Customer Service Workshop

Making the Difference through A+ Customer

Service

Table of Contents

I. Effective Listening

II. Smart, Friendly, Fast

III. Handling Irate/Dissatisfied

Customers

IV. Delivering the Difference

EFFECTIVELISTENING

Module 1

Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward

overall improvement of the school’s performance

by focusing on employing basic customer

service principles like being courteous, treating

customers with respect, and resolving their issues

in order to drive improved customer

satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.

• This particular module is dedicated to the basic

principles of effective listening, which will

improve the overall customer experience.

Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:

− Describe the relationship between listening and customer loyalty.

− List the costs of not listening effectively.

− Define active listening.

− Identify words that warn.

− Define empathy.

− Describe how to respond with empathy.

Quote

“Seek first to understand,

then to be understood.”

Stephen Covey

Effective Listening• Effective listeners consistently demonstrate an

ability to:− Listen actively− Extend empathy

• The costs of not listening effectively include:− Poor customer experience− Timely and costly rework− Misunderstanding and confusion− Frustration that escalates to hostility− Valued customers leave RMC− RMC’s reputation is damaged

Active Listening• Active listening is first about understanding the

other person, then about being understood. Active

listening requires you to be present, focused on the

moment, and to operate from a place of respect. In

order to communicate effectively, you must take an

active role when listening to your customers.

• You must do more than just “hear” words.

• Active listening requires active attention and focus

on what is being said, so that you understand when

customers are confused or frustrated.

Paraphrase to Check for Understanding• Paraphrasing is the process of briefly summarizing

and repeating back in your own words what you

heard the customer say. It is a key element of active

listening and it helps ensure that you understood the

customer’s message correctly (e.g. "It sounds as if

your concern is..." or “The issue seems to be...").Questions for Detail and Clarity: Help you gain clarity on any ambiguous issue, or when the customer’s description is unclear or not detailed enough.

Open-Ended Questions: Draw customers out and encourage them to give more than just a yes/no response (e.g. "What do you think about...").

Closed-Ended Questions: Require more specific answers (like a “yes” or “no”) and help you guide a more direct conversation.

Hearing vs. Listening• It can be extremely

frustrating to customers

when they feel they are not

being heard.

• Active listening is more than

just hearing words:− Think of hearing as a

physical process.− Think of listening as a

mental process.

Activity – The Sorting Hat

• You will now participate in an

activity to learn how to

determine which house your

customer is in:− The Happy House− The Generally “okay” house− The Dissatisfied house

Empathetic Listening

• Now that you understand more about how to be an

active listener, it is time to discuss empathetic

listening, reviewing its importance and the effect on

customer experience.

• Empathetic listening means to key in on customer

words that have emotion connected to them.

Listening for anxiety, confusion, fear, anger, a sense of

urgency, or uncertainty are examples of empathetic

listening.

Let’s Practice!

SMART, FRIENDLY, FAST

Module 2

Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward

overall improvement of the school’s performance

by focusing on employing basic customer

service principles like being courteous, treating

customers with respect, and resolving their issues

in order to drive improved customer

satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.

• This particular module is dedicated to delivering a

Smart, Friendly, and Fast customer experience

every time.

Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:

− Describe how to deliver Smart service.

− Describe how to deliver Friendly service.

− Describe how to deliver Fast service.

Quote

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not

an act but a habit.”

Author Unknown

Activity

• What does delivering a SMART,

FRIENDLY, FAST customer

experience mean to you?

• How does SMART, FRIENDLY, FAST

impact overall customer

experience?

How to Deliver SMART Service?

− Resolve the customer’s current issue and meet future needs to ensure one time resolution

− Offer the right solution− Educate customers− Be knowledgeable, follow

processes, and use your tools

− Act as One RMC: use “we” instead of “they”

SMART

How to Deliver FRIENDLY Service?

FRIENDLY

− Be courteous and show concern for customers’ needs

− Thank customers for their business

− Listen and personalize interactions

− Answer all customer questions

− Be enthusiastic and demonstrate a positive, “I can help” attitude

− Make sure customers know what to expect

How to Deliver FAST Service?

FAST

−Respect customers’ time−Be prompt−Be crisp−Be accurate−Do it right the first time−Promote self-service

solutions

Helpful Reminders for Polite and Friendly Reminders

Let’s Practice!

HANDLING IRATE/DISSATISFIED

CUSTOMERS

Module 3

Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward

overall improvement of the school’s performance

by focusing on employing basic customer

service principles like being courteous, treating

customers with respect, and resolving their issues

in order to drive improved customer

satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.

• This particular module is dedicated to properly

handling irate customers, which will improve

the overall customer experience.

Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this training, you will be able to:

− Describe the L.A.C.E.S. method for managing difficult customer interactions Describe how to deliver Friendly service.

− State what customer anger is really about

− Identify how to guard against taking customer anger personally.

− Describe the Anger Curve.

− List acknowledgement phrases to show empathy and support.

Quote

Customers have the right to be angry!

Author Unknown

L.A.C.E.S Method• To defuse anger, you need to

undo the “laces” and remove

the boxing gloves.

• A five step process called

L.A.C.E.S. can help you

manage situations when a

customer is angry or is

becoming angry.

• The L.A.C.E.S. method for

managing difficult customer

interactions can be

used at any time

• L.A.C.E.S.

stands for: − Listen− Acknowledge− Clarify− Explain− Solve

What ANGER is really about?• Customers who express a negative

emotion usually have one thing on

their mind: resolving the issue that

has caused the emotional upheaval

for them.

• When confronted with an upset

customer you must demonstrate

respect, constraint, and tact. It is

important to always deal with an irate

customer in a professional and

courteous manner.

• Each time you react to the

customer, the customer will react

to you.

It’s Nothing Personal – Don’t TIPYou must take it seriously, but not personally.

− Remind yourself it is not a personal attack.

− Try to see the situation from the customer’s point of view.

− Realize customer outbursts are a product of frustration and not about you.

− Challenge yourself to see how many irate customers you can turn around in a day, making dissatisfied customers into loyal ones.

− The main thing to remember is to take it seriously, but not personally.

The ANGER CurveThe Anger Curve diagram

to the right shows the path of customer anger.You can see that as the anger curve goes up, the logic curve goes down.

This means that as customers get angrier, their ability to reach a logical solution diminishes.

During phases 1 and 2, a customer might be capable of working with you to resolve their issue, but at stage 3, logic has bottomed out and the customer just needs to vent.

Anger Zone

2

3

4

1

Logic

Normal

Acknowledgment PhrasesIn the build rapport phase of your call flow you can

say:

− “I apologize for the inconvenience this is causing.”

− “That must be very upsetting.”

− “I can see why you feel that way.”

− “I understand how frustrating this must be.”

− “I wish this were not happening for you.”

− “I can certainly see your point of view.”

− “This sounds like a frustrating experience for you.”

− “I can imagine the inconvenience this is causing you.”

− “I’m glad you told me this, now I can resolve it for you.”

Let’s Practice!

DELIVERINGTHE

DIFFERENCE

Module 4

Introduction• This Customer Service Workshop is geared toward

overall improvement of the school’s performance

by focusing on employing basic customer

service principles like being courteous, treating

customers with respect, and resolving their issues

in order to drive improved customer

satisfaction and deliver the WOW factor.

• This particular module is dedicated to how you

can deliver the difference in terms of customer

service.

Quote

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”

Roger Staubach