Why you're not ready to hire customer service staff
Since 2010, Lightbulb Training Solutions have been working with businesses across Australia who employee and want to keep frotnline customer service staff. We help all industries to identify, induct and inspire frontline customer service staff so they create and maintain a culture of service excellence.
A culture of service excellence means customers feel valued and supported and this leads to compliments and referrals from customers and just as importantly, it creates a team of proud leaders and pumped frontline staff!
When we start with a new business we conduct a Customer Service Analysis so we can understand their service goals, their staff experiences and skills and their customers needs and want. The CSA gives us a clear understanding of where we can help and what you can do without us.
Ove the years, Lightbulb Training Solutions’ trainers and facilitators have identified a very common problem:
95% of businesses don’t have a customer service skills and standards component in their induction process.
We do find that induction processes consist of a tour of the workplace, a focus on the hard skills (technical skills) required in the role and time to read policies and procedures. These are all necessary actions but it leaves out a vital component of onboarding a new customer service employee; your customer service standards, which should include reference to soft skills (people skills).
The soft skills of your frontline team are what customers assess to determine if the business is trustworthy and desrving of a customers time and money. New employees need an induction process that confirms the customer service standards of the business, the soft skills friontline staff need and the support options in place to help them achieve those goals.
DIY SOLUTIONS
Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Have clear customer service standards that are written down and relevant to the role.
Provide a mentor/buddy for your new employee. Someone they can go to with questions when you are unavailable.
Schedule regular Service Excellence Conversations. Dedicate time for a new recruit to ask questions and for you to assess their customer service skills and knowledge. As little as 15 minutes once a week will help keep them customer service focused.
Hard before Soft. If possible, allow new recruits to learn the hard skills of a role before they interact with customers. Once they are familiar with technology/equipment/processes, they will find it much easier to concentrate on their soft skills (people skills) when interacting with customers.
LET US HELP YOU
Our Service Excellence Packages provide you with a range of customer service specific training programs and resources that you can include in your induction process. You can be sure that all the skills and attitudes required to delight your customers will be addressed and any learning gaps identified early. At a minimum, we can provide you with copies of Cate’s Schreck’s book; “The A – Z of Service Excellence - The Essential Guide to becoming a Customer Service Professional”. It’s 26 Chapters of information and practical startegies aim at creating your own team of Customer Service Professionals.
TESTIMONIAL
“Lightbulb Training Solutions have provided over 25 fun and interactive workshops for our administrative and clinical staff across Australia. Cate goes to great lengths to understand a business and has the passion, skills and knowledge to deliver customer service skills training in a way that staff at all levels can relate to.” Craig Pritchard - National Field Development Manager/Back In Motion Health Group