We get a lot of calls from senior executives seeking Customer Service Training for their company.
The call often comes from a CEO or their admin assistant or another C-level executive.
What is fascinating is that they are typically calling as a REACTION to a Customer Experience Failure. "We need someone to come in to do some Customer Service Training... ASAP!" is the typical reaction to a Customer Service Failure.
We naturally ask "When were you hoping to implement this?" The response is typically, "Customer Service is a core value of our company. This is really important... When can you come out?" is the next question.
Whoa. Slow down. Customer Service Training while likely necessary is very likely the wrong strategy to begin with... In fact, Customer Service Training is likely the WRONG medicine altogether.
Why? Three reasons.
First... Right Talent / Right Touch Points / Right Culture - If you do not have the right talent in a culture of personal accountability, doing the right things (Touch Points) at the right times, no Customer Service Training Program is going to help you. Period. Exclamation point! Customer Service Training for your employee team members who do not "get it" and will never understand, nor use, nor embrace, nor believe in the purpose of the Customer Experience IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!
Second... Employee Engagement must be high in order to effectively deliver the desired Customer Experience. Again... The Right Talent is critical! While universal Customer Service Training can help (only somewhat) by raising awareness overall, the reality is different teams, departments, divisions, and locations ALWAYS have different Customer Service problems contributing to the Customer Experience Issue.
Therefore, the Customer Service "medicine" must be customized to the team, department, division, and location. If you do not customize your Customer Experience initiative, your team members will "smell it" and say, "One size fits all training again? This is another wasted effort. Why engage? Why care?"
Third... Inconsistent Customer Experiences will further upset your Customers. Some team members will run with the Customer Service Training. To these team members, the Customer Service Training Program will be a "breath of fresh air". They will come back to their daily activities energized and will actually deliver the desired Customer Service Experience. Other team members (who do not fit job well) will be operating as "business as usual".
The result will be inconsistent Customer Service Engagements. Your Customer will "smell" that your organization really does not care about them and commoditize your offerings or take their business elsewhere.
Therefore... Resist the urge to waste perfectly good training dollars to improve something that will not be improved through traditional Customer Service Training. After all... Most Customer Service Training is what we call "Trainertainment". The trainer feels good. The employee team member feels good. The boss checks the "box" saying, "We solved the Customer Service Problem - We sent everyone to training."
If you are truly serious about improving your Customer Experience, then address the root issues causing the Customer Service problems in the first place. Those root issues are found in the following key "ingredients" of your Customer Experience.
The Right People doing the Right Things at the Right Times.
The Right People / The Right Systems / The Right Culture
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
- Employee Favoritism and Nepotism - Employee Morale Cancer
- The Employee Love Paradox
- Climb, Camp, or Quit - You Decide
- Improve Employee Performance with Coaching Score Cards
- The Costs of Turnover
- How Poorly Fit Employees Can Pose as Top Performers
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
