Tips to handle difficult situations in the workplace

Managing Difficult People & Situations in the Workplace

Written by Rosy King on November 23, 2020. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training. Leave a Comment

Managing Difficult People and Situations in the Workplace

Brought to you by Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

Would you like to remain calm, defuse conflict, and keep your dignity when managing difficult people and situations at work?

Below are some great tips from our handling difficult people and situations training course, that you can put into action today.

Use the LEAD Model

Listen

Attentive listening is the first step to recognising and handling difficult situations and people. Every one of us wants to feel valued, understood, and heard.

Explore

The best course of action in exploring why someone is being awkward, is to listen and let them speak.

Telling them to calm down is not the best move, even though your instincts may be telling you to say that to them.

A better course of action is to remain calm no matter what is said and to not take it personally. That way, you’ll avoid saying things you wish you hadn’t, in the heat of the moment.

Attend

Jim Rohn has a fantastic quote, which says “Wherever you are, be there.”

This is a great principle to apply when you’re dealing with a difficult situation or person. Focus only on attending to that person and their situation. Whether it is an upset customer over the phone, face-to-face, or by email.

By attending to the person and being present, you’ll more quickly gain an understanding of their problem and be able to start thinking about delivering a solution.

Deliver a solution

Delivering a solution may not always be as easy as you think. The answer will depend on the person, the complexity of the problem or situation, and whether or not you have the authority or resources to solve the problem for them.

A great place to start is by telling the person you’re going to try to fix it for them, and that you will contact them once their problem is solved.

These understanding words will help soothe the savage beast and also help defuse conflict and hot tempers.

If you can deliver the solution, provide it as quickly as you can.

If you can’t offer an immediate solution, let the person know you’ll speak with the people you need to, and advise them of the outcome.

Examine how your personal beliefs and values play into the way you deal with difficult people

Your personal beliefs and values play a big part in how you handle difficult people and situations. However, many of us never question our beliefs or values.

Most of us like to think we’re non-judgemental, open, and caring. This is why self-assessment of your personal beliefs and values is challenging and, at times, a bitter pill to swallow.

Many of the beliefs and values you have now may have formed when you were a child. You have carried these beliefs and values into adulthood, even though they no longer serve you. They are out-dated or out of sync with who you are now and your current beliefs.

It’s critical to remember when you’re dealing with difficult people, that you’re engaging with a fellow human being. They have feelings, thoughts, and challenges of their own, even though at the moment they may not be rational.

And while your belief may be that they shouldn’t be taking it out on you, the reality is some people will take it out on you.

How can you assess the challenges of managing difficult people and situations and make the right decisions in each of those situations?

Remaining empathetic, honest, calm and assertive is one key
Thinking before you speak and using non-threatening words, tone and body language is another
Communicating in an inspiring and supportive tone is also important
You can focus on win-wins and positive outcomes as opposed to the focusing on the problem
Preparing to negotiate is another strategy you can use to deal with difficult people and situations
Don’t make promises you can’t keep
And always think about what you are going to say before you say it, to avoid replying in anger or frustration.

These are just some of the strategies taken from our training course on handling difficult people and situations. The key here is learning how to identify difficult situations and how to best action them so that you can make the right decisions for everyone involved.

Can you identify difficult people in terms of their characteristics and the rewards they get for behaving as they do?

We all have difficult people in our lives, and many of us would prefer not to engage with them. It could be a supervisor, a boss, a co-worker, a customer, or a spouse, but the fact is that difficult people and situations are part of our lives.

Some of the identities and characteristics of difficult people that we all come into contact with, and that each one of us has been at times, are:

Negative Nellies – The characteristics and rewards negative nellies get is they are always happy to complain. They like to talk negatively, to talk at people instead of talking to them, and to put the blame on everyone else except themselves.

The Show Off – These are people who sometimes go to great lengths to go one better than you. The main characteristicsand rewards they get are letting you know about how they outdid you, name dropping, surpassing you at every opportunity and telling you about it. In many cases, this behaviour is to mask their lack of self-confidence.

