A successful customer service training program can and should change the whole mindset toward customer service within an organization for the long-term.

There are many aspects of the customer experience that a typical mystery shopper company addresses in their regular consultations with clients, and all of them are important. Without good communication, a mystery shopping company doesn't know what to look for, or what questions to ask. Without good on-the-ground mystery shoppers, results get muddled. Without great analysis and careful consulting work, important results can be misinterpreted or even ignored.

All of it is important. In fact, over the years, I've come to learn that a project can often become more and more delicate as it goes along, with all of the previous work building upon itself towards the end. When this happens, any late-in-the-game mistakes-especially ones that occur during training and implementation-can be especially heartbreaking.

But it doesn't have to be so hard. There are a few simple things we can remember during retail customer service training to ensure avoidance of catastrophic failure. Because, let's be honest, after putting in all of the hard work that goes along with turning over a new strategic leaf, the last thing any business needs is to see its new customer service model fail miserably.

Here are 3 simple keys to remember when running customer service training for retail locations:

Experts

Knowledge. Experience. Innovation. Expertise is one of the most important factors in customer service, and that's because it can't be faked. Now, you may be thinking that this isn't very helpful for retail customer service training, because it all happens so quickly and at once. Well, you're right...if you think training does in fact happen all at once.

Expertise (whether it's knowledge, experience, or the ability to innovate) accrues over time. That's as true as it is important. As managers, we need to remember that time is our friend. Training must be continuous. If your team members aren't experts already, make them experts over time.

People First

But until your employees are the experts you know they can be, there are some other things you can do to provide great customer service training for retail. One thing is to ensure that your customers are treated as individuals. Too many customer experiences are soured by a robotic employee "dealing" with "another customer." Putting an end to this type of interaction starts during training, and it starts at the top. Treat your employees as individual people first, and employees second, and invite them to do the same with customers. Empower them to make exceptions or give discounts on behalf of the company. Then, when they realize their moment-to-moment decisions can affect real company outcomes, they'll be less likely to feel like just another cog in the machine, and they'll see and treat customers as people first.

Follow-Through

Of any of these three, this is the most teachable (and perhaps most traceable). When employees are in the habit of following-through with customers, the results are often quite positive. Whether it's a phone call or a simple "Did that answer your question?" following-through is an easy way to be sure any problems a customer may be having are addressed.

I'm the leading expert in customer service in Europe and Asia. If you need advice you can always ask me and I'll help

customer service training

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •