Managing Customer Service . . .


Leaders who overcome any serious challenge are the ones that change the way they think about themselves.  They convince themselves that they can change, and do change.  Believing comes first – then change.  Not the other way around.

• Effective Listening . . .
  

  Listening to and acknowledging others might seem deceptively simple, but doing it well, particularly in conflict situations takes true talent. In an attempt to deliver excellent customer service we often rush in with solutions. Failing to take the time to understand the problem first means that we are either speaking, or preparing to speak.

• Conflict Management . . .
  

  Dealing with upset customers is one of the most challenging situations we face in the workplace. 

  Good communication skills, controlling anger and reducing stress levels will ultimately impact on the relationships we build with our customers.

• Developing Profitable Relationships . . .
  

  Whether in business or personal life, it is relationships with others that determine success or failure. We need to understand different working styles – needs, values and what motivates people to act in certain ways. This is the customer service equivalent of learning a new language.

• The Internal Customer . . .
  

  The quality of service provided to customers can only be as good as the quality of the relationships that exist between co-workers and suppliers. When colleagues treat each other as they would a customer the overall quality of communication within an organisation is raised.

• Electronic Language . . .
  

  E-mail is an invaluable tool for keeping in touch with colleagues and customers. However, it is essential that e-mails are handled professionally. Awareness of what can and cannot be said in an e-mail can protect an organisation from embarrassment.

• Telephone Styles . . .
  

  Good manners are good for business . . . great manners give you the competitive edge. The telephone is the customer's first contact with a company, and so excellent telephone etiquette is essential. Customers assess the organisation's service attitude on the telephone almost entirely by the tone of voice of the person answering the 'phone.

• Time Management . . .
  

  We must be able to manage multiple tasks and get more work done in less time, yet few of us have learned to reach deadlines that customer set for us. Time is a remarkable asset . . . no matter how much we value it, we cannot store it, slow it down or put it into neutral while we prepare to use it. When we are under pressure, it slips away and we have no power to replenish our supply.

• Present a Professional Image . . .
  

  Customers judge the organisation by the image it projects. No longer is it about you and your rights. It's about representing an organisation and the brand culture of that organisation. It is about your clothes not getting in the way of your message.

Programme Dates:
2012

to be confirmed