Customer Service Training 101

C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Tips for the Trainer 5 Tips for the Student 13 P A R T I PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD 1 Taking Your First Steps: The Basics 21 Customer Service Is the Basics, 22 Step 1: First Impressions Matter 25 Step 2: Courtesy Counts 27 Step 3: Attitude Is Everything 30 Step 4: Doing the Right Thing: Ethical Issues 32 Key Points 37, Practice Lesson 38, Doing It Right! 39, How Do I Measure Up? 40 2 Tossing the Ball Back and Forth: Effective Communication 41 Customer Service Is Effective Communication, 42 Step 1: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say 46 Step 2: What You Don’t Say: Nonverbal Communication 48 Step 3: Putting Words Together: Grammar Usage 51 Step 4: Asking the Correct Questions and Answering the Questions Correctly 52 Step 5: When the Customer Says No 56 Step 6: Listening Actively 59 Key Points 63, Practice Lesson 64, Doing It Right! 66, How Do I Measure Up? 67 3 Jumping in with Both Feet: Relationship Building 68 Customer Service Is Building Relationships, 69 Step 1: Establishing Rapport 74 Step 2: Interacting Positively with Customers 77 Step 3: Identifying Customers’ Needs 79 Step 4: Making the Customer Feel Valued 82 Step 5: Maintaining Ongoing Relationships 83 Step 6: Different Strokes: Handling Different Types of Customers 86 Key Points 93, Practice Lesson 94, Doing It Right! 96, How Do I Measure Up? 97 P A R T I I PUTTING YOUR CUSTOMERS FIRST 4 Seeing Eye to Eye: Face-to-Face Contacts 101 Customer Service Is Face-to-Face Contacts, 102 Step 1: Saying Hello: Greeting the Customer 106 Step 2: Between Hello and Goodbye: Helping the Customer 109 Step 3: Saying Goodbye: Ending the Interaction 111 Key Points 117, Practice Lesson 117, Doing It Right! 118, How Do I Measure Up? 120 5 Saying It with a Smile: Telephone Contacts 121 Customer Service Is Telephone Contacts, 122 Step 1: Putting Your Best Ear Forward: Listening Carefully 126 Step 2: Saying Hello: The Opener 127 Step 3: Between Hello and Goodbye: Helping the Customer 129 Step 4: Saying Goodbye: The Closer 133 Key Points 138, Practice Lesson 139, Doing It Right! 140, How Do I Measure Up? 142 6 Looking Before You Leap: E-Customer Contacts 143 Customer Service Is E-Customer Contacts, 144 Step 1: What Does the E-Customer Expect? 147 Step 2: Hanging the Open Sign: Being Accessible 150 Step 3: Writing What You Mean: E-Mail Communication 152 Step 4: Speaking Around the World: Cross-Cultural Etiquette 155 Key Points 158, Practice Lesson 159, Doing It Right! 160, How Do I Measure Up? 161 7 Giving When Getting Is Not Expected: Self-Service Contacts 162 Customer Service Is Self-Service Contacts, 163 Step 1: Saying Hello: Greeting the Customer 167 Step 2: Between Hello and Goodbye: Looking for Opportunities to Help 169 Step 3: Saying Goodbye: Ending the Interaction 171 Key Points 176, Practice Lesson 176, Doing It Right! 178, How Do I Measure Up? 179 8 Calming the Storm: Difficult Customer Contacts 180 Customer Service Is Difficult Customer Contacts, 181 Step 1: What Is Going On: Determine the Reason for the Problem 184 Step 2: What Caused the Problem: Identify the Root Cause 188 Step 3: What Can I Do: Rectify the Situation 191 Step 4: What Can I Say: Restore the Relationship 194 Step 5: What Needs to Be Done: Fix What Needs to Be Fixed 197 Key Points 201, Practice Lesson 202, Doing It Right! 205, How Do I Measure Up? 207 P A R T I I I PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 9 Hitting the Ground Running: Ready, Set, Go 211 Customer Service Is Being Ready and Set to Go 212 Your Customer Service Training Quick Reference 215 10 Being the Best You Can Be: The Total Package 218 Customer Service Is Being the Best You Can Be Every Day 218 Enjoy Each Day, 221 Index 223