Customer service training can involve actors

There are various methods of engaging staff when carrying out customer service training.

Sometimes professional actors are brought in, in order to stage real-life difficult customer situations. Steps Drama is one firm that uses this tactic, Personnel Today reports.

Simon Thomson, a director at the company, said that customer service training is better when the staff are involved as much as possible.

"People can be suspicious of customer service training and look at it as an accusation that they are doing something wrong. A lot of our training encourages leadership at every level so that staff can take ownership of the organisational aims," he said.

"Without customers you haven't got a business so it's incredibly important to get it right. The lines between internal and external customers are blurring so more employers are looking at training."

In today's service economy, customer service training is more important than ever.