View this online Hey Reader, Two clients had the same challenge. Customers tried to call but couldn't get through to a customer service rep. For one client, the issue had nothing to do with training. The phone system wasn't working! It was a training issue for the other client. They had installed a new phone system and employees didn't know how to indicate they were available to receive calls. One issue would never be fixed with training. The other issue was resolved with a five minute "quick...
2 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Where are your employees on the learning curve? The are four stages. Collectively, they're called the Four Stages of Competence. Each stage has unique characteristics and poses a different challenge. Identifying where an employee is on the learning curve will make you a better customer service trainer. In this edition of Service Training Tips, I'm going to walk you through the four stages of competence. I'll show you how to: Identify where an employee is on the...
9 days ago • 3 min read
View this online Hey Reader, "You ruined Christmas!" The customer's words stung. Rationally, I knew I hadn't ruined her Christmas. It wasn't my fault that the shipper botched the delivery, a delivery made more difficult by a blizzard. It also wasn't my fault that she pinned all her holiday joy on a single gift that hadn't arrived in time to make it under the tree. Her words still stung. You and your team might have experienced a lot of Scrooges in the past week. It all adds up and makes...
16 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Imagine you could build a service culture. The type of culture where all of your employees were obsessed with customer service. They went the extra mile, encouraged each other, and always seemed to do the right thing. That's my jam. I love helping leaders build service cultures. It's why I go by "the service culture guide." Unfortunately, you need more than one five-minute tip to build that type of culture with your team. So I'm going to do the next best thing....
23 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Burnout is a real challenge this time of year. I conducted a study that found 59 percent of contact center agents were at risk of burnout. I suspect numbers are similar for other customer service roles. The study also uncovered things that make employees more resilient. I'm going to share the top three in this week's tip and connect each one to training. But first, what is burnout and why is it a problem? What is burnout? Burnout is defined by the American...
30 days ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, ⚠️Warning: there will be some light math in this week's tip. You've got this! Imagine you have a team of five. The team has a goal to achieve an 85 percent average on customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys. Here are their results: Kate: 96% Steve: 94% Deron: 89% Amy: 80% Leo: 66% Your boss has recently gotten a few complaints about the team and has asked you to improve CSAT. You've been specifically asked to train the team as soon as possible. What should you do?...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
View this online Hey Reader, You probably know I've authored a few customer service courses on LinkedIn Learning. I'll sometimes see someone post their certificate of completion and write that they earned their certification. It always makes me cringe a bit. Sure, I appreciate the shout out. It's the mix-up between "certification" and "certificate" that I worry about. It's a bigger deal than you think. In this week's tip, I'll share the difference and explain why one will make you a better...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. In honor of the holiday, I'm sharing the Thank You Letter Challenge. It's one of my favorite customer service training exercises. You probably saw this yesterday if you subscribe to the Customer Service Tip of the Week. That's my newsletter where I send one tip per week you can share with your team. Anyone can subscribe here. This tip will go a little deeper and explain why it works. What is the Thank You Letter...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
View this online Hey Reader, An individual development plan (IDP) is a personalized training plan to help an employee improve performance. There are many situations where an IDP can help: An employee is struggling in a particular area An employee wants to earn a promotion Annual reviews reveal opportunities for growth I'm going to show you how to create an effective IDP. Start here: I've created a sample IDP to help explain the process. Follow along with me by downloading it here. IDP Process...
2 months ago • 2 min read
View this online Hi Reader, Have you ever felt hopeless while trying to serve a customer? One team did. Customers called the accounting department, furious about their bills. There was nothing reps could do. Or so they thought. We did an exercise to refocus the team on what they could control. It immediately worked. They found new ways to defuse customer anger. More customers ended the call happy. That small victory led to another victory. And another. Soon, reps realized they could do a lot....
2 months ago • 1 min read