TRAINING SESSIONS SHOULD BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEE
A trainer's most important role is to ensure that the frontline employees learn the fundamentals of providing exceptional customer service to every customer all the time. Investing the time to train your employees can be a fun and positive experience for both you and them.
Whether you are training your employees, your coworkers, a group of employees you were hired to train, or your students in school, thorough preparation will enable you to make the most out of your classes.
Preparation before you begin will help you feel comfortable and confident and will take the guesswork out of your expectations. Preparation includes identifying your training needs, defining learning outcomes, planning your teaching lessons, establishing time frames for training sessions, preparing yourself for the training, setting up the room, and following up after the training.
IDENTIFY YOUR TRAINING NEEDS
To identify your training needs, answer this question: Why did you decide to conduct customer service training? Your immediate response might be “because we need it,” but to answer this question reflectively you must first analyze and identify what needs to be improved from both your business and your employees’ perspectives.
First, focus on your business. Make a list of your customer service training needs as they specifically relate to the type of products or services you provide, as well as your customers’ needs. As you read through the book, relate the material to your business. For example, when reading the chapter on telephone contacts, you may have an “aha” moment and realize that your employees answer the phone in an unprofessional manner.
Next, focus on your employees’ needs. Make a customer service learning outcome list for each employee. Note strengths, areas of improvement, additional technical or job skills training needed, and any behavioral issues (such as a poor attitude toward customers) that need to be addressed.
DEFINE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Review the needs you identified and develop a list of realistic learning outcomes. What skills should all of your employees demonstrate at the end of the training session? It might help to note each chapter title and make a list of the skills in which your employees should be proficient.
Using the example of employees answering calls in an unprofessional manner, one learning outcome for that chapter could be: Answer the telephone as ABC Company, then (employee’s first name), then how may I help you? Listing specific outcomes before you begin training will enable you to measure how well your employees are using their new skills.
If you identified behavioral issues, you may want to make a separate list for those employees. This will help you focus on those items throughout the training sessions and follow up afterward.
PLAN YOUR TEACHING LESSONS
Create an introduction to kick off the training. Keep in mind that you will have everyone’s undivided attention—during the first few minutes of speaking! Use this to your advantage and develop a strong introduction.
Keep it short and stick to the basics. Explain why you are conducting this training and discuss general learning objectives. Then ask a question, tell a customer service story, or begin with a warm-up exercise or game. Make these first few minutes grab your students’ attention. As you work through each chapter (those applicable), try this approach:
■Begin each chapter by relating a positive personal experience in which you were a customer (or ask for a student to volunteer) and __________(fill in the blank to relate to the chapter material).
For example, for Chapter 1, your example could be where you were a customer and formed a great first impression of an employee. Discuss the impact of the positive experience.
■ Ask an open-ended question relevant to the example you cited. For example: Why is it important to present yourself positively at all times? Allow everyone to answer and discuss.
■ Work through the material step by step. Vary your delivery by reading out loud to the students, having them take turns reading out loud, or reading to themselves.
■Throughout each chapter, ask discussion questions related specifically to your business. For instance, What are some things we should do to make a positive first impression?
■After reviewing each chapter, plan a group activity. Suggestions are:
■Divide the group into teams. Assign a customer-related problem, dilemma, or question. Specify a time period for solving the problem. Each team will then present its solution to the group. Debate and choose the best solution.
■Divide the group into role-play pairs. Give each pair a customer service scenario and some additional details to help them get into their roles. For example, the customer is upset with your company and the employee has a condescending attitude. Have one student play the role of the customer and another play the customer service employee. First have students role play the contact the wrong way, then again, role playing using the skills they are learning.
■ To energize the class, play a game related to the material. For example, after completing a session, have the group members close their books and call out the key points for they just completed. Toss a piece of candy to students as they answer correctly. Another option is to have a student call out an answer, then toss a ball to another person who must call out an answer.
■Review and recap the key points. Have students complete the Practice Lesson and discuss their answers.
■ Have students complete How Do I Measure Up? Encourage them to honestly analyze their skill levels.
ESTABLISH TIME FRAMES FOR TRAINING SESSIONS
Now that you have reviewed the training material and planned your lessons, you should be able to establish time frames. Think about your hours of operation, busy periods, and employee coverage. It is most effective, and probably easiest, to cover the material in multiple sessions. This allows students to become comfortable with the material learned in each chapter.
When scheduling your classes, add a little extra time to your estimate to make sure your students will not feel rushed. Write a schedule to which you can conform. You will lose credibility with your employees if you schedule a class and then cancel. Give your training sessions top priority. If you demonstrate that customer service training is important to you, learning customer service skills will be important to your employees.
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE TRAINING
When you train, establish an open and relaxed atmosphere that encourages discussion by maintaining a positive attitude, keeping focused, remaining neutral, staying relaxed, encouraging everyone to participate, and focusing on goals.
Rehearse and practice your presentations—both the general introduction and how you plan to handle each chapter. It is perfectly normal to feel nervous, particularly if training is not part of your routine responsibilities.
Being well prepared will help you manage your nerves. Practice may not make perfect, but it will help you gain confidence and feel more assured. Here are some tips for training others:
■Focus on your students rather than on yourself.
■ Keep in mind the importance of the material.
■ Stay on track by making good notes—and using them.
■ Try to stick to the allotted time, but be sure you plan enough time to be thorough. Do not rush against a time clock. It is better to adjust the time than the material.
■ When you speak, make eye contact with your students, switching your gaze from one person to another in a pace that is comfortable, not staged.
■ Vary your voice tone and inflection.
■ Be yourself. Act naturally.
■ If you become nervous, take slow, deep breaths to calm yourself.
SET UP THE ROOM
Plan a setting conducive to training. First, find a suitable room or area that is free from distractions and noise. For a small group, a u-shaped, rectangular, or round table works well. This way the students can face each other for discussions, and you will be able to move easily within and around the group. If you will be using an easel or chalkboard for discussion answers, place it so that all students can see it.
Think of ways to energize your students. Look for signs of tiredness or boredom—yawning, fidgeting, or a glazed-over look. Here are some tips for energizing your group:
■Schedule short breaks every hour or two.
■ Lead frequent stretching or deep breathing exercises.
■ Vary the class activities.
■ Keep the class interactive by leading frequent discussions and other activities.
FOLLOW UP AFTER THE TRAINING
Spend time with your employees to observe their customer contacts. Try to catch them “doing it right.” When they do, acknowledge good performance by giving feedback that is specific to the behavior you observed.
Rather than saying, “you did a great job,” be more specific by saying, “I really liked the way you handled Mrs. Johnson when she was upset. The way you explained our delivery schedule was right on target, and you made sure she understood completely. Great job.” Now your employee knows exactly what was done right, and the behavior is more apt to be repeated.
It can be a great motivator to praise an employee in earshot of other employees, but it is never acceptable to discuss poor performance in public.
When you hear an employee handling a customer poorly, take that employee aside to discuss the incident. Recognize your group’s efforts by commending them, by awarding total team efforts, and by reading customer commendations at meetings. Most importantly, be consistent with your team. Recognizing good behavior yesterday but ignoring it today will confuse your employees.
Make sure customer service is important to you every day; then it will be important to your employees every day, as well.
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