Customer Excellence: Getting It Right First Time
Helping team members to take accountability and get things right first time
100% of learners would recommend the workshop.
96% average evaluation scores across content, relevance, materials and facilitators.
Summary
The client reached out on LinkedIn looking for an interactive workshop for new team members and for those colleagues whom the organisation had identified as requiring support around giving great customer service. The client had gone through previous customer service training and was looking to bring things back to basics to support their customers. The cost of complaints was beginning to escalate, which could, in turn, impact the client’s reputation.
The main areas of focus for the workshop:
- Understanding the impact of poor customer service.
- Looking at top-performing organisations and what they do to get it right first time.
- How to place the customer at the centre of the organisation and ask the questions that matter.
- Assertiveness and taking ownership.
- Difficult conversations and how to give a positive ‘no.’
Alison says:
“These were great workshops for me, as we utilised some of the “accelerated learning” methods, which included having toys on the table and having music during the workshops, which really helped to set the mood for the day. We used the content to build a storyboard of the workshop in posters around the room as each element was covered.”
About The Client:
One of Scotland’s largest housing associations, managing over 8000 properties over eight local authorities. According to their website, the company vision is to “ensure successful places that enable and support people to reach their potential in Scotland. ”
Challenges
The client had received feedback which identified that they were falling short of expectations in terms of offering excellent customer service, including taking responsibility. Customers were often passed around to different departments and were, on occasion, promised things that could not be delivered.
The client has a mixed customer base ranging from individuals requiring affordable housing through to those within sheltered housing. This variety means that at times, customers may be judged based on previous experiences rather than engaging the customer without bias.
The client is a member of the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) and had identified key areas in which they wished to grow – the workshop was therefore designed to address this need.
It was important to the client that colleagues were able to get things right first time, and this became a mantra during the workshops. It was also about being able to say “no” and still maintain a positive customer relationship.
What We Did
I spoke to the client about stripping things back to the foundations, and really concentrating on getting the basics right, then we could perhaps look at additional customer service events in the future.
Through discussion and analysis, it was identified that some managers were not embedding the previous customer service training on a continuous basis. So, as part of my proposal, I suggested that in addition to the full day workshops on customer excellence, I could also run a half-day workshop for managers to show them how to embed these new strategies into their colleagues’ one-to-ones and team meetings. It was about creating longevity, not only providing customer excellence workshops, and looking at how to put the content into practice.
Impact of Poor Customer Service:
Alison says:
“I use the analogy of building a house – you must get the foundations right, or you won’t build a great house on top of it.”
Customer Excellence Workshop
100% of learners would recommend this workshop
Average evaluation score of 4.8 out of 5
“I really enjoyed the course. I felt I could participate with the course throughout as the trainer was brilliant and the group was a good number”
“I felt it has prepared me to handle the worst call ever”
“Very light-hearted approach and very nice trainer. Would recommend over previous customer service training. Brilliant :-)”
Alison says:
“I think something like a case study or real-life scenario gives a human element to the workshop. We discuss the content and then we do something practical to embed the learning – this is the best way to learn.”
We started by thinking about why we were doing this workshop. We discussed the impact of poor customer service on the business, and the cost to them as a company – bearing in mind that we are in a digital age, where people use social media to share thoughts and feedback.
We also looked at customer’s priorities, and this was taken from the Customer Satisfaction Index. We explored how to keep customers informed, doing what you say you’re going to do, not overpromising and underdelivering, being helpful and having a good attitude.
The workshop was very interactive, sharing content then following this up with case studies and real-life scenarios to embed the learnings and ensure the learners were able to get the most out of the workshop.
For the case studies, we analysed what the customer would think or how they would have felt in a particular scenario, and kept referring back to these throughout the day, building on the content discussed and how this may or may not have improved or eradicated the scenario completely. We then moved onto assertiveness, taking ownership, and how this links back to getting things right first time.
We also looked at how each person will interpret a situation slightly differently. You have your way of seeing something, the customer’s way of seeing something, and then a reality which is somewhere in the middle. It’s about helping learners consider what the customer might be thinking or feeling as they may view the situation in a different way.
Customer Excellence is all about having empathy and listening to the customer. Team members feel that having difficult conversations or saying no to a customer is a hard thing to do; when it isn’t any different to any other conversation you would have – you need to listen, empathise and explain what you can do.
Leader Workshops
We focused on how Leaders can embed Customer Excellence within their team using a variety of methods.
We started the session with an interactive briefing, then the Leaders did some self-reflection on how they can embed Customer Excellence. They considered what challenges they and their team face with regards to Customer Excellence, and what content would be important for their team to know immediately. We then used Action Learning (a peer-to-peer coaching method) to discuss and challenge their thoughts, based on the self reflection.
Using a SWOT analysis, the Leaders then worked in pairs to reflect on their team’s strengths and weaknesses and where opportunities and threats exist.
Finally, the Leaders presented an action plan to the rest of the group detailing what they had taken away from the workshop along with how they could embed the content within their teams.
- 100% of Leaders who attended would recommend this workshop
- Average evaluation score of 4.4 out of 5
“Alison was enthusiastic & kept people’s interest in the subject matter. Good points discussed to take away and pass on to the team.”
“It was about customer excellence & not complaints.”
“It was useful to know what our teams were going to be involved with/learn in advance, so we can help support and encourage them afterwards.”
Next Steps:
Additional workshops were delivered alongside coaching clinics for leaders and colleagues, allowing 1-2-1 or small group sessions to develop further and embed Customer Excellence.
Does your organisation strive for Customer Excellence?
Since 2001, AHC Learning Ltd. have excelled in delivering personal and professional learning and development workshops. We aim to make a real difference while forming true and lasting partnerships with our clients, enabling us to deliver the right solution at the right time.
Contact me today for a chat about how I can help your business achieve its goals.