Excellence in Customer Service Course Programme

Duration

1 day

What is this course about?

Providing excellent customer service is vital in any organisation in both the private and public sector.  As the old phrase goes you never get a second chance to make a first impression and your customer service delivery has to be as good as it possibly can be from the first contact through to resolution.  The great news is that the skills required to provide excellence in customer service can be learned and with practice can be perfected.

GA Training's flagship customer service programme "Excellence in Customer Service" has been running now for almost 20 years.  In this time we have all experienced many changes in the way in which we interact with customers however the basic principles have remained the same.  This best practice training programme will give delegates all the necessary skills to deliver excellence in customer service and exceed customer expectations every time.

 

Areas you will target

• Identifying opportunities to excel
• The significance of your actions upon an organisation’s reputation and success
• How to manage a customer’s heightened expectations and demands
• Working positively with dissatisfaction
• Maintaining professionalism under pressure.

Key Topics Covered

 

1. Introduction

• Personal introductions
• Programme overview
• Needs and expectations

2. Customer Service – Desirable or Essential?

• Reasons for emphasis on service
• A practical definition of excellent service
• The service complement – competence and care
• Consequences of good / bad service experience
• Gaining and retaining customers’ loyalty
• Current evaluation of your own / company service

3. The Key Impression Points

• When do we have a chance to impress?
• First impressions – the influences at work
• The medium and changing influences – your priorities
• Plain English · Language pluses – improving understanding by being specific and positive
• Words worth deleting

4. Maintaining Professionalism

• Attitudes – company and individual
• Developing varieties of response
• ‘Responding’ rather than ‘reacting’ under pressure
• The assertive approach
• Taking responsibility – the project angle
• Persuasion

5. Creating a Professional Image over the Telephone

• Creating a personal exchange
• Refining stages of the call
• Dealing with different types of call
• The package not a veneer – action links

6. Listening – the Gentle Art

• Hearing and listening – the difference
• Rapport – ‘useful and harmonious’ communication
• Clarifying and gaining insight
• Empathy / sympathy / apathy – validating / acknowledging
• The questioning spectrum

7. Dealing Positively with Challenging Situations

• The difficult customers – nature or nurture?
• The confident/assertive approach to mutual success
• When to apologise – benefits of active/passive language choices
• Saying ‘no’ constructively · Giving bad news
• Giving thanks · Managing complaints – formulae for success

8. Personal Action Plan

• Personal review of discussions
• Review of personal and company standards
• How to get suggestions accepted (the 5p method)
• Establishing your protocol – the mix right for you

 

Other areas of interest

Delegates who have attended this training course have also been interested in the following other areas:

Dealing with Difficult Customers                                         Excellence in Customer Service

Customer Service on the phone                                          Customer Service in the public sector

 

In-Company Training

This customer service training course  can be delivered on an in-company basis for up to 12 delegates focusing completely on the types of customer service scenarios that are common to your organisation. 

To discuss your requirements in more detail please call 0845 130 5714, email info@ga-training.com or use our short online contact form and one of the team will be delighted to take a more detailed brief from you.

 

---

 

GA’s customer service training courses are all tailored to your needs using real-world examples that are relevant and applicable to your exact circumstances. You can choose a tailored solution from our existing portfolio or we will design and develop a programme just for you.