World Class Customer Service Training

A company, business, or organization is made up of several arms or functional areas that work together to achieve an overarching goal. Without these arms, it would be difficult for these establishments to run smoothly and profitably. A few of these arms include finance, marketing, human resources, IT, research and development, sales, and customer service.

There are some of these functional areas that are often only found in larger corporations and multinational companies. However, a few of them can be found in companies and businesses of any size. One of these more common functional areas is customer service. Visit https://foundersguide.com/functional-areas-of-a-business/ to learn more about functional areas of a business.

What is Customer Service?

Customer service consists of those policies, activities, and plans that govern or guide how businesses interact with their consumers. These policies aren’t the same across board as companies often have a unique approach to the way they interact with their customers. That said, it is believed that regardless of how these policies differ, they are meant to guide the company in providing the best possible experience to every customer.

You can say a business has good customer service when customers are valued, appreciated, and well treated by every employee of the business. As a business owner or company executive, it is important to know that good customer service goes beyond the department dedicated to this part of the business. Every employee, regardless of which functional area they belong to, must understand that they have a role to play in how consumers are treated.

Benefits of Customer Service Training

Unlike what many people think, customer service training shouldn’t be limited to the dedicated team or department for the purpose. At one point or another, every employee of the company interacts with consumers, directly or indirectly. Of what good is a great customer service team to a company if employees from other departments handle customers poorly?

To ensure a consistent representation of your company’s dedication to offering the best services, it is necessary that every employee receive some form of customer service training. Of course, more emphasis should be placed on the dedicated team members since they are in constant interaction with the consumers.

Below are some of the benefits that businesses will enjoy from engaging their employees in world class customer service training programs:

1. Brand Image

When your company offers the best customer service possible, it reflects positively on your brand. As more people experience this, the more your brand is perceived as professional, trustworthy, reliable, and customer-friendly. Such a positive reputation and brand image can be a powerful marketing tool for your business. People who have interacted with your business won’t be able to keep their mouths closed about how well they were treated.

2. Improvement Through Reviews and Feedback

The more you interact with consumers, the more reviews and feedback you get from them about your products and services. These responses are invaluable to businesses that are keen on improving their products and services. By incorporating feedback, what the company is offering to the consumers can be improved upon to better satisfy their wants.  

3. Competitive Advantage

A customer who is happy with the customer service of a company is less likely to patronize another. It really is that simple! As a matter of fact, a study showed that 75% of people will return to a company with excellent service. Another study also revealed that 69% of consumers would recommend a company to others if they had a positive experience with it.

This ties back to what we mentioned earlier about brand image and marketing tools. When it comes to marketing, nothing works as much as word-of-mouth marketing. This is because people are more likely to react to recommendations from friends and family than an ad on social media.

Improved Company Culture

When employees treat consumers with kindness and respect, it’s difficult for them not to replicate the same with teammates and colleagues. When employees treat one another with kindness and respect, the workplace becomes a better place. This increases employee productivity and ultimately makes the company more profitable. Click here to learn more about the benefits of good organizational culture. 

Longevity

It is difficult for a company that attracts and keeps customers to go out of business. Of course, there are several factors that could lead to a business going under. However, according to Fundera, about 50% of businesses fail in their 5^th year because of issues relating to poor customer service.

The buyers of your product are the life of the business. When they leave, which is usually because of how they are treated, you stop making sales, and revenue is what keeps a business going. By training employees, you’re taking steps to ensure you company remains relevant for a long time.

How to Provide Better Customer Service

Aside from training employees, the following can be helpful:

1. Surveys

Businesses should regularly conduct surveys to know what buyers are saying or think about their product or service. By regularly engaging them in surveys you get to know what they like and don’t like and act accordingly.

2. Meetups and Group Discussions

Only a few establishments do this. Meeting up with past, existing, and prospective clients or buyers humanizes an organization. Since these meetups are casual and laid back, everyone can air their complaints. By having these meetups, you not only learn about what you’re doing wrong and right but also build a stronger bond which is important in retaining your buyers.

Final Thoughts

The importance of this functional area cannot be overemphasized. Now, like never before, consumers have so much power thanks to review sites like Yelp. Sharing their opinions about a business has never been easier and as you probably know, negative reviews spread the fastest. Therefore, it is necessary that every client or buyer be treated well and offered the best care possible. Establishments that perform well in this area stay relevant because they are always improving on what they offer to consumers.