Cycle of Customer Service Training Success
Learning to improve customer service is like learning to ride a bike. Both require practice and persistence, and both start with uncertainty and instability. With time and repetition, you gain confidence and develop muscle memory. Eventually, it becomes second nature, and you no longer have to consciously think about every little movement.
Below is a step by step process to help your employees and team improve. The outline is put into an order to be followed, however you may find yourself having to go back and forth between steps in order to ensure success.
Establish what is Customer Service for your practice
- Define and describe it in detail
- Add to job descriptions for each position
- Make expectations clear and with actionable outcomes
Team Meeting
- Welcome the team and introduce the purpose of the training session
- Explain the importance of customer service for the organization’s success
Define customer service and get employee input
- Define what customer service is and why it is important
- Encourage the team to share their own experiences with customer service
- Discuss best practices and potential improvements
- Collect feedback and suggestions from employees and incorporate them into the training program
- Share examples of great customer service experiences
- Discuss the impact of poor customer service on the practice and patients
Ensure employee understands importance
- Check for understanding throughout the training session
- Encourage questions and discussion
- Provide additional resources for further learning Ask for buy in and permission to give suggestions
- Make sure they want to be involved in the improvement process
- Design an agreed upon way for you to give guidance and suggestions
Cycle of Customer Service Training Success
Listen and give appropriate feedback
- Discuss the importance of active listening and its impact on patient satisfaction
- Teach the team how to provide constructive feedback to patients
- Practice active listening and feedback techniques through role-playing exercises
Role playing and regular coaching
- Conduct role playing exercises to help the team practice different scenarios
- Provide feedback on how to improve customer service skills
- Allow team members to switch roles to gain different perspectives
- Explain the importance of regular coaching and feedback on customer service skills
- Discuss strategies for coaching and providing feedback to team members
- Provide opportunities for employees to receive coaching and feedback on their customer service skills
Offer many training opportunities
- Highlight the importance of ongoing training and development for customer service skills
- Provide resources and opportunities for employees to continue learning and practicing customer service skills
Lead by example
- Discuss the importance of managers and supervisors leading by example in providing excellent customer service
- Provide examples of how managers can model the behavior they expect from their team members
Celebrate success
- Make sure to give positive feedback along the way
- When big changes take place, make a bigger deal about it in order to help it stick as a new habit
- Work to make a culture that celebrates those that go over and above
