Training Matters

There are thousands of courses and programs around that are designed to teach and develop customer service skills. Before you outlay all of that time and money, do a quick check to see if your staff are using these five simple skills.

1. Product knowledge Your customers ask questions in order to make a decision about how to spend their money, so you need to make sure that your staff have the correct answers. Teach your team about your products and train them to be able to describe your services in a clear, concise manner.

2. Listening skills Make sure that your staff are really listening to your customers. Are they taking notice of things such as the customer’s body language, tone of voice, facial expressions?

3. See feedback as a positive Every business receives a complaint at some point in time. The trick is to take that complaint and turn it into a learning experience for your staff. Customer feedback enables you to review processes, and make improvements, so encourage your team to see feedback of any kind as a gift.

Your customers will always remember a happy face... and it costs absolutely nothing to give out smiles!

4. Empathy and patience When a customer is frustrated, or unsure of a decision, patience and understanding can be the difference between a sale, or not! Giving the customer time to solve an issue, or make a choice, will have them leaving with a positive feeling about using your business.

5. Smile! Your customers will always remember a happy face…..and it costs absolutely nothing to give out smiles!

TERRI CARR Ballinger Training & Consultancy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terri Carr started her business, Ballinger Training and Consultancy, in July 2005. This year, she will celebrate 10 years of owning and running the Registered Training Organisation. Terri spent 15 years previous to starting her business as a Primary School Teacher, in Victoria and Qld. Ballinger Training specialises in business, management, and training and assessment courses, all developed in house, and delivered as both face to face, and as online, self-paced programs.

Check out my BRAND NEW WEBSITE www.ballinger.edu.au

Quality online and face to face programs in management, business, work health and safety and training and assessment. RPL offered on all courses.

P: 07 5445 1397 terri@ballinger.edu.au www.ballinger.edu.au