Training for Customer Service

Make sure your customer service support staff and management are well- prepared

Making sure your customer care staff is well-trained requires more than just putting the right customer service information in front of them. You must also present the information in such a way that your employees absorb it in the same way you want them to demonstrate it; and you need management to exemplify the same level of dedication to and enthusiasm for customer service that you expect from frontline staff.

Of course, you won't get anywhere without the right source material. Even the best, most well-rounded managers and owners need to depend on other sources of expertise from time to time, so there's no shame in pursuing outside sources of information or even bringing outside experts in to make sure you're offering the best in customer service. Some possible ways of acquiring training for customer service staff and management include:

1. Educating customer support staff with online information;

2. Using outside consultants to improve customer service;

3. Addressing the technical aspects of customer service training.

Make use of online customer service tools and resources

Many customer service experts, including consultants, motivational speakers and authors, offer free online resources to market their services and materials. If using this free information doesn't quite cover your needs, you can also find group training programs online, conducted by established customer service training professionals, at a lower cost than flying in a consultant.

Hire a consultant to analyze and improve your customer care system

Sometimes it takes fresh "outside" eyes to see the obvious flaws in your customer care training and implementation. Hiring the right consultant to handle your customer service training can introduce innovative ideas and a new approach to bring your employees on board.

Get training for the technical aspects of customer service management

There's a human side to customer service and then there's a technical side. While general consultants can help with fine-tuning basic technical issues related to customer service, ensuring the proper use of customer care software and other high-tech tools requires specialized training.

• Be well aware that customer service outsourcing means letting go, to a degree, of outsourced staff's training and management; this is one of the prices you pay in return for lower costs, more flexible hours and potentially higher call volumes.

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