Your Best Affordable Online Customer Service Training

At the "Customer Service" tab I point out how important it is for companies to invest in developing the customer service skills of their employees. But how does a company without an existing program to develop employee customer service skills get started?

Let me give you the training solution first -- then explain how to get there. The most affordable and effective way for any company -- including those with an existing customer service training program -- is to use online customer service training as the basic building block for a continuing education program. Having all your employees enrolled in self-paced customer service skills development sessions facilitates periodic supervisor skill level reviews. Such sessions also be used to share company customer service "stories" and the lessons that can be learned from them.* 

Now how do you get there? 

Step One

Very first on the list of things to do is to create an awareness that customer service training can improve the bottom line. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this point.

Several years ago when I was conducting management training for local companies I signed up a the leading Ford dealership in my area. The General Manager was fully convinced that management skills training would help the company. He wrote me a check and I scheduled four slots for his managers at my next training session. No one showed up for the session, or the next or the next. Months later I called him up and offered to give an in-house Customer Service session for all his managers. He agreed.

I did my set up and when the managers (including the owner) came in and sat down the chairs started sliding as far back to the rear of the room as possible. I thought to myself - these folks really do not want to be here. However, I knew that would change because the session I was about to give was extremely powerful. 

And indeed when our video presenter Patricia Fripp related the following story -- the chairs moved forward, "We don't just give good customer service, we give exceptional customer service ..." (quoting what a small local bank representative told a lady who needed to have a $200 check cashed and the bank was about to close). Patricia then asked her audience, "What would you do?" Most said, as did Patricia to herself, "Stay open!" However, this is what the bank representative said, "just stay where you are, and one of our employees on his way home will bring you the $200 and pick up your check!"  Then Patricia continued, "Well, it so happened that the lady had most of her money in a large bank. And she was so impressed with the service that she called the President of the small bank and asked, "Would it be OK if I took all my money from the big bank and deposited it with yours?" 

The result: that Ford agency became the first Blue Oval certified dealership in the region -- meaning that  the dealership had met Ford Motor Company's (then newly developed) stringent standards for Customer Service! Notes: (1) certification meant that the dealership could "buy" its cars from Ford $200 less than non-certified dealerships, and (2) the owner asked me to facilitate the kick off session of the company's to-be-successful certification effort.

Step Two

You must instill in your company a customer service environment. If you are a very small company, then it will be simply as Ford did, make it plainly aware to everyone that customer service counts. If you are a bit -- or considerably -- larger, then you must first transfer your understanding into your management team. The best management training programs include sessions on how to motivate employees to support company goals. 

If your current management training program does not have a scheduled customer service session -- then ask for one to be included -- or contract out for such a session.**

Step Three

Enroll your employees in a customer skills continuing education program. Your employees cannot provide "exceptional" customer service unless they know what they must do. So, you want the best way to do this. I'm going to tell you how you do this for the least investment with a best result. And, if you follow my recommendation I will give your a cash bonus -- plus help you get the results I know you can achieve.

My Recommendation to You

Sales Training International which offers a highly acclaimed online customer service training program for employees. There are two free assessments that each training candidate should take:

• Customer Service Diagnostic which gives individuals feedback on their customer service skill areas of strength and weakness, and
• An assessment of how you deal with other people - a Personality Styles Inventory

The modules parallel the needed customer service skills included in the Community Development program described at the "Customer Service" tab. You can review the modules here; sample one of the sessions on Active Listening here; and, have your candidates take FREE self-assessments here.

You also get a supervisor's hand book on how to get the most from these sessions by conducting group sessions to reinforce the skills learned and apply them to real life customer service situations in your company. Each enrollee is given a check list reminder card for each of the skills covered. Employees can refer to these to solve real-time customer service needs.

Here is the best news. Each employee is given full access to all the modules for an entire year for just $75 per individual subscription (click here to signup).

I hope you will follow my recommendations. I would look forward to helping you use online customer service training to improve your bottom line.

Regards,

Richard Dowell
President, Best Managers on the Net

We are a business consulting, training and development company dedicated to helping good managers and their companies prosper by reaching for the top.