Value Your Feedback

by Natalie Johnson

The event that was perhaps the inspiration for our blog theme of the month was a customer service training we held with a client this past Wednesday evening. 

Customer service is an element of sales that we have always stressed, but until now had never conducted a training solely on.  In the sales world we all know customer service not only dictates the success of the sale at hand, but also promotes the concept of repeat business.  The purpose of our training was to stress the consequences of poor customer service both internally and externally. 

Post-training we always take the time to dissect the wide array of feedback from the audience, and brainstorm how we can improve the training. 

After our review we realized that the standard approach we took to the customer service theme of our training may not be the best future method.  In other words, a nonspecific response to a client or customer problem is not always the best solution.  A generic solution will not suffice if the situation is realistic and the client is emotionally involved in the dilemma.  Every client has different desires and the best way to meet them as the provider is to educate ourselves of these differences and to remain open minded.   

Therefore, the main lesson we received from the training: everyone is unique. 

In the case of our training we needed to consider that our client conducts the majority of their customer service over the phone, so lessons on body language and in-person service did not directly apply.  Their form of service lasts several months, and develops a relationship with the customer, a type of customer service that in the future we will be sure to address.

However, in terms of internal customer service, we stimulated significant conversations about how your attitude in the office affects the attitude you have with your clients.  In our feedback we found that of the elements of the training the participants found especially helpful were that it taught them to, “be more positive in the office” and keep in mind that “complaints affect everyone around you and bring down morale.”  Participants also realized that their fellow employees may react to their negative attitude and thus, everyone should “be aware of how your actions are affecting those around you.”

The main take away from our review of our customer service training is that in order to provide the best service possible to our customers, we must listen to their specific complaints and requests, and be respectful of others’ opinions.  The views of one individual may at first appear outrageous, but it is surprising how often these views are shared by others.