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Service Academy |
Achieving excellence
in today’s environment requires a total commitment to serving the
customer. Meeting expectations is no longer adequate; successful
companies must exceed those standards.
Russell J. White
International brings that training to you in an energizing format
that yields ideas that can be immediately put to use. All programs
are offered in a format that is interactive and dialogue-driven. The
10 sessions are designed to build one upon another to form a
cohesive, ongoing training program. However, because we also believe
in serving our customers and their unique needs, the Academy series
can be reformatted into the schedule you need. No matter which time
format is used, the examples and case studies are customized to
address the reality of your environment, focusing on your
organization’s challenges and opportunities. 101 Listen
up!
At the base of
any customer service is effective communication skills, which begin
with listening. Learn not only how to fine-tune your listening
skills to make your job of pleasing the customer easier, but
practice them for immediate improvement.
102 "It's
Showtime!!!
When we have a
positive attitude to life, we care about other people, which
translates into taking care of our customers and their needs
naturally and enthusiastically. Learn how to develop and maintain
that upbeat, self-confident attitude that will make serving
customers well simply a natural extension of your personality.
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Approaching each
day with optimism and enthusiasm
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Finding the
positive in the pain
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Setting goals to
maximize your life
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The three factors
that hold everyone back
103 Keep it
professional!
Professionalism
increases our customers’ confidence in our ability to safeguard
their interests, as well as boosting our self-esteem and
self-respect. Professionalism is made up of many components, ranging
from using appropriate personal mannerisms and style to separating
our professional and personal relationships while on the job. Polish
your professionalism to meet the challenge of meeting your
customers’ expectations.
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Reflecting the
image your customers want
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What does your
environment say about you?
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Watching your
appearance
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Treating customers’
business with confidentiality and discretion
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Instilling
confidence in your customers
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Avoiding the
appearance of impropriety
104
Uncovering hidden needs
Nip problems in
the bud and exceed expectations by learning to anticipate your
customers’ needs by asking sensitive questions and listening closely
to the clues our customers reveal.
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What do customers
need?
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Promoting
solutions, not products
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Discovering clues
in the transaction history
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Asking the right
questions
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Dealing with
sensitive inquiries
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Listening for need
messages
105 Building
rapport with customers
Remember the days
when we knew all our customers by name – and they knew ours?
Generating continuing business is more cost-effective than
constantly recruiting new customers. Develop practical
strategies that cement customer relationships and loyalty.
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Learning and
retaining names
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Identifying and
using the other person’s “transaction style”
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Following up and
following through
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Making your
customer’s day
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Finding common
ground
106 Common
courtesy isn’t so common
Little things
matter – and little things can be forgotten in the blur of daily
activity. To the customer, smiling, using his name, saying “please”
and “thank you” and wishing him well can all matter as much – if not
more – than the business he came to conduct. Reap the dividend of a
time-tested but often forgotten strategy: simple courtesies.
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Business etiquette
basics
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Taming the
telephone
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Voice mail and cell
phones – love them or hate them?
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Showing respect
without diminishing friendliness
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Delivering extra
care to special-needs customers
107 Defusing
the customer’s anger bomb
Angry people are
part of the territory when you’re in the people business. Learn how
to defuse the anger bomb before it explodes all over your office and
how to turn the conversation into more appropriate and helpful
channels.
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What makes
customers angry?
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Do’s and Don’t’s
for working with angry customers
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Dealing with the
anger
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Choosing language
that calms
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Turning adversaries
into allies for improvement and change
108 Turning
complaints into success
Problems and
misunderstandings inevitably arise, and the mark of a truly
customer-focused organization is one that resolves those problems
with professionalism and grace. The most loyal customer is one whose
problem has been solved well, with clear communication and concern
for the customer.
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Be glad customers
complain – and here’s why
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Discovering what
outcome the customer wants
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Not all complaining
customers are the same
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What is a customer
worth?
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How to avoid
short-circuiting success
109 Handling
customer contact stress
"I love my job,
but some days…” Dealing with lots of people and their problems day
after day escalates stress levels, which will eventually takes its
toll both in our professional and personal lives. To take care of
ourselves and our customers properly, develop strategies for dealing
with stress before it builds to harmful levels.
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How much stress can
you handle?
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Finding balance in
life
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Preparing for
anticipated stress situations
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Coping with stress
overload
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Developing a
personal stress management plan
110 Serving
the internal customer
Anybody within
your organization who receives the results of your work is an
internal customer. Your external customers will never receive a
higher level of service than your internal customers, because poor
internal service crops up unexpectedly to harm others.
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Identifying your
internal customers
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Finding common
goals
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Locating areas of
potential conflict and seeking solutions
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Recognizing and
celebrating team contributions
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