Online Customer Service Course

• Why great customer service matters
• Components of delivering great customer service
• How to retain existing customers
• How to help generate new business
• Dealing with difficult situations

Everyone in your team who is customer facing, interacts with customers over the phone or online.  The course is ideal for sales staff and all customer service staff who on occasion have to deal with dissatisfied customers.

Good customer service is vital for business success.

In this day and age, social media and online reviews make widespread sharing of experiences – whether positive or negative – easier than ever.

Now, contrast good service that you have received with the situation where you have received poor customer service.  How did you feel?  Disgruntled, dissatisfied and angry?  This is common.   Disgruntled customers can cause huge damage to your reputation and business by loudly publicising what happened to them.  And because people are much more likely to share their negative experiences, this can overshadow any positive customer service you may have provided.

The phrase “The Customer is Always Right” is often quoted as a basic truth behind customer service ideals.

But this can’t be true for every situation, can it?  Perhaps a more appropriate saying would be “The Customer Always Thinks They are Right”.  Or, that the customer is always right, even when they’re not!

Imaging you are dealing with an unhappy customer.  If you treat them with respect, listen carefully to their issue and empathise with them, this helps to build trust regardless of whether they are in the “right” or the “wrong”.  They will be much more likely to then work with you to reach a solution which everyone is satisfied with.

Providing great customer service requires a few different ingredients that are covered in the Customer Service Course

What else contributes to great customer service?

The Right Staff – customer service isn’t for everyone. The best people for these roles naturally have a customer-focused mindset, can work independently or as part of a team, and take real responsibility for customer satisfaction.

Systems and Training – great customer service is never ad-hoc – it needs to be planned and considered. Procedures should be available for every conceivable customer situation, along with a set of general principles to refer to should something unforeseen come up. Having systems in place helps ensure everyone is on the same page, and that customers are treated fairly. Staff should receive training to allow them to deal with any situation, whether anticipated or not.

Effective Communication – both between staff and customers, and internally in your organisation – is vital for great customer service. Dealing with issues quickly and effectively is a key element