Empowering Employees, Elevating Business: The Transformative Power of Customer Service Training

Customer Service training which equips people with the ability to handle any customer service interaction in a positive, solution-focused manner while also being clear when we are unable to do exactly what the customer wants, should have broader benefits beyond improving customer satisfaction scores. Of course, you want to ensure that any service training you invest in will result in improvements in metrics such as Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Scores, reduced complaints and increased customer retention and loyalty. In addition, customer service training is expected to ultimately deliver improved financial performance. This, coupled with the customer service improvement measures are usually the first two metrics focused on to justify investment.? ?

When investigating which training to select and building the case for investment, it is helpful to look beyond these measures to explore the other benefits that will be achieved as well as other areas of improvement in organisational metrics. When implementing customer service training that equips people with the ‘how to’ skills to manage anything that comes their way, we see that the benefits extend to the following areas:??

Employee motivation and engagement?

In our experience, the first metric to move positively following customer service training which helps team members manage situations they encounter every day better is employee engagement. Participant feedback following effective service training should indicate that they feel better equipped to handle situations that they previously found challenging and that their confidence increases. The Gallop Q12 measures of employee engagement indicates why this is. Having the best tools to do an excellent job, being clear on what is expected and the opportunity to do what I do best every day are all enablers that are positively influenced by good customer service training. Moreover, customer service training often includes stress-management techniques for busy customer-facing roles which can help reduce employee burnout and improve overall mental health. It can also have a positive impact on motivation and engagement.??

Operational Effectiveness ??

Improving customer service interactions, making them more effective and avoiding rework or complaints all contribute to increased productivity and operational effectiveness. Customer service training should provide ‘how to’ skills to ensure that solutions to customer issues are quickly identified and communicated effectively, especially when there is a mismatch between customer expectations and what can be delivered. Clear communication developed through customer service training should therefore result in improvements in operational measures. When asked on an MGI programme what measures do you feel this training will help to improve, participants cite a variety of operational metrics, feeling they now have more tools to meet customer needs quickly and efficiently. ??

Benchmarked performance and regulatory measures ?

Customer service training should certainly help organisations to improve their performance when ranked against others in the sector, including assessments by any regulatory body. In an important sector for MGI, Social Housing, the Regulator requires measurement of tenant perception as well as quantitative measures of operational performance. Such regulatory requirements are an excellent focus for customer service training to ensure that customers receive the service expected by the authorities overseeing the sector. ?

Impact on society measures ?

Customer service training has a significant impact on an organisation’s social impact measures by fostering a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and community engagement. Well-trained customer service teams are equipped to handle a diverse range of customer needs and concerns with sensitivity and respect, enhancing the overall customer experience and building trust with the community. This positive interaction can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, which in turn contributes to a favourable public perception of the organisation. By consistently delivering high-quality service and demonstrating a genuine concern for customer well-being, organisations can also build a loyal customer base that advocates for their social initiatives.?

Ensuring there is a clear line of sight between the training you are investing in and the measurable improvements that can be expected as a result of the programme gives more certainty that these results will be achieved. When a training organisation can specifically say how the new skills will deliver improvements in results in all the areas above, as well as how these can be measured and coached for higher and higher metric improvement, there is a sound basis for investment.??

Get in touch to find out how we can rapidly equip your teams with everything they need to excel in their service.?