The ‘Whatever You Think’ character – The characteristics of this personality are they don’t make any decisions at all. They’re happy for you to make all the decisions, are passive, and give you one-word answers to questions. This type of person is usually afraid, and the reward for them is removing themselves from not having to make a decision. They leave it all up to you, and if it’s the wrong decision, they are happy to blame you.

The ‘Control Freak’ – The core characteristic of this person is usually telling you how to do something and taking control of the situation, whether they know more about it than you, or not. They can be extremely emotional, intimidating, rude and angry. ‘Control Freak’ characters enjoy the gratification of taking control of people and situations because they believe if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!

Of course, identifying difficult people, their characteristics, and the rewards they believe they receive, is only half the equation.

The worst thing you can do once you have identified a difficult person’s character

The natural reaction when you can identify a problematic person’s character and the rewards they get for behaving as they do, is to try and change them.

Telling a ‘do whatever you think” person to speak up, puts them under more pressure. Asking a person with a ‘control freak’ character to change, will make them even angrier. So forget about trying to change people’s mindset and attitude because you’ll never change them.

A better strategy is to identify a difficult person’s character, then adapt your own thoughts, to better understand them.

The real skill and art in managing difficult people and situations is identifying the person’s character and adapting to understand them and their mindset.

While this is a big topic and requires specialist training, some of the ways you can achieve this is by:

Asking open-ended questions
Building rapport
Establishing trust with the person
And creating a meaningful conversation while being honest and sincere

Is professional training in managing difficult people and situations a good return on investment?

Yes. With professional training in handling difficult people and situations, your call centre teams and other employees, will have the skills to deal with difficult people and situations professionally and diligently.

We have a training course available for you, which covers handling difficult people and situations.

This course provides several beneficial learning outcomes, which include:

Being able to identify difficult people in terms of their characteristics and the rewards they get for behaving as they do
Examine how your personal beliefs and values play into the way you deal with difficult people
Identify the ‘sources of power’ your difficult people have over you, and the degree of difficulty posed by each one
Assess each difficult person to enable you to make a good decision about how to handle each situation you face
Identify tools to help you find the right words
You’ll also receive a process model to guide you through difficult interactions with uncommon grace and skill

Want to learn more about managing difficult people and situations?

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to handle difficult people and situations, to provide powerhouse customer service, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

Your Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Written by webplanners on October 15, 2020. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

Your Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

**Would you like Instant Success for your Call Centre Team?**

In every organisation, customer service and customer satisfaction are top priorities. Why?

61% of customers say they have stopped transacting with a business after a poor service experience.

Microsoft – State of Global Customer Service Report

Whilst many organisations are progressively shifting to a more digital experience with their customers, call centres still remain at the core of many customer interactions – and at times, at the core of customer frustrations and complaints.

Therefore, offering a seamless, personalised and ‘human’ experience over the phone, can delight our customers and turn them into advocates.

Highly skilled, professional call centre teams represent a great opportunity for organisations to gain a competitive advantage. This is a fact Australian call centres are hearing loud and clear.

73% of Australian Call Centres are striving to improve their customer experience.

The 2018 Australian Contact Centre Industry Report

You will meet all kinds of customers in your Call Centre.

As part of a call centre team you will encounter customers of all kinds. Some are incredibly patient and understanding, others are unsure about what they need, and then others are incredibly frustrated with your organisation, your product or both.

Many of the different customers and scenarios you encounter can be tough to navigate, but with the essential skills for call centre success in place, you and your team will know exactly what to do.

With these skills come instant benefits. You’ll enjoy shorter call times, better outcomes and greater satisfaction for you, your customers and your organisation.

We need to help solve our customer’s issues and ensure they’re happy with the outcome of their call.

Here are my Top 5 Skills for Call Centre Success

Clarify the complaint

In the heat of the moment, a client may not communicate efficiently. Or, you might simply misunderstand them.

This can lead to both frustration and time lost when it comes to solving the issue. Start each call by listening carefully, then repeat the complaint back to the customer to ensure you are both on the same page.

Lead with empathy

Remind your client that you’re there to help them; that you are someone in the organisation who is on their side. This reassures them that they will be taken care of and can bring a sense of peace to a tense situation.

Beginner? Don’t tell them.

