Synopsis

Customers often judge an organisation by the way they are treated and expect the service providers to be courteous, attentive, patient and tactful when explaining procedures and services in helping them to complete transactions or making purchase decisions. Winning Through Superior Service Skills program is a two day course specially designed to engage service providers, providing them with a customer-centric mindset, service framework and service microskills. How the customer feels about a problem is as important, if not more so, than the nature of the problem itself. Since feelings are intertwined with the problem itself, any resolution would have to take into account the customer's understanding of his feelings and needs.

This two day workshop synthesises the best service strategies and microskills of customer care in challenging situations. It focuses on critical core microskills of customer care to make the most positive and engaging impact. The intent of this course is to develop your awareness of what it takes to achieve personal and professional effectiveness in delivering service excellence. With these service techniques, you will be able to develop your emotional resilience and customer care, thereby contributing to your own personal and professional success.

Course Objective

This 2-day program weaves the key interpersonal micro-skills of behavioural competency in the context of customer interaction. It helps participants attain self mastery of the core service mircoskills. It provides a systematic approach that allows you to confidently deliver positive moment of truth and delight in providing service.

• Understand how customer service creates revenue, healthy organisations, and attractive employee benefits
• Understand the importance of taking ownership in meeting service goals and shared commitment for results
• Be proactive to external and internal customer's expressed and unexpressed needs
• Project an image of a service professional
• Use a proven technique to deliver personalised service that gives positive customer experience

Course Outline

Superior Service Microskills as a Competitive Edge

• Customer service in a competitive environment and the cost of poor service
• Realise that customers make their decisions based on how well they are served
• Recognise the importance of focusing on the customer's changing and rising expectations
• Understand the hierarchy of Customer Value to gain customer loyalty and to stay ahead in the new realities

Taking Ownership

• Acknowledge the personal role that influences the way customers perceive service quality
• Develop a sense of personal ownership to delight customers and solve problems
• Understand oneself, recognise a feeling as it happens and examine my behaviour in relation to my customers
• Manage unhealthy emotions and re-channel negative energy to productive ways
• Self Fulfilling Prophecy Loop to "eject" the negative tapes and replace it with positive ones, thus influencing our desirable behaviour

Projecting a Professional Image

• Understanding how a Professional Image influence the perception of service quality
• The positive first impression
• The attitude : how it shows in the external image
• How image influences performance and the way others respond to you
• Presentation � how you say something is more important than what you say

Relating with Customers

• Recognise and respond appropriately to different customer types
• Understand the process of perception and the importance to see things from the customer's point of view
• Avoid phrases that makes customers upset/annoyed
• Use of service language that foster mutual respect and understanding with the customers
• Synchronise body language to the service language used to project a positive and responsive image

Managing Difficult Situations

• Listen effectively and empathetically to gain a complete and accurate picture of customer needs and expectations
• Use effective questioning strategies to ensure understanding of customer needs
• Present the various solutions available to the customer in a systematic manner to gain agreement from the customer and at the same time, appearing to be a responsible, 'thinking' service provider
• Say 'No' tactfully to maintain relationship and goodwill with the customers
• Close in a manner that will accentuate the positive communication climate

Moving Forward

• Learn to craft and practise the approaches and responses appropriate for different customer situations

Methodology

The course is application-based and the participants will be given many opportunities for hands-on practice with interactive and real-life scenarios where participants can practice the service knowledge and microskills taught throughout the course.