Enhancement of Customer Service Skills in the Public Sector

Course Overview:

Customer service excellence is not accomplished by accident; it requires well–trained customer service professionals who have a passion for providing quality service. Providing customer service excellence gives an organization a competitive advantage in the marketplace and is the key factor that keeps customers coming.

This course is intended to give participants the communication skills, negotiation strategies, and public-sector customer service best practices they require to meaningfully improve customer service while lowering costs and increasing employee satisfaction.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, the participants will be able to:

Describe the best practices of a world-class customer service provider
Develop a customer-focused mindset for continuous improvement
Identify key components that promote customer retention and loyalty
Measure customer service standards
Develop an understanding of internal and external customer expectations
Use the phone more effectively and leave professional voicemail messages
Communicate more effectively by utilizing active listening and questioning skills
Apply the principles of persuasion to key negotiation situations successfully
Give and receive feedback in a constructive manner
Understand the importance of written and electronic communication
Use nonverbal communication to make a positive first impression and build rapport quickly
Set SMART goals to increase productivity
Understand the importance of customer and organizational confidentiality
Utilize stress management techniques to increase job satisfaction
Use conflict resolution skills to work with difficult or demanding customers in a professional manner
Manage their emotions during stressful situations
Appreciate the importance of teamwork and maintaining a positive attitude
Work effectively with difficult or demanding customers in a calm and professional manner
Use body language to build trust and instant rapport with customers
Encourage customer feedback and measure customer satisfaction
Use effective negotiation principles to promote win-win outcomes

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: Principles for Delivering World-Class Customer Service:

How do customers define quality customer service?
What are the benefits of providing world-class customer service?
Breakout session: How to use customer service to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty
Benchmarking exercise: Best and worst rated customer service companies
Creating a positive first impression: What do your customers see and hear?
Creating customer service ‘touchpoints’ to enhance the “customer experience”
The WOW Factor: Going the Extra Mile to exceed customer expectations

Topic 2: Developing Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills:

The power of nonverbal communication
Practical exercise: The Body Language Quiz
How to use body language to build rapport and create a favourable first impression
Understanding the four customer temperament styles
Practical exercise: Determining your temperament style
Developing your active listening skills to enhance communications
Practical exercise: Active Listening Evaluation
Use questioning techniques to identify a customer’s expectations and service requirements
Determining your customer’s “preferred learning style”
Keys to effective telephone and voicemail communication

Topic 3: Principles of Superior Customer Service and Organisational Procedures:

Does the 'customer experience' align with your organization’s vision/mission statement?
Identifying internal and external customer expectations
The benefits of teamwork and cooperation
Teambuilding and leadership exercise
Guidelines for Customer and organizational confidentiality
Dos and don’ts of written and electronic communication
Empowering employees to serve their customers better

Topic 4: The Importance of Customer Feedback and Service Recovery:

Why is it important to encourage customer complaints and feedback?
Establishing customer service satisfaction measuring and monitoring standards
Best practices for recording and monitoring customer service issues
The supervisor‘s role in service recovery
The art of giving and receiving constructive feedback
Negotiating win-win outcomes
Managing emotions during stressful situations
Strategies for working with difficult and demanding customers

Topic 5: Leading the Way to Customer Satisfaction and Continuous Improvement:

Your attitude makes a difference
Stress management tips for maintaining peak performance
The importance of personal development
Setting SMART goals for continuous customer service improvement
Practical exercise: What is your Action Plan?

Targeted Groups:

Customer Service Professionals
Managers and Supervisors who want to improve customer relationships
Marketing executives and managers who are interested in customer retention, Social Media and word-of-mouth marketing
Anyone responsible for or contributing significantly to the development and implementation of customer relationships