Delighting The Customer

The first (and lasting) impression many customers form of your organisation is provided by the person with whom they first come into contact. The responsibility for that and many subsequent vital contacts may well lie with some of your least well trained employees. It is essential that every customer contact at every level is handled in a professional way.

Through interactive tutorials and role-play this one day course develops higher self awareness of the participants’ communication style, both over the telephone and in face to face situations. Through coaching, the participant develops more self confidence and so moves from a reactive-passive role into a more dynamic pro-active response to difficult situations.

Who Should Attend

Customer service, reception, administration, sales support, counter and delivery staff, or anyone who needs to become more effective with customers will benefit from this course. All staff who may be involved in direct customer contact at any level.

Course Objectives

After attending this course, participants will have the ability to:

• Recognise opportunities arising from customer contacts and respond accordingly
• Establish effective customer communications by the use of rapport building techniques and the application of empathy
• Understand how to control a telephone call using questioning techniques and effective communication skills to bring the call to a positive conclusion
• Handle difficult situations with confidence and integrity to maintain customer relationships
• Understand the difference between assertive and aggressive behaviour
• Provide improved support and back-up to other parts of the organisation
• Challenge team members on inappropriate behaviour toward customers
• Develop standards of team behaviour.

Course Programme

What The Customer Expects
Your role and responsibilities
Who is the customer?
Whose customer is it?
What makes an effective ambassador on the telephone?
You are the company!

Why The Customer Is So Important
The customer always comes first
The importance and potential of customers
How to interpret customer behaviour
Putting yourself in the customer’s position

Essential Communication Skills
Understanding the power of language
The voice - business builder or destroyer
How to ask for information
Difficulties with communication
Effective questioning techniques
Effective E-mail communication

Building Confidence
How to be assertive not aggressive
Transmitting a 'can-do' attitude
Dealing with abrupt customers

Adding Value
Developing pro-active behaviour
The progressive nature of service expectation
Developing your service standards
Being an internal customer champion

Handling Complaints
Staying professional under pressure
Owning the customer’s problem
Why listening is just as important as talking
How to turn a complaint into an opportunity to develop an advocate

Following Up The Customer Contact
Why you should never give promises you cannot keep
Developing a call back strategy
Why post-call administration is vital
How a detailed contact history can be used to your advantage

Motivation
Monitoring attitude, does it show
Managing the highs and lows
Putting a bad day into perspective