Service is an integrated aspect in almost all industries particularly those in the service industry like retail,hotels,hospitals,showrooms, franchise outlets, travel etc. Other "non service" industries also have a service component since every business has a customer and one needs to service him. In most businesses, particularly medium scale service oriented, most of the time the owner/manager gets absorbed into daily running of these businesses like finances, purchase, administration, HR related tasks and marketing mainly advertising. As a result, he cannot devote much of his time to look into whether the customer service aspect is looked into or not. Whether the frontline sales person servicing customers and whether he is doing it the right way is not known. The owner/manager can step in at times but at the end of the day he has time only to look at the bottom lines and to a certain extent look into issues that the sales person has faced. In fact, the only time that he gives service a serious thought to the "service aspect" is when something goes wrong. But post-mortem analysis in business is no use.
Many fail to realise that the frontline staff who handles the customer is actually the face of the organisation. The amount of money spent on decorating the interiors, installing hi tech gadgets, having an impressive product line etc. have no value if there is no proper service, if the person doesn't know how to talk and conduct himself. The fault doesn't lie with the sales/customer service guy because like all of us, he is learnt to approach in a particular way, he makes mistakes like a normal human being. However, it is important that he be trained periodically in ways to satisfy a customer so that he knows different ways to do so, introspect where he can improve and provide an experience that wows the customer.
Important aspects on which the training must happen are :understanding quality service, key skills for customer service, dealing with customers, conducting himself resolving a breakdown and how to deal with it.
The results that a training of this nature would generate would be in the form of improved customer service, retention of staff,impact on customer relationship, better relationship between staff and management, ability to understand customer better, improved customer experience and a positive word of mouth. Of course, the final outcome that interests all business-sales would be a natural product.
Many fail to realise that the frontline staff who handles the customer is actually the face of the organisation. The amount of money spent on decorating the interiors, installing hi tech gadgets, having an impressive product line etc. have no value if there is no proper service, if the person doesn't know how to talk and conduct himself. The fault doesn't lie with the sales/customer service guy because like all of us, he is learnt to approach in a particular way, he makes mistakes like a normal human being. However, it is important that he be trained periodically in ways to satisfy a customer so that he knows different ways to do so, introspect where he can improve and provide an experience that wows the customer.
Important aspects on which the training must happen are :understanding quality service, key skills for customer service, dealing with customers, conducting himself resolving a breakdown and how to deal with it.
The results that a training of this nature would generate would be in the form of improved customer service, retention of staff,impact on customer relationship, better relationship between staff and management, ability to understand customer better, improved customer experience and a positive word of mouth. Of course, the final outcome that interests all business-sales would be a natural product.