New team members can be tempted to fall back on “I’m new on the job.” However, this can frustrate a client and can diminish your knowledge in their eyes. If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to let them know you will need to ask for help. But keep your experience level to yourself.

Speak naturally

Customers want to feel like they’re talking to a real person, not someone just following a script. Maintain your relaxed and natural tone so that your customers feel like they are simply talking to a friend. Your conversations will flow much easier, and your customers are more likely to remain reasonable.

When in doubt, ask!

It would be ideal if you could just read your customers minds when they called, and understand exactly what the issue was. But sometimes, that’s not going to be the case. If you are confused about your customer’s request, or if you think you might have missed a piece of information, simply ask your customer. They will appreciate that you have taken the time to clarify all the details of their issue. It’s important for you to ensure all the information is correct.

The Benefits of updating your Call Centre Skills

Providing reliable, consistent, professional experiences for your customers is a critical component to the success of your Call Centre. When you train your call centre team in these five skills, and they begin to use them in their daily customer interactions, you will see immediate benefits. Your team will enjoy:

shorter call times
better outcomes
greater satisfaction for your customers
happier & more relaxed team members
higher customer retention rates

And that’s a win/win for everyone.

Want to know more about improving the skills of your Call Centre team?

CTO’s Call Centre Success training course provides you with the critical success training required to ensure your Call Centre team are delighting your customers.

Your team will learn about:

Their Valuable Roles
Why First Impressions count
The Six Elements of Professionalism
Managing Customer Calls
Knowing your Products and Services
Being a Team Player
Remaining Customer Focused
Taking Responsibility
Ten Essential Communication Skills
And much more!

After completing your Call Centre Success course, your organisation and your team will see improvements in …

All-round customer service
Staff and team loyalty
Business perception
Cost savings, sales & profits
Staff and team productivity
Team problem-solving
Team knowledge of products and services
And so much more …

If you’re ready to upgrade your Call Centre skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training program to suit your requirements.

Image of how to learn Telephone Etiquette Training with CTO

Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles

Written by webplanners on September 2, 2020. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

Telephone Etiquette essentials for Customer Service roles include having a great attitude, being consistent in your delivery and understanding customer behavioural styles. If you’re in a call centre team, or other roles within your organisation where you interact with your customers by phone, you need high level skills in these areas.

No matter how rehearsed, experienced or confident you are, providing amazing customer experiences over the phone can be a lot of pressure.

After all, you are the first impression a customer has of you, your organisation and your brand. Therefore, communicating effectively, taking ownership of the call and letting your professionalism shine through is crucial.

So here’s our A-Game Telephone Etiquette Essentials for Customer Service Roles.

Because, whether your organisation is big or small, anyone who answers your phones needs to have top level skills in telephone etiquette.

Attitude is everything

Let me be frank. Some days you may not be not feeling well, or you may not understand your customer’s question or issue. These are just two variables you have to contend with every day and identify almost instantly.

So dust yourself off and pull up your socks because as a Telephone Customer Service Officer, your attitude is a huge key to your success.

When you do answer a call, make sure you’re enthusiastic and helpful without being insincere.

A great habit to develop is to practice smiling while you speak over the phone to bring out that warm, caring and professional personality of yours.

Identifying customer behaviour styles in 5 seconds or less

Being able to identify your caller’s behaviour style is critical, and you only have a few seconds to do it. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution either because we all have different personalities, questions and needs.

Some people who are calling may be upset. Telling them to calm down is the worst thing you can do. Others may be time-poor and in a hurry, or alternatively, talkative. Still others may think they know more than you.

As a Telephone Customer Service officer, don’t take anything personally.

What you need to do is be able to identify this customer behaviour, acknowledge it and then provide your solution in a calm, pleasant and professional manner. You see, the chances are the caller is not angry with you, they’re just having a bad day and taking it out on you.

The thing is, being able to identify a customer’s behaviour style and solve their problem isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s a skill that requires special techniques and training, which you can learn in a course such as our Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service training.

Systems of consistency

When people call your business, they are goal orientated. They have a reason for calling.

Some may want more information. Others may have a problem or want to speak with someone specific in your company. Still others might just want to make an appointment.

