Customer Service Training Report: Strategies for Customer Satisfaction

This report provides a comprehensive overview of customer service training, focusing on defining good and bad service, and the importance of a positive attitude. It details the essential skills for greeting customers, actively listening to their needs, and ensuring they have a positive experience. The report also covers strategies for guaranteeing return business, service standards, and factors affecting service quality. It emphasizes the importance of addressing customers with special needs and provides practical guidance on planning good customer service. Furthermore, the report outlines effective approaches for handling difficult customer behaviors, including angry, 'know-it-all,' and suspicious customers, offering actionable techniques to de-escalate situations and maintain customer satisfaction. The conclusion underscores the critical role of customer service in building long-term customer relationships and achieving business success.

Customer Service
Training

Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..............................................................................................................................................3
Definition................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Customer service is the support that customers are required to be offered, before and after
they buy any product or avail any service. It helps them to have a satisfactory and enjoyable
experience with company.
MAIN BODY
Definition
What is a GOOD service and BAD service?
Under Customer services, a Good service is described as the one where extra steps are taken in
order to satisfy customers, using appropriate attitude and skills.
Attitude checklist
Under attitude checklist, necessary attitudinal and behavioral traits are included, that are:
• Service provider must seem to enjoy while helping customers.
• All necessary efforts are deployed by service provider in handling people.
• Service provider must care about the choices and demand of customers.
• There should not be any partiality and biases while treating different type of customers.
• In case any special needs are communicated by customers, than that should be given
priority by service provider.
What do customers want?
It is the duty of service provider to analyze choices of consumers through their communication
and the budget they offer. In case of any difficulty assistance from group members can be taken.
Greeting customers
Greeting customers and welcoming them is also a very important and foremost task, where
service provider is required to show range of skills along with warmth to the customers. Skills
here can include:

 Pay attention to entry of customers, as and when they appear in premises. Even when
service provider is busy in other work. Attention has to be paid.
 Smiling face is must while communicating with customers. This shows interest of service
provider in assisting them.
 Communication should be made through eye contact.
 A general personal introduction, like exchanging names, will be also very helpful.
 Ask about the help they need.
 Full attention has to be paid to customers while assistance is going on.
 Service provider is required to be polite in communication and always keen to help
customers.
Find out how You can Help?
• How can you find out what people want?
• If you can’t help, what should you do?
• Offer alternatives if possible.
• If they have to wait, how would you handle it?
How to listen to Customers?
Listening to customers requires attitude of curiosity, eagerness to help and patience as well.
Also, a service provider must have following skills:
• Must attend to immediate needs of customers.
• Must be available with customers unless they are completely satisfied.
• Communicate establishing eye contacts.
• Attentive posture is must.
• Must concentrate on requirement of consumers and understand what they exactly want to
convey.
Guaranteeing Return Business
• Leave a positive impression
• Smile
• Check customers have everything they need

• If you’ve said you’ll follow-up, do so
• Tell them something that may be useful to them later
• (eg new service starting soon) Invite them back
• Say goodbye
What to Avoid
• Saying ‘I don’t know’ without offering an option
• Saying you don’t know where a colleague is or saying they’re at lunch/ toilet/ gone for
coffee etc.
• Leaving people on hold for a long time
• Ignoring people if you’re busy
• Treating people unequally
Service Standards
How can you contribute to the development and maintenance of service standards in your
volunteering organisation?
• Read and understand your organisation’s policies and procedures on
• customer service Be prompt and efficient
• Ensure services are delivered in accordance with legislative or statutory requirements
• Maintain accurate records
• Ensure any special needs of customers are taken into account
Factors Affecting the Quality of Service
• Reliability
• Confidence
• Responsiveness
• Efficiency
• Consistency
• Organisation
• Acceptance of and adherence to policies and procedures

Customers with Special Needs
• People for whom English is not their first language
• People with disabilities
• People from other areas who may not be familiar with the way things are done here
• People with limited mobility
• Unaccompanied children
Planning Good Customer Service
• Recording procedures (when are your busy times)
• Reporting procedures (meeting organisational/ funding/ legislative requirements)
• Observe and report customer needs
• Be proactive in improving service
• Market your organization
• Have processes and procedures for dealing with difficult situations BEFORE they
happen and make sure staff are trained.
Dealing with Difficult Behaviour
• Label the behaviour, not the customer
• Listen
• Don’t get defensive
• Don’t take it personally
• Find out what the customer wants
• Discuss alternatives
• Take responsibility for what you CAN do
• Agree on action
The Angry Customer
• Listen carefully without interrupting so you understand the problem
• Empathise in a broad way
• Stay calm and remain polite
• Don’t escalate the problem

• Don’t take it personally, be defensive or blame others
• Propose an action plan and follow it
• Seek support if you are scared, if you can’t agree on a solution or if the customer asks to
see “whoever’s in charge”
The ‘know it all’ Customer
• Acknowledge what they say
• Compliment them on their research
• Be generous with praise
• Don’t put them in their place no matter how tempting
• Don’t try to be smart – you can’t win!
• Ask them questions and use them to improve your knowledge
The Suspicious Customer
• Establish your credibility
• Ensure you know your product or service
• They will try and catch you out so don’t guess or tell them something you’re not sure of
• Be careful what you say
• Be polite
• Don’t take it personally, they don’t trust anyone!
CONCLUSION
Therefore, it can be concluded from above discussion that customer services are key of
achieving success in business. It helps in building a long term relation with the customers. Any
organization in modern time is required to be customer focused and oriented and leave traditional
approach of focusing on the cost and profits.