View this online Hey Reader, Customer service is full of judgement calls. What does it mean to be friendly? How do you know someone is a good listener? Was that employee being helpful? Judgements are hard to train. What exactly would you tell someone to do if you wanted to show them how to be friendly when serving customers? The secret is observable behaviors. What is an observable behavior? An observable behavior is something you can actually see. For example, what would an employee actually...
2 days ago • 1 min read
View this online Hey Reader, A training log is a must for multi-day training programs. You might have a learning management system (LMS). Those systems typically track whether someone completed a course or passed a quiz. A training log captures more granular information during training. It can help you: Track learner progress during a course Quickly identify learners who are struggling Document any issues Hand-off a class to a substitute trainer In this week's tip, I'll show you how to create...
9 days ago • 1 min read
View this online Hey Reader, There's never enough time for customer service training. You've already got your hands full between daily operations and putting out fires. Any training you do is focused on technical topics. Policies, procedures, products, etc. The stuff you have to do. There is good news: you don't need to create more time. Forget disruptive half-day workshops. Ditch plans for an all-staff customer service retreat. (Which, be honest, wasn't ever going to happen.) I want to show...
16 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Two clients asked for customer service training. Both called it the same thing, but their needs were completely different. One client needed customer service skills training. The other needed service culture training. The two are very different. They have different goals. How the training is developed, who facilitates it, and how it's evaluated all vary by type. The one you choose could have major implications on your business. I'm going to break it down for you:...
23 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Two clients had the same challenge. Customers tried to call but couldn't get through to a customer service rep. For one client, the issue had nothing to do with training. The phone system wasn't working! It was a training issue for the other client. They had installed a new phone system and employees didn't know how to indicate they were available to receive calls. One issue would never be fixed with training. The other issue was resolved with a five minute "quick...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Where are your employees on the learning curve? The are four stages. Collectively, they're called the Four Stages of Competence. Each stage has unique characteristics and poses a different challenge. Identifying where an employee is on the learning curve will make you a better customer service trainer. In this edition of Service Training Tips, I'm going to walk you through the four stages of competence. I'll show you how to: Identify where an employee is on the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
View this online Hey Reader, "You ruined Christmas!" The customer's words stung. Rationally, I knew I hadn't ruined her Christmas. It wasn't my fault that the shipper botched the delivery, a delivery made more difficult by a blizzard. It also wasn't my fault that she pinned all her holiday joy on a single gift that hadn't arrived in time to make it under the tree. Her words still stung. You and your team might have experienced a lot of Scrooges in the past week. It all adds up and makes...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Imagine you could build a service culture. The type of culture where all of your employees were obsessed with customer service. They went the extra mile, encouraged each other, and always seemed to do the right thing. That's my jam. I love helping leaders build service cultures. It's why I go by "the service culture guide." Unfortunately, you need more than one five-minute tip to build that type of culture with your team. So I'm going to do the next best thing....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Burnout is a real challenge this time of year. I conducted a study that found 59 percent of contact center agents were at risk of burnout. I suspect numbers are similar for other customer service roles. The study also uncovered things that make employees more resilient. I'm going to share the top three in this week's tip and connect each one to training. But first, what is burnout and why is it a problem? What is burnout? Burnout is defined by the American...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, ⚠️Warning: there will be some light math in this week's tip. You've got this! Imagine you have a team of five. The team has a goal to achieve an 85 percent average on customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys. Here are their results: Kate: 96% Steve: 94% Deron: 89% Amy: 80% Leo: 66% Your boss has recently gotten a few complaints about the team and has asked you to improve CSAT. You've been specifically asked to train the team as soon as possible. What should you do?...
2 months ago • 3 min read