For Quality Customer Service, Make Employee Training a Priority

Electricians and contractors have many opportunities to purchase products from a variety of distributors, and now, even retailers. As a result, customers have higher expectations for service then ever before. One of the smartest investments that a business can make is in an engaging, ongoing customer service training program.
A well-delivered training program equips employees with the skills and tactics they need to deal with changing customer demands and ensures that poor habits that come when employees train each other are avoided.

“There is a direct relationship between good service and service training,” said Lisa Bordeaux, director of partner development, BlueVolt. “Having previously worked with the Ritz Carlton, I saw the impact of service training on a workforce. At the Ritz, the service basics were covered daily as a part of the morning standup meeting. Breaking training up into bite-size pieces is a recommendation that BlueVolt makes to all organizations that post training online. Counter folks and inside sales personnel are constantly interrupted. When training is broken up and taken in 10- to 15-minute sessions, an individual learns a skill and immediately puts that skill to use.”

BlueVolt recommends that even when using third-party training programs, it is important to intersperse management-approved activities that reinforce the customer service-based modules. This blended learning approach allows an employer to leverage the best of both online and in-person training. The online aspect delivers a consistent message across a wide audience. Therefore, local resources are not relied on to get the message right. The in-person idea provides the important face-to-face interaction. This gives managers the documentation they need to recognize those who are succeeding and those who are not.

Good training programs do not take up a lot of time. Some are delivered in short segments, as this allows employees to train with little lost productivity, if any at all. In many cases, online training is delivered during the lulls of the work day or at home after hours. The list of courses that make up a good customer service training program is long. Time management, listening skills, e-mail etiquette and handling difficult customers are all topical training necessities and are taken throughout an employee’s time with the company.

Employees are also overwhelmed with communicating with customers. With so many methods of communication including e-mail, voice mail, phone, fax and face-to-face, employees can feel bombarded. Many counter and inside sales people find customers coming from a number of directions. One might expect them to be experienced and competent in each area of communication, but in reality each requires a number of different skills.

A comprehensive training program on service significantly impacts employees’ ability to put their best foot forward with a customer. Having confidence in the value that good service creates is important not only to employees but also to the customers your employees serve.