Top 10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid - Evergreen Writing Services, LLC

Customer Service Training

By: Valerie Weber Hamann, President

One of the best investments a business can make is investing in their employees by providing customer service training. Too often we hear about those bad experiences, experience it ourselves at times, but nothing is ever really done about it. At times, you wonder how a particular business continues to survive by providing such shabby service. Over time, usually they don't.

Businesses that provide customer service training ultimately wins in many areas beyond the customer service department. Attaining new business may start with an initial phone call from a prospect, but it extends to how other departments respond to a customer at any given time.

Managers who train their employees win because they understand one basic principle -- that the most important thing they can do is invest in their team by training them how to interact with others. Managers need to understand that not all employees have the people skills of knowing how to interact with customers. Some employees may have it in them, but they tend to either be shy, introverted or lack self-confidence. If they are interacting with a customer, they definitely need the training to know how to handle different types of situations.

When I was in the banking industry, I had to go through many hours of customer service training. It was one of the best things I ever experienced on the job because it helped me get over being shy. Knowing how to interact with others, and how to respond to an unhappy customer was critical to the success of the branch, and my self esteem. Seven years of training also taught me that it is okay to be myself, smile, show enthusiasm and be confident. We had very good trainers, and many years later I continue to apply what I learned from the banking industry into other areas of my work.

When it comes to customer service training, there is nothing that can replace being in the trenches and learning from experience. Without the proper training, businesses may lose customers at their own peril because of a situation that was mishandled. Most customers never really say why they left to conduct business with another provider, but more often than not, it has to do with service. After several years of doing market research, we discovered that most choose not to say anything why they left, and many times it was because of a customer service issue.

What I have learned is that developing people skills extends to all levels and departments in business. From the receptionist to top management, the best return on investment is investing in your people -- and that starts with good customer service training. The type of service provided can dramatically affect the success or failure of a sales and marketing program, or profits. The entire organization has to work together from the top down for it to be successful.

There are many excellent resources and customer service trainers available to help your business thrive. I suggest that you first seek someone who has excellent references, qualifications and certifications before you hire someone to train your team.

About the Author:

Valerie Weber Hamann is the Founder and President of Evergreen Writing Services, LLC. Valerie has accrued over 10 years of sales and marketing experience, and is a member of the American Marketing Association. Read more insightful articles on sales, marketing, writing and marketing communications at http://www.evergreenwritingservices.com/marketing.html.