customer care

Delegates will learn
  • How to build customer relationships
  • How to manage customer expectations
  • How to communicate with customers more effectively
  • How to be appropriately assertive
  • How to manage difficult customers
Style

A 2-day workshop with a mix of discussion and practical work that will provide delegates with the opportunity to practice the skills learned.

Target audience

Managers and staff who regularly deal with customers.

Topics

SETTING THE SCENE

  • Introduction
  • The importance of customer service to your business
  • Customer care defined
  • Lifetime values of a customer
  • Customer retention
  • Service recovery
  • Skills and personal attributes required
  • Personal assessment

DEFINING YOUR CUSTOMER

  • Internal versus external customers
  • What makes a customer tick?
  • Different 'types' of customer with different needs

CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS

  • Understanding customer needs
  • Highlighting individual strengths and weaknesses
  • Why customer care needs to be taken seriously
  • The advantages of having satisfied customers

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

  • The importance of the first impression
  • The difference between impact and behaviour
  • Identifying own impact on others
  • Highlighting areas for improvement

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

  • Identifying the elements of effective communication
  • Improving individual communication skills
  • Communication Misunderstandings
  • Ensuring the sender and receivers are in sync
  • Delivering messages that have impact
  • Recognising communication styles that can cause a conflict
  • Controlling Conversations
  • Understanding the conversation cycle
  • Using appropriate questioning techniques
  • Directing conversations toward desired outcomes

BUILDING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

  • Recognition of individuals
  • Meeting & anticipating individual needs
  • Respecting cultural differences
  • Generating rapport
  • Proactivity & 'owning the problem'
  • Flexibility
  • Offering choices / finding solutions
  • Demonstrating 'can-do' attitude

THE DIFFICULT CUSTOMER

  • Understanding the rationale for complaints
  • Understanding customer's wants and needs
  • Proven customer handling techniques
  • Recognising personal strengths and weaknesses
  • Using words that inspire
  • Turning complaints into opportunities

ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION & FEEDBACK

  • Defining assertive behaviour
  • Non-assertive and aggressive behaviour
  • Using "I" statements
  • Defining feedback
  • A structured approach to feedback
  • Receiving feedback
  • Giving feedback

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

  • Key learning points
  • Action planning