GREAT customer service
A unique one- or half-day programme
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.
- Warmly greet the customer – building trust from the beginning
- Recognise what the customer really needs – through asking curious questions and really listening to understand
- Attune to the customer’s communication preference – so that they can truly empathise
- Demonstrate accountability and how they will ‘own’ the customer’s issue or question
- End every interaction on a high – with a personal and memorable goodbye
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!
Yes, we can tie the session in to your values or customer service charter.
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.
Yes, certificates of attendance can be provided.
Yes, there are optional modules if you want to focus on a specific issue, eg, complaint handling, resilience, telephone skills, email customer service, etc.
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.
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)
- How to demonstrate competence and expertise and so inspire trust
- The ladder of accountability
- Activity: accountable language
- Activity: being accountable
- Activity: video clip-based discussion
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
- Prioritising which actions to take
- What specific actions will you take?
- By when?
- How will you know when you’ve been successful?
- Activity: surprise!
