Customer Service can make or break a company. That is why companies hire talented and experienced customer service representatives to ensure high quality output. However, hiring seasoned employees is just the initial step. If the company really wants to expand the knowledge, efficiency, and productivity of their support reps, a formal CSR training program is a must.
What is CSR Training Program?
Customer service training is a program that employees who work directly with customers/clients undergo to increase and improve their knowledge, skills, and competencies in ensuring customer satisfaction.
Based on the study conducted by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), companies who offer training programs to their employees have 218% higher income per employee than those who do not.
Depending on the company, customer service training can vary from teaching basic rules and guidelines of the company to a more comprehensive program about increasing sales and the number of happy customers.
Why is CSR Training Program Important?
Have you ever encounter a CSR who does not seem to know how to handle your questions and concerns? How did it affect your opinion of the company? As the CSR is oftentimes the first line of contact, they tend to shape how people think of your business.
When hiring employees, it is a basic rule to identify the experiences that they had already acquired from past employments. However, just because an employee has been working for a decade doesn\’t mean that they already know everything. It should be taken into consideration that every company has its own standards and rules.
Types of CSR Training Program
Customer service representatives should not only know how to operate the computer system and communicate with the customers, they should also know how every aspect in the department works to effectively execute their work. Here are different types of CSR training program that you can have your support reps train for:
Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of accepting new employees to the company. Since these fresh faces are just beginning their work, it is very important to have them undergo an onboarding training wherein they can learn the culture, rules and regulations, team structure, and expectations in the company.
A new approach to the onboarding process is continuous onboarding, in which the adaptation period never stops. It continues as the employee works in the company and it keeps him/her engaged in the working process. (Larrucea, et.al, 2018)
Product Knowledge Training
While it is important for CSRs to create sales for every call they receive, it is also equally important for them to know the products and services the company is offering. Having an in depth knowledge about what to offer to the customers will lessen the chances of negative feedback from the clients. When these employees know the inside and out of every product or service, they can answer to the customers’ questions confidently and instantly.
Communication Training
Communication is very vital for customer care representatives since they are the forefront faces of the company. Since every customer speaks and acts differently, they should know what right tone to use when talking to them. Furthermore, CSRs should be able to deal with difficult clients by making them understand calmly the situation they are in and the possible solutions to address their concerns.
Software Training
No matter what type of support tool the company is using, CSRs should have a strong knowledge on how to maneuver the software. Whether it is receiving or answering calls, filing a report, or tracking an order, they should know every detail to ensure faster and efficient process.
Customer Type Training
You can never make a sale or communicate properly to your customers if you don’t know them. So, companies should train CSRs to know and understand the customers they are serving. Furthermore, understanding your clients’ needs and desires will make it easier for support reps to respond to their queries.
How To Create A CSR Training Program?
Now that you have the basic knowledge about customer service training, it is time to develop or revise your own program. Here are some tips from Hubspot that you can use:
Include Soft Skills Training
When creating training programs for customer service representatives, most companies tend to focus solely on hard skills such as the operational and technical side required for a particular task. However, what they are forgetting is teaching the support reps personal skills that will reflect in every interaction they have with the customers. Soft skills start the moment the customer care greet the caller up until they provide solution to the problem. These skills are what make customers feel happy and loyal to your business. Since these type of training is very important, you can dig deeper into different soft skills that your CSRs can enhance.
Empathy
Being able to put yourself in the shoes of your customers says a lot about how far you are willing to understand them. Empathy is not just about serving them properly but its making them feel that they are being listened to. Although this skill sounds easy for some, not everyone can just automatically empathize with the customers.
Therefore, it is suggested during training to ask your employees to immerse themselves with different kinds of people. It can be anyone in their family or community, even strangers. In addition, talking to drivers, housekeepers, businessmen, and other professions, can widen their knowledge about how different types of people live their life and can widen their way of thinking.
Positivity
The last thing customers want to hear or see are words that connotes negativity. Most of the time support reps receive complaints from clients. Often than not, the response will always be “I’m afraid that we cannot…”. Instead of saying negative words, you can replace them with positive ones. You can try “It’s my pleasure to help you” or “I would love to assist you”.
Choice of words are very important whenever you speak to your customers. As much as possible, always make them feel that you can give them what they need in the easiest and fastest way possible.
Care
Another vital soft skill that CSRs should apply is the ability to show care towards the customers. Customers are strangers. It is easier for people to show care to family and friends but less likely to people whom they never met. However, when dealing with customers it is important for them to feel that they don’t just exist in your business because they are your source of income. They should feel that they are being valued like how you value the closest people around you.
This soft skill can be done by training CSRs to smile while speaking, remembering significant details of the customers, and always letting them know that they are there 24/7 to be of help.
Include Product and Technical Skills Training
The best way for CSRs to execute their job properly is when they have significant knowledge about the company, the products and services it offers, and how the management works. All these should be properly introduced and taught thoroughly. Here are some ideas that you can use:
Assign a mentor
Specifically for new hire employees, having a mentor to guide and teach them will result in a faster and easier adjustment with the new environment. Since these employees are the less knowledgeable in terms of how the company works, assigning a superior or manager to explain to them the ins and outs of the business will make the lives of everyone simpler.
Coordinate job shadowing
Job shadowing is a type of training wherein an employee gets to see and observe how experienced employees work. This is very important to introduce new approaches and methods to the kind of work that they are expected to do.
Hold demonstration sessions
This particular training will expose employees on how to properly present and communicate with a larger audience. In addition, demonstration sessions are presented by employees to their co-employees. Through this method, every member of the department can learn from each other and receive feedback.
Create knowledge base
Knowledge base software is a compilation of commonly asked questions and information asked by the customers. Furthermore, creating a compiled list in a form of a book, document, or software will make it easier for your CSRs to address the customers’ questions as fast as they can.
Include Crisis Management Skills Training
Problems are inevitable in any company particularly when dealing with customers. Therefore, support reps should have enough background on how to deal with crisis to avoid putting up a bad reputation for the company. Here are some ways wherein CSRs can be trained for crisis management:
Conduct role-play activities
The best way to find out how to deal with difficult customers (especially angry customers) is to try to create a scenario by role playing. This particular exercise can challenge customer care reps on how they will respond when clients are being furious. Other employees can also participate in this activity. Someone will act as an angry customer whereas the other one as the CSR. It is also better if a supervisor or team leader can facilitate the activity. This way, they will be able to give feedback whether the support reps was able to handle the situation properly.
Teach the LAST method
No matter how many times a CSR practice empathy and care to the customer, there are really those who are just hard to deal with. When this case happens, it is important for support reps ro practice what is called the LAST method which stands for Listen, Acknowledge, Solve, and Thank.
When it is difficult to solve the problem, CSRs should be able to listen and acknowledge upset customers. Chances are, these customers will likely to get less angry and be satisfied with how you deal with their concerns.
Aside from the different kinds of lessons you can include in your customer care training program, you can also add discussions about team building and camaraderie skills, and customer advocacy and success skills.
Every company should see to it that the people who face the customers are properly equipped with the right skills, knowledge, and materials that they will use every time they receive a call or message from customers. Training your support care may seem like a challenging task with chances of it being a success or a failure. However, with the right program and people leading the training, these customer care representatives will be equipped enough to do their job in the best of their ability.