We already know that Soft Skills (Emotional Intelligence) is a very important attribute to consider when hiring the right customer service agents. But once you’ve hired the right agents, there still work to be done. You must indoctrinate and train them from the onset and also on an on-going basis so that superior ‘caring’ service becomes ingrained in them as part of your culture.
Important training topics that you should not overlook are:
Your company/organization – Many small business owners in particular neglect to educate and train their support about their company. Your agents need to know about your company’s vision, core values, mission and goals. They need to understand the company culture and how they fit in the whole picture. They also need to be kept up to date with the any changes or developments. This causes the agents to feel part and parcel of a bigger cause which in turn makes them feel that their contribution is significant and meaningful. Without a purpose or a mission, people are generally unmotivated.
Your products/services and brand – Your agents also need to get a clear understanding of your brand, products and/or services. An in-depth knowledge or your brand and in particular your products is essential in equipping your agents with the ability to properly and accurately represent your company, brand, products or services and to answer questions raised by customers.
Soft skills – We’ve seen how important soft skills are. Continuously train in this area is necessary in ensuring that your agents provide cutting edge services to you customers. Training in areas such as: phone/email etiquette, active listening and creative conflict resolutions are a great place to start. You can implement role playing to make the training interactive and effective.
Customer Service Procedures & Policies – Specific training geared towards teaching your agents the specific customer services procedures and policies will ensure that all issues are handled according to company policy and procedure. This eliminates costly mistakes and errors and can also help you avoid a bad reputation with your customers.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software and Tools – This goes without saying. Training your team on how to use your in-house customer service systems is important. It will eliminates an otherwise steep learning curve, thereby improving efficiency while eliminating redundancy.
What else do you train your team on? Share your comments below. I’d love to know.
At your service,
Karen
P.S. Feel free to share this article with anyone that may find it useful.