No matter the age or level of experience of your customer service staff, they are never beyond receiving ongoing training. Just like golf professional Jack Nickolaus had coaches and took lessons all the way through his entire career, your customer service team deserves the investment to make their skills as sharp as possible. This allows your team to begin the process the right way, enabling the rest of the company to succeed and love what they do.
First Line of Defense
The first interaction with clients is almost always a phone call with your customer service department. Additionally, there are a lot of different situations that present themselves each day. If the interaction is not a positive experience and booked with ease, the caller might decide to do business with someone else. This means you may never have the opportunity to get your professionally trained technicians into their home or business. If you manage to get the call booked but didn’t take the time to explain things like your diagnostic charge, it can set your technician up for a difficult situation once they get with the client.
It Takes Resources
In the experience of Duffy Marketing, all too often we find that companies don’t devote enough attention and resources to first, finding good CSRs (Customer Service Representatives); then providing them with upfront and ongoing CSR training; and finally, creating a supportive and happy work-culture throughout your company. This allows you to retain your staff members, preventing you from having to start the process all over again. You need them all to be speaking on the same terms and supporting not only each other, but also the client in the same way for an amazing customer service experience, every time. Consistency breeds efficiency and is fuel for success.
Training is Our Specialty
Among the many marketing services Duffy provides to clients across the nation is a proven training program that can take your company to the next level, which we call FOCUS. Think of it as the foundation that leads to success for the entire company. It is a vertically integrated program covering all aspects of your business, including CSR training. We customize it specifically for your team, and train on topics pertinent to your business and current calls, not just generic topics.
Here’s what one client had to say about their CSR training:
The CSR training that Duffy has provided to our team is invaluable. We have always concentrated on training other areas of our company but had not focused on our CSR’s. Knowing that our CSR’s are the first, and maybe the only contact our customers have with our company, training and attention to their needs is critical. I believe the training Michelle’s provided has been a large part of our team and the company’s success. The training has given our CSR’s more confidence on the calls, and it has taken them to another level of call taking. The CSR’s are always encouraged to branch out and try new things, to not beat yourself up about mistakes and remember that “You are not alone in this”.
Training can include:
Classroom Sessions
These are facilitated at your office by the professional trainers at Duffy Marketing. Classes take place over one or more days and are customized to work within the challenges of maintaining work schedules. Pluses include a group of employees soaking up large amounts of knowledge at the same time and connecting with each other to support a great culture. Many clients will choose this as an immersion approach followed by ongoing weekly virtual training.
One-on-One Training
Because every CSR can be at a different level of experience and training, many clients choose to have the trainers at Duffy Marketing work individually with their team on an as needed basis. Recorded calls provide a great way to have exact situations to train on, so they learn how best to handle it the next time a similar situation presents itself.
Interactive Training
This can include simulations, role playing, quizzes, and games. It is generally a very effective training method because employees are not only more engaged, but more likely to retain what they’ve learned. This can be done in person or virtually and is a part of all aspects of our FOCUS training.
On-the-Job Training
In our experience, this can be one of the most effective methods for CSR training. Just be aware it’s a bit like being thrown in the deep end of the swimming pool and can be a little too stressful for some employees. The payoff is employees are forced to learn quickly, and many thrive from this type of training.
Let’s Train Together
With your entire team all heading in the same direction, supporting each other, and caring for your clients the best way possible, your marketing dollars will pay off. A positive business culture and a well-trained, happy customer service department are the two of the most important factors for continued growth and profitability of any business today. If you don’t already have Duffy Marketing working with your front-line CSR team, what are you waiting for? Make the call today to start down the path to being amazing. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about the many marketing services we offer.
