customer service workshop modules
DESCRIPTION
CS ModulesTRANSCRIPT
Customer Service Workshop
Making the Difference through A+ Customer
Service
Table of Contents
I. Effective Listening
II. Smart, Friendly, Fast
III. Handling Irate/Dissatisfied
Customers
IV. Delivering the Difference
EFFECTIVELISTENING
Module 1
Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward
overall improvement of the school’s performance
by focusing on employing basic customer
service principles like being courteous, treating
customers with respect, and resolving their issues
in order to drive improved customer
satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.
• This particular module is dedicated to the basic
principles of effective listening, which will
improve the overall customer experience.
Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:
− Describe the relationship between listening and customer loyalty.
− List the costs of not listening effectively.
− Define active listening.
− Identify words that warn.
− Define empathy.
− Describe how to respond with empathy.
Quote
“Seek first to understand,
then to be understood.”
Stephen Covey
Effective Listening• Effective listeners consistently demonstrate an
ability to:− Listen actively− Extend empathy
• The costs of not listening effectively include:− Poor customer experience− Timely and costly rework− Misunderstanding and confusion− Frustration that escalates to hostility− Valued customers leave RMC− RMC’s reputation is damaged
Active Listening• Active listening is first about understanding the
other person, then about being understood. Active
listening requires you to be present, focused on the
moment, and to operate from a place of respect. In
order to communicate effectively, you must take an
active role when listening to your customers.
• You must do more than just “hear” words.
• Active listening requires active attention and focus
on what is being said, so that you understand when
customers are confused or frustrated.
Paraphrase to Check for Understanding• Paraphrasing is the process of briefly summarizing
and repeating back in your own words what you
heard the customer say. It is a key element of active
listening and it helps ensure that you understood the
customer’s message correctly (e.g. "It sounds as if
your concern is..." or “The issue seems to be...").Questions for Detail and Clarity: Help you gain clarity on any ambiguous issue, or when the customer’s description is unclear or not detailed enough.
Open-Ended Questions: Draw customers out and encourage them to give more than just a yes/no response (e.g. "What do you think about...").
Closed-Ended Questions: Require more specific answers (like a “yes” or “no”) and help you guide a more direct conversation.
Hearing vs. Listening• It can be extremely
frustrating to customers
when they feel they are not
being heard.
• Active listening is more than
just hearing words:− Think of hearing as a
physical process.− Think of listening as a
mental process.
Activity – The Sorting Hat
• You will now participate in an
activity to learn how to
determine which house your
customer is in:− The Happy House− The Generally “okay” house− The Dissatisfied house
Empathetic Listening
• Now that you understand more about how to be an
active listener, it is time to discuss empathetic
listening, reviewing its importance and the effect on
customer experience.
• Empathetic listening means to key in on customer
words that have emotion connected to them.
Listening for anxiety, confusion, fear, anger, a sense of
urgency, or uncertainty are examples of empathetic
listening.
Let’s Practice!
SMART, FRIENDLY, FAST
Module 2
Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward
overall improvement of the school’s performance
by focusing on employing basic customer
service principles like being courteous, treating
customers with respect, and resolving their issues
in order to drive improved customer
satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.
• This particular module is dedicated to delivering a
Smart, Friendly, and Fast customer experience
every time.
Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:
− Describe how to deliver Smart service.
− Describe how to deliver Friendly service.
− Describe how to deliver Fast service.
Quote
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not
an act but a habit.”
Author Unknown
Activity
• What does delivering a SMART,
FRIENDLY, FAST customer
experience mean to you?
• How does SMART, FRIENDLY, FAST
impact overall customer
experience?
How to Deliver SMART Service?
− Resolve the customer’s current issue and meet future needs to ensure one time resolution
− Offer the right solution− Educate customers− Be knowledgeable, follow
processes, and use your tools
− Act as One RMC: use “we” instead of “they”
SMART
How to Deliver FRIENDLY Service?
FRIENDLY
− Be courteous and show concern for customers’ needs
− Thank customers for their business
− Listen and personalize interactions
− Answer all customer questions
− Be enthusiastic and demonstrate a positive, “I can help” attitude
− Make sure customers know what to expect
How to Deliver FAST Service?
FAST
−Respect customers’ time−Be prompt−Be crisp−Be accurate−Do it right the first time−Promote self-service
solutions
Helpful Reminders for Polite and Friendly Reminders
Let’s Practice!
HANDLING IRATE/DISSATISFIED
CUSTOMERS
Module 3
Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward
overall improvement of the school’s performance
by focusing on employing basic customer
service principles like being courteous, treating
customers with respect, and resolving their issues
in order to drive improved customer
satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.
• This particular module is dedicated to properly
handling irate customers, which will improve
the overall customer experience.
Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:
− Describe the L.A.C.E.S. method for managing difficult customer interactions Describe how to deliver Friendly service.
− State what customer anger is really about
− Identify how to guard against taking customer anger personally.
− Describe the Anger Curve.
− List acknowledgement phrases to show empathy and support.
Quote
Customers have the right to be angry!
Author Unknown
L.A.C.E.S Method• To defuse anger, you need to
undo the “laces” and remove
the boxing gloves.
• A five step process called
L.A.C.E.S. can help you
manage situations when a
customer is angry or is
becoming angry.
• The L.A.C.E.S. method for
managing difficult customer
interactions can be
used at any time
• L.A.C.E.S.
stands for: − Listen− Acknowledge− Clarify− Explain− Solve
What ANGER is really about?• Customers who express a negative
emotion usually have one thing on
their mind: resolving the issue that
has caused the emotional upheaval
for them.
• When confronted with an upset
customer you must demonstrate
respect, constraint, and tact. It is
important to always deal with an irate
customer in a professional and
courteous manner.
• Each time you react to the
customer, the customer will react
to you.
It’s Nothing Personal – Don’t TIPYou must take it seriously, but not personally.
− Remind yourself it is not a personal attack.
− Try to see the situation from the customer’s point of view.
− Realize customer outbursts are a product of frustration and not about you.
− Challenge yourself to see how many irate customers you can turn around in a day, making dissatisfied customers into loyal ones.
− The main thing to remember is to take it seriously, but not personally.
The ANGER CurveThe Anger Curve diagram
to the right shows the path of customer anger.You can see that as the anger curve goes up, the logic curve goes down.
This means that as customers get angrier, their ability to reach a logical solution diminishes.
During phases 1 and 2, a customer might be capable of working with you to resolve their issue, but at stage 3, logic has bottomed out and the customer just needs to vent.
Anger Zone
2
3
4
1
Logic
Normal
Acknowledgment PhrasesIn the build rapport phase of your call flow you can
say:
− “I apologize for the inconvenience this is causing.”
− “That must be very upsetting.”
− “I can see why you feel that way.”
− “I understand how frustrating this must be.”
− “I wish this were not happening for you.”
− “I can certainly see your point of view.”
− “This sounds like a frustrating experience for you.”
− “I can imagine the inconvenience this is causing you.”
− “I’m glad you told me this, now I can resolve it for you.”
Let’s Practice!
DELIVERINGTHE
DIFFERENCE
Module 4
Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward
overall improvement of the school’s performance
by focusing on employing basic customer
service principles like being courteous, treating
customers with respect, and resolving their issues
in order to drive improved customer
satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.
• This particular module is dedicated to how you
can deliver the difference in terms of customer
service.
Quote
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”
Roger Staubach