When you think about customer service training, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Like many, you probably think about service training in terms of fixing a problem. “We’re receiving too many customer complaints on our social media networks. We’re getting consistently bad media publicity about our horrible service. We’ve made The Top 10 Most Horrible Places to Work list. We should, therefore, probably invest in service training to fix our customer relations nightmare, right?”
But what if there was a different way at looking at customer service training, the same way that successful companies utilize this training to maintain a competitive edge. Success companies know that customer service is a skill. And like most skills, if you continue to train it, the better and stronger the skill becomes—the better and stronger your customer service team becomes.
Lately, I’ve been experiencing an interesting trend in customer service training. Companies that are already providing great service are hiring me to help them GET 
BETTER. That’s right! These companies aren’t hiring me to fix problems or put out fires. They are hiring me to build upon their already great service to take them to a higher level of excellence in customer care. Wow, right? Now compare this trend to companies that have horrible service, yet don’t even consider training to fix what’s broken in the first place.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
10 tips that separate successful companies from all the rest:
- Invest in customer service training BEFORE you have customer care issues.
- Invest in customer service training to ELEVATE your current great service to the next level.
- If #1 and #2 are not possible, then invest in customer service training when you FIRST notice problems arising. Don’t wait until your reputation is on the line or ruined.
- The people at the top of your organization must be firm believers in the delivery of excellent customer service and are committed, open, and flexible for making this happen.
- Make customer service training a priority for all employees.
- Make customer service training an ongoing and consistent process.
- Have customer service standards in place to ensure consistency of delivery and accountability by all—from leadership to the cleaning crew.
- Hold people accountable to your customer service standards and take action immediately when standards are not upheld.
- Recognize employees who go above and beyond service protocols. Make this recognition frequent, specific, and meaningful.
- Empower employees to deliver exceptional service within realistic boundaries while still allowing for above-and-beyond service.
Remember: To truly gain a competitive edge over the competition, you must invest in customer service training while you already have great service. Make training more about achieving the next level of excellence instead of a means of addressing service problems.
What do You do to elevate your already great level of service? Or do you wait until you have a problem before you implement strategies or training? Please share in the comments section below.