Customer Service Excellence

Program One:
Foundation for Success
Customer Service is Everyone's Business

Appropriate for: All Staff

Essential for: All Staff

Format: Combined Lecture, Large and Small Group Discussion, and Individual Exercises

Workshop Description:
Highly motivational program which substantiates each staff member's individual and cumulative importance to the department's future success. Establishes the customer as the "Center of the Department's Universe." Whether part time or full time, maintenance or managerial all participants will learn how to:

• View their jobs as a critical and valuable part of the customer's experience
• Evaluate customer service quality from four perspectives: individual, division, department and customer.
• Break through obstacles which get in the way of providing "Amazing Customer Care."
• Quickly understand what the customer really wants
• Shift their attitude from negative to positive
• Better handle customer conflicts

Program Two:
Effective Communications
What Language are You Speaking, Anyway?

Appropriate for: All Staff

Essential for: All Staff

Format: Lecture, Individual Assessment, Small Group Problem Solving and Role Play

Workshop Description:
This fun and creative program uses accelerated learning techniques to teach communication skills crucial to each person in your department. Strong emphasis on inter-department communications. Participants will learn how to:

• Assess which of the five communication styles they most often use
• Quickly "read the style of others" for maximum connection
• Use written and spoken methods to efficiently get their point across
• Hear the silent roar of non-verbal messages
• Better work with other divisions and departments to move projects forward
• Increase listening skills
• Avoid the problems of Communication Breakdown

Program Three:
Conflict Resolution
Mission IS Possible: Turning Customer Problems into Opportunities

Appropriate for: All Staff

Essential for: All part time and full time staff with direct customer contact and decision making authority

Format: Lecture, large group discussion, small group case history role play

Workshop Description:
Is the customer always right? Not exactly, but the customer is the boss and must be treated like a valued guest. With the right skills and attitude, internal and external customer problems, disputes and complaints truly can be transformed into opportunities. Participants will learn:

• The real reason why problems arise
• What an angry customer really wants
• What to do if a customer is irrational or abusive
• Nine simple steps to handle a customer who is miffed, irate, upset, or just plain mad.
• How to handle the special needs of internal customers such as co-workers, bosses, other divisions and departments
• Win-win negotiation solutions for each and every problem
• Follow-up techniques to turn a disgruntled customer into your best ally
• What to do when you're at the end of your rope (It happens to the best of us!)

Program Four:
Proactive Retention
Beyond Customer Service: Designing a Customer Retention Strategy

Appropriate for: All part time and full time staff with direct customer contact

Essential for: All program coordinators, supervisors, managers and those responsible for marketing department programs, services and products

Format: Lecture, small group strategy development with oral presentations

Workshop Description:
It is five times more expensive to bring in a brand new customer than it is to keep one you already have! This program takes your department to the next level of customer care by using a team approach to creating a proactive customer retention and retrieval strategy. Participants will learn how to:

• Use simple research methods to stay on the cutting edge of quality
• Design and distribute quantitative customer surveys
• Conduct and facilitate customer interviews and focus groups
• Collect ideas, feedback and survey results to design customer driven programs
• Assess why some programs and marketing efforts fail
• Create a Customer Retention Program for immediate action and implementation 

Program Five:
Managing and Motivating Customer Care
How to Inspire and Reward Amazing Customer Service

Appropriate for: All level managers, supervisors and future department leaders

Essential for: All middle and upper level managers, supervisors and directors

Format: Consultative, Small Group Projects with Oral and Written Presentations

Workshop Description:
Amazing Customer Service is a culture that starts at the top. Managers can inspire, motivate and nurture team members to meet and exceed your customer service mission and expectations. Participants of this program will:

• Learn how to apply psychology of motivation to department and division goals
• Brainstorm and develop informal and formal rewards and recognition ideas to motivate everyone on your team
• Budget and calculate return on investment
• Take the necessary steps to design a Customer Service Reward Program
• Determine measurable standards to evaluate program results
• Present program outline to large group for input, approval and implementation