Customer Service Training in the run up to London 2012
Providing Excellent Customer Care
When London won the bid to host the 2012 the main selling points were to create a legacy for the future, both through inspiring and motivating young people and through sustainable redevelopment. It also has a mission to be the first 'Green Olympics'.Part of the advantage of London is that we have such rich and diverse array of cultures and nationalities already here. London has been welcoming the world for hundreds of years!
So what do we need to do?
If London is to make the world welcome – what do we need to do? How do we make all the visitors coming to London before, during and after the Games feel welcomed and taken care of?Impact Factory believes passionately that customer service is about people talking to people. It sounds simple but our modern world sometimes conspires against us in making this possible. For example, have you ever heard:
- 'Your call is important to us'
- 'Please Press 1 to give us your password,
press 2 for your personal registration number;
press 3 for your mother's maiden name;
press 4 for 'if you are thinking of leaving us'
- 'Please go to cashier number 6'
Make the World Welcome
In these days of cost efficiencies and rationalisation sometimes it's not possible to deal with the customer as quickly as we, the customers, would like. Waiting around for anything can be very frustrating, whether it's in person or on the phone. This means that those of us who want to make the world welcome have to manage the effect of waiting both on the customer and on the staff at the sharp end dealing with the customer's frustration.In The End it's Up To You
No matter what it says in your company mission statement, on your website or on your advertising – in the end, customer service comes down to you – the individual - and to your conversation with them the customer.Taking personal ownership for that customer experience is vital to all of us if we are to connect with the customer and create excellent customer care. Impact Factory's approach to Customer Service training is to create a clear link between ourselves as customers and what our likes and dislikes are and our customer service role. If we can stand in the shoes of our customers and see the world from their eyes we have a good chance of being able to provide that connection.
Impact Factory training enables people to have the confidence to take ownership of their role on the front line. Being positive, pro-active, assertive or whatever you like to call it allows you and your people to have a 'Can do' attitude even when you can’t do everything the customer would like.
World Class Customer Service
In the report 'World Class Customer Service...2012 and Beyond' these key elements were identified:-
Creating a 'wow' factor
Going the extra mile
'Connecting' with the customer
Getting the basics right every time (consistency)
Dealing effectively with problems and complaints
The Customer Is Always Right…..except when they’re not.
Customer Care
It's easy to talk in sound bites about 'customer care' but customers can be annoying - especially when they don't listen, don’t speak the same language, don't bother to look at you, don't have all of the information they need etc etc.We know just how hard it can be on staff dealing with issues all day long, and it can be difficult not to take it personally when someone is shouting at you, being abusive, rude and/or highly emotional.
While a positive attitude will definitely help, that’s only part of the solution. Listening is vital to gaining clarity regarding any issue. People pick up very quickly if someone is not really listening to them. Even if it's the 40th time that day someone has called with the same problem, the customer needs to experience that connection as one individual to another in order to feel heard. Once they feel heard, then the real work of customer care can begin.
A Well Handled Complaint is a Fantastic Business Opportunity
Most of us will remember when an issue or complaint has been handled well; chances are we'll tell others about it and word of mouth travels fast. A complaint is an opportunity to build rapport and make a connection with the customer which gives us a chance to 'go the extra mile'.In these challenging times, improving Customer Care will enable an organisation to hang on to those precious people – their customers!
Creating motivated, effective, loyal teams of people who work for each other as well as the company is what Impact Factory in-house training is all about.
Impact Factory's Customer Service training
Impact Factory's Excellent Customer Service training has already touched many organisations in London: we have provided tailored training for customer service teams and we have trained trainers to roll out Customer Service programmes within their organisations. We also run Public Open Courses on Customer Service which trains individuals from a huge variety of companies on caring for customers.The Olympics may be a terrific opportunity for London and Londoners to show the world just how enthusiastic, hospitable, warm and friendly this city can be, but Customer Service is vital no matter what the occasion and is essential if businesses want to thrive through this recession right up to the Big Event and beyond.
Talk to Us
Talk to us about our work on customer Care and how we can help you Make the World Welcome.Write to Us
Impact FactorySuite 121 Business Design Centre
London
N1 0QH
Call Us
Phone: 020 7226 1877Email Us
Email: enquiries@impactfactory.comDelivering Customer Service to London 2012 Olympics
Make the World Welcome
