Posted by Kristin Baird
Not long ago, I was doing customer service training on service recovery. One of the participants pulled me aside after the training and said, “I’ve read all this before on https://www.salesforce.com/hub/crm/crm-system-benefits/ and thought I got it. But today’s training forced me to think on my feet and give real time responses to someone right in front of me. I struggled a few times but it was so helpful to actually hear myself respond.”
Call me old fashioned, but when it comes to customer service training, I still feel that a live, in-person, interactive approach is best. Why? Because filling in the right answer or checking the right box on a computer-based system or reading a book won’t let you know if your technique is sincere, believable or in line with the brand promise.
The Value of In-Person Training
Considering that 55% of communication is non-verbal, a computer program won’t tell you that your words are correct but your tone and facial expressions tell a completely different story. You’ll get that feedback from saying the words out loud and getting feedback from someone listening and watching.
The other thing that will kill your service training efforts is trying to scrimp on the time investment. I’ve had medical practice managers ask if I could condense a two-hour training immersion into 20 minutes. Of course I can. But will it deliver the result you want and need? No.
Delivering great customer service requires great behaviors. Stop scrimping on training and invest the time to get it right. Your patients will thank you.
- Is yours a culture of feedback?
- Pavlov and the Patient Experience
- Training Alone Won’t Guarantee a Great Patient Experience
- Training is Just the First Step
- An Apology is the Superglue of Life – it can fix just about anything!
