customer service consultant will give employees a well-rounded educational experience. Consultants are experts in the area with many years of experience under their belts, and training will be done on-site with valuable techniques like role-playing and one-on-one feedback.

I recommend: Hire a highly experienced consultant to give customized training in your office from Porter and Porter or TLS Management Consulting.

Send employees to customer service workshops and seminars

Customer service seminars can be very valuable learning tools, offering many of the same features a consultant does, such as role-playing and feedback. Workshops and seminars are usually for larger audiences, and may offer less industry-specific and more generalized training.

I recommend: Send employees to award-winning, 2-day customer service seminars provided by American Management Association, or one provided in many nationwide locations by AchieveGlobal.

Don't overlook online customer service training

Online training using customer service training software includes videos, interactive content, informative graphics and online quizzes. Online learning allows the employees to learn at their own pace with the ease of doing it in their free time, or during down time at the business.

I recommend: Try a free online demo course provided by MindLeaders before committing to buy. Try a highly interactive course from Serebra Learning Corporation.

Offer on-site customer service training classes

Require that new employees successfully complete a training course provided by someone in a managerial position using resources, such as customer service training videos and materials. This may be especially helpful for a business that is rapidly growing or has a high turn-over.

I recommend: Some tools that are useful for managers training employees in customer service are training videos from Media Partners. Find free materials, like worksheets and quizzes, from Belding Skills Training & Development.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep up employee moral by always asking for their input and evaluation of the customer service training program.

When it comes to customer service education and training, key terms can help you understand the purpose of the instructor. For example, a class focused on conflict management or resolution may not cover topics such as CRM software. Before you look for education or training, you might want to consider whether you need help determining a customer service strategy or whether you should focus on phone courtesy. In order to determine the best educational opportunity for yourself or your staff, take a moment to become familiar with customer service education and training key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Customer service strategy

A customer service strategy prioritizes the areas and aspects of an organization that require improvement in order to enhance customer service. A customer service strategy can help you define your target audience or plan evaluations to determine the affect of your strategy.

I recommend: Cambridge Consulting offers an overview of its course for developing a customer service strategy and highlights the role of strategy in customer service.

Customer service survey

Many education and training opportunities help you learn to use tools to measure customer satisfaction, which can be an indication of how your customer service works. One of the most common measurement tools is the customer service survey.

I recommend: Grapevine Surveys highlights the benefits of using a customer service survey and features software that allows you to customize your survey to get the best results for your industry.

CRM software

CRM software focuses on providing business owners with the tools needed for customer relationship management. CRM software may provide you with features such as customer satisfaction surveys, phone call logs or quality-assurance products to ensure your staffers are implementing the appropriate level of customer service.

I recommend: Tech-FAQ explains the strategy behind CRM software and explains why CRM is more than just a software program.

Conflict management, conflict resolution

A large part of customer service is being able to handle conflict. Education and training for conflict management or resolution focus on preparing you or your staff to remain calm when your customers aren't.

I recommend: Authenticity Consulting covers the fundamentals of conflict resolution and clarifies some of the confusion surrounding conflict.

Phone courtesy

When your business relies on the use of telephones, as most businesses do, you may need to focus on training your staff in proper telephone etiquette, also called phone courtesy. Phone courtesy is a way to exhibit customer service before your customers set foot in your store or business. It includes elements such as greeting your clients in a friendly manner, knowing how to handle multiple phone calls at once and understanding the company's preferred method to take messages or transfer calls.

I recommend: Kantola Productions offers a video series on telephone courtesy.

Stress management

Stress-management training focuses on teaching employees how to handle the stress involved with their jobs. In some cases, cranky customers may cause stress, but other outside influences, such as financial or family trouble, can elevate stress. Employees who can handle stress make better customer service representatives, which is why stress management can be an important element of your customer service training.

I recommend: Donna Earl & Co provides tips for managing stress related to customer service.