GREAT Customer Service Training Courses | The Customer Service Training Company

The Customer Service Training Company

GREAT customer service

We take an emotionally intelligent approach to customer service.

GREAT customer service

A unique one- or half-day programme

Virtual or classroom

In our digital, ‘results now’, ‘always on’ and ‘click here’ world, it’s easy to lose the emotionally connected experience that customers want. Studies show that 70% of customers spend twice as much with organisations they have an emotional connection with, so we lose that connection at our peril.

And that’s our starting point with the GREAT customer service programme. It gives a structure for an emotionally connected, loyalty-inspiring, trust-building customer conversation.

This programme inspires behavioural change. It will help your people acquire and develop the skills they need.

Who should attend?

This programme is appropriate to everyone within your organisation, at whatever level – and the flexible structure means that we can easily tailor it to different levels, different functions, different sectors, different types of customer interaction (eg, telephone, face-to-face, email, etc).

What happens in it?

This is a very practical, interactive session – structured explanations when needed, otherwise very conversational, with a heap of activities and video clips. As a participant, you’re never more than 15 minutes away from the next activity.

How’s it delivered?

Option 1 – Face-to-face. A one-day session for a group of up to 12.

Option 2 – Virtual. The virtual option is just as interactive. Again, for a group of up to 12.

Is there any pre-work?

Whether ‘classroom’ or ‘virtual’, participants will get the most from the programme if they complete a short personality styles questionnaire first. One exercise, in particular, depends on it.

Is there any follow-up?

We’ll give you our ‘GREAT coaching toolkit’ – a 32-page booklet for your team leaders and line managers, full of practical coaching strategies they can use in the moment, in a team meeting, or in a one-to-one.

What’s the next step?

Give us a call to talk it through. Decide what’s the best approach for your organisation. Agree a budget. Have a chat with the trainer. Discuss the practicalities. Pick a time, date and place. Sign on the dotted line (you’re not committed until then).

Is there anything else I need to know?

Not really. But give us a call if you’ve got any questions – we’re here to help!

FAQ 1

Yes, we can tie the session in to your values or customer service charter.

FAQ 2

Yes, a ‘tailored’ option is possible and we can ‘flex’ the programme a little, if you want to emphasise a particular theme. Although we’d prefer to flex it rather than break it, so give us a call to talk through the options.

FAQ 3

Yes, certificates of attendance can be provided.

FAQ 4

Yes, there are optional modules if you want to focus on a specific issue, eg, complaint handling, resilience, telephone skills, email customer service, etc.

FAQ 5

Yes, there are other options for supervisors, team leaders and line managers. In particular, you might want us to give them a quick overview of the GREAT model, talk them through the toolkit and help brush up their coaching skills so they’re confident using the activities.

FAQ 6

If you don’t mind a longer day, then start at 9.00 instead, finish at 5.00 and we’ve got time to add an hour’s ‘end-to-end’ practice session at the end of the afternoon, before the action planning. This activity can be run as ‘forum theatre’ or in trios. It’s a role-playing session, practising a common customer interaction using the GREAT Customer Service skills. A great way of reinforcing the learning!

Workshop outline

The timetable below is for the full-day face-to-face version of the programme, with approximate timings for breaks. Virtual delivery follows the same content and sequence but with different timings and slightly different exercises.

Pre-work: complete the Personality Styles profile

1. Welcome to GREAT customer service (9.30)

What will you learn? Session overview and introduction
Activity: GREAT Customer Service in 20 seconds
Why you should stop trying to delight your customers
Making it easy for your customers
What’s your experience of easy service?

2. G is for Greet (10.10)

Building an emotional connection and projecting warmth
The formula for trust (warmth + competence = trust)
How to inspire trust:
Validate the customer’s feelings
‘Smile from the inside’
Inspire confidence
Activity: greet with warmth
Activity: video clip-based discussion

BREAK (10.55)

3. R is for Recognise needs (11.05)

Recognising what your customer really needs from you
Focus on the customer, not the ‘problem’
Asking curious questions
Activity
TED questions (Tell-Explain-Describe) and the question funnel
Listening to understand and empathise
Activity
The levels of listening
Activity: recognise customer needs
Activity: video clip-based discussion

LUNCH (12:30)

4. E is for Empathise (1.00)

Activity: video clip-based discussion
Seeing things through your customer’s eyes
True empathy
Personality styles
Activity: attuning to your customer
Activity: video clip-based discussion

5. A is for Act (2.00)

BREAK (3.00)

6. T is for Thank (3.10)

Ending on a high
Why a good experience needs to be a good memory as well
How to end on a high
Confirm what happens next
Activity
Thank the customer and give a personal and memorable goodbye
Activity
Activity: video clip-based discussion

7. GREAT ways of handling complaints and difficult situations

The part played by emotion
A complaint is a gift!
Take the H.E.A.T. out of any difficult situation
Show empathy and understand the customer’s situation
How to say ‘No’ with empathy and respect

8. Your action plan

CLOSE (4.30)

'I loved this workshop, I enjoyed the immersive side of it and how Jamie got everyone involved and had us mix with other groups. I learnt a lot and will adapt this new knowledge.'

'I loved learning about behaviour styles – this was an eye opener on how to improve customer service with each customer we speak to.'

'Scott was great, he was very informative and also took the time to learn our names and make that personal. He definitely knows what he is talking about.'

'Jamie was fun and engaging and the course was actually interesting and gripping. I’ve done several customer service courses before and they tend to be exhausting. Not so with this one. Thanks Jamie!'

'It was reassuring to know the customer service we are providing was good. It was great to take it to the next level and understand the behavioural side of customer service, which will really help us improve our service.'

'[The trainer] was absolutely fantastic. He took us through all the content and explained each part as a simply as possible which made it a breeze to understand. He was also very supportive if you did not quite get it and answered all the questions we had. He also helped improve some of our Textexpanders which we use daily to provide a higher level of customer service.'

'It was a good day and good to have a refresher on a subject I have had training on in the past with previous employers.'

'Definitely worthwhile.'

'Amazing and eye-opening!'

'Really useful refresher of a topic you think you know a lot about but forget some of the basics.'