Good Customer Service Skills – Training is key

For those in the front line of a business, good customer service skills are key

good customer service skills can be like a band aid

when faced with irate and disgruntled customers . It could be as a simple as a customer having a bad day, health or family issues. An easy turn of phrase can totally change the mood of the customer and in this respect front line staff could be seen as therapists or nurses dispensing band aids. The actions and reactions of the employees really can make a difference, and one of the key things in my opinion, is for the staff to realise and keep in mind that it’s not personal. Here are some examples of how training in good customer service skills can help your business.

Good Customer Service Skills – Training is key

A masseuse working in a resort spa will have more pleasant customers than a lost luggage agent at a busy airport. If your customers are sitting in a chair at your hair salon, they’re likely to be more relaxed than if they were sitting in an examination chair in a dental office.

That’s why so many customer service training programs fall short of desired results. Over the last decade there’s been a dearth of frontline training that focuses on enhancing customer experience. The premise is that we are now in the experience economy.

Supposedly, our goal as service providers is to be friendly and upbeat. That way, we’ll apparently make it more than just selling a cup of coffee; now it’s an experience. Unfortunately, for many organizations this strategy backfires.

What if your customers are doing business with you more out of necessity than desire? What if your customers are tired, rushed, or angry? When that’s the case, employee perkiness is likely to be perceived as annoying. That’s why, when I speak at conferences and do training programs for teams, I encourage employees to go beyond friendliness to create trust. Especially with customers who are tired, rushed or upset.

Imagine a young software specialist at a phone-in help-desk receives calls from customers with computer problems. Attempting to be friendly and disarming, he addresses male customers at various points of the conversation as ‘buddy, ‘bro’, or ‘dude’.

The problem with these overly familiar terms is the customer who phones-in with a computer problem likely isn’t happy about the software or the company that services it. He’s frustrated. He does not want to be buds with the people who have anything to with the darn computer. He’s feels like the systems rep is too casual and wonders if they are actually trained. The frustrated customer is now becoming annoyed.

Better Approach – the help desk employee considers his role as being a Trusted Advisor. He isn’t the customer’s pal. Nor is he a mere minion in a huge faceless bureaucracy. Nor is he the customer’s door mat. This time the computer specialist introduces himself at the beginning if the call with his first and last name.

This implies that he considers himself to be a grown-up professional, and he’s fine with being held accountable. He doesn’t use overly familiar terms (buddy etc), nor does he use terms that are too formal; like sir or m’ame. He simply uses customers’ names when addressing them.

With this approach, the customer feels like he’s getting personalized service from an accountable professional. The customer gets respect and gives it in return. He feels better about the company as a whole. And in turn the help desk rep deals with more civil customers who genuinely appreciate his expertise. Everyone wins.

I must admit that at times I have been distracted and slightly rude, weighed down with the stresses of the day when being served at the supermarket. To then be jolted out of my muddle by the calm, relaxed manner and tone of the attendant, walking out the door with a smile on my face. Now ,as you would have experienced this does not always happen. Uncaring and rude front line staff show that training on good customer service skills is lacking, mind you it could also be that they just don’t care. Now what will that do to your business!

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