News: Performance Management
Management training 'must create connections to front-line staff'
01 May 2009
It is crucial that management training emphasises the importance of remaining in touch with consumers if a business is to deliver excellent customer service, an expert asserts.
Bob Cooper, founder and president of Frontier Service Design, tells Sales and Marketing that many companies inevitably fall into the trap of becoming disconnected from their end users.
He states that promotion often leads to management training candidates losing touch with front-line staff and customer service providers.
Technology such as customer relationship management systems will often lead to executives forgetting the importance of those staff interacting with consumers, he asserts.
Mr Cooper advises: "Get out into the field. Talk with your customers and your frontline employees (not at them). Learn from them. Look at your business through their eyes."
Last month, ferry company P&O announced that it would be investing in customer service training to improve the performance of its call centres, Customer-Strategy.co.uk reported.
