You may assume that people with technical expertise or college degrees would know how to interact well with customers. Think again. You may assume that everyone should know what it means to be polite, friendly, and professional. Think yet again. The truth is, often front-line service personnel fail to deliver good service simply because they don’t know what to do or how to do it.
Your job as manager is to ensure that front-liners develop the human relationship skills needed to serve your customers properly. One effective way to do that is to offer regular and ongoing training—formal or informal, onsite or off. When formal training is unavailable or impractical, you still have at your disposal the dayto- day real lessons—good or bad—that each individual on your team learns in real time with real customers.
Such lessons are your informal training curriculum:
You recognize successes, reinforce learning, offer reminders of the lessons, and provide coaching. These one-on-one interventions also act as adjuncts to and supports of formal training.
PART 1. THE BIG PICTURE
In all cases, then, the bottom line is this: Customer service training is an integral part of your supervisory responsibility—each and every day.
Guidelines for Formal Training
When is formal classroom training necessary and appropriate?
When you want to make a big impact on a group or team of employees through a shared experience.
Formal training can introduce a new program, provide an overview of information and techniques, and engage participants in interactive exercises and discussions.
The length and format should be tailored to fit the teaching-learning agenda at hand.
For delivering customer service training—especially formal training of any length—we offer seven guidelines:
1. Focus on the fundamentals.
2. Keep lessons brief, straight, and simple.
3. Use stories selectively.
4. Use multimedia.
5. Use repetition—it is key.
6. Get trainees involved in the learning.
7. Encourage practice.
1. Focus on the Fundamentals
There is no need to teach front-liners the latest and greatest techniques in communication, marketing, sales, and service. Often such efforts are inappropriate and lead to confusion rather than improved customer service.
Frankly, it is difficult enough to teach basic principles and tactics and get them to stick. We thus recommend that you avoid complicated approaches. Teach people to walk, and if they’re so inclined, they’ll learn to run on their own.
2. Keep Lessons Brief, Straight, and Simple
The most seasoned trainers will tell you that too much information can complicate a simple lesson. The same goes for lessons that are too clever, too cute, too funny, too elaborate, or too anything. This is especially important to remember if you are not an experienced trainer.
Don’t make lessons boring, but do choose one point for each lesson and really drive that point home.
3. Use Stories Selectively
A story can be great for illustrating a point, but only if the story is right on point. So don’t stretch it. When you can relate a personal experience that truly illustrates the point you’re trying to make, then relate it. But keep it short.
4. Use Multimedia
You don’t need a laserlight show, but using multimedia will help to drive your points home and make them stick.
Focus on just one point in each lesson. Relate the point orally and use various media to reinforce it as often as possible within a short period of time. Also include discussion.
For example, you could follow these steps:
- 1. Present your point orally in conjunction with an overhead slide.
- 2. Use an audio or video clip; then return to the slide.
- 3. Use a flip chart and a handout.
- 4. Facilitate a brief discussion.
- 5. Make your point orally again.
5. Use Repetition—It Is Key
In each lesson, make your point and then repeat it 10 times inside of 10 minutes. By doing this, you’ll have truly made your point, at least for now. Down the road, when you’ve cycled through every lesson you have to teach, start over again with the first lesson. Make your point, and repeat it as before. And so on.
6. Get Trainees Involved in the Learning
Involve participants, but don’t make the mistake of turning over lesson time to them. Control the time and lesson content by asking questions that direct team members as well as involve them. For example:
• “Are you great at this tactic? If so, give us a concrete example of a success story.”
• “Do you have room to improve on this tactic?”
• “What will you do today to practice this tactic?”
7. Encourage Practice
End every lesson by clearly assigning trainees to implement the day’s lesson with real customers: “Go out there right now and practice this tactic.”
Finally, if it is appropriate, turn the lesson into a contest or creative activity with prizes and recognition.
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