Therefore, having a system for every phone call is essential.

Without a system in place for taking customers calls, you’ll come off as unprofessional and disorganised. Ultimately this can affect your customer’s experience, your brand, your reputation and maybe even your sales.

However, with Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service training, you won’t have any of those problems.

You’ll learn how to put a system process in place, so each caller receives the same level of service and professionalism.

You’ll also reduce call times.

Answering the phone will also be a lot less confusing for your staff, and you’ll save time training new team members. You’ll have systems in place to cover telephone etiquette in all customer service roles.

Get Organised

Answering the phone takes a lot of organisation. There are some great resources and tools at your disposal. The problem is many staff members do not take the time to learn how to use these tools effectively.

So even after attending training, without proper organisation, many call centre staff go back to doing the same old things, the same old way.

They can, however, change their ways, with tools such as:

Organised scripts which guide them on how to provide telephone etiquette as soon as they answer the phone.
A list of commonly asked questions, and the answers to them.
Guidelines on how to forward calls to other team members if required.
A clear desk and access to a pen and paper, or Microsoft Word on their screens, if they need to take notes.

All of these simple things, which can be very easily provided, are essential to your team being organised.

Provide Premium service

Many businesses think that their excellent service is what separates their organisation from their competitors. I have to disagree. You need to have more than that.

When you consider I can buy a book on Amazon and have it delivered to almost anywhere in the world within 24 hours, then you’ll understand that premium service is not necessarily a point of difference. It’s just expected in any business these days.

However, one way you can differentiate your business is by having a better understanding of your customers. This will enable your team to provide friendly, professional solutions over the phone, which can satisfy your customers’ requirements.

With professional training in Telephone Etiquette and Customer Service, your call centre team and any other team members who speak with customers on the phone, can take your customer service to entirely new levels.

Want to learn more about providing Telephone Etiquette in Customer Service roles?

We have a training course available for you, where you’ll learn how to:

Define quality customer service
Employ nine necessary but important telephone skills
Professionally manage complex customer telephone calls
Manage various customer behaviour styles on the telephone
Interpret customer wants and deliver positive customer service actions
And learn some of the systems you can put in place, so people calling remember you, your company, your brand and your awesome customer service for all the right reasons.

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to provide powerhouse Telephone Etiquette and Customer Service, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact CTO today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

Customer Service & Sales training with CTO Customer Service & Sales training with CTO

7 Powerhouse Customer Service Tips

Written by Rosy King on February 19, 2020. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

7 Powerhouse Customer Service Tips

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

“The goal of a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.”

Sam Walton

Customer service is the face of your business, and you want to ensure that your team performs at their best possible levels, at all times. There are several things you can do today for your customer service team, to ensure they deliver excellence. These 7 powerhouse customer service tips will help your team provide quality customer service, and make lasting impressions on your customers.

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again, and bring their friends.”

Walt Disney

7 Powerhouse Customer Service Tips to Deliver Customer Service Excellence

Be Proactive

Don’t wait until there’s a fire in your business to wonder how you should put it out. Instead, be proactive. Have workable action plans in place to help your customer service team deal with situations as they arise. Practice the plans, so your team can deliver solutions for your customers quickly and easily.

Foster Open Communication

Your customer service team should know your business’s philosophies and standards. Every employee that has some type of interaction with a customer, should have an in-depth understanding of your customer service standards, so there’s no confusion. If there are areas they don’t understand, ensure open discussions are encouraged, to inform and enable your team.

Treat Your Customers with Respect

The saying goes: “The customer is always right.” While this may not always be true, it’s critical that your team treats every customer with the utmost respect and courtesy. This culture of respect should extend between employees as well.

Train your Team to be Problem Solvers

Instead of choosing to let go of a problem customer, you can train your team to rise to the challenge and work with them to solve the problems your customer has. Not only can this help build your customer relations, but it strengthens your employees’ problem solving skills.

Listen to Customer Feedback

Feedback will help your organisation to grow, as it provides you with new ways to constantly improve your services. Make sure your entire team listens to feedback you receive from your customers. Then use this feedback to upgrade your processes.

Under Promise and Over Deliver

You should go to great lengths to keep your customers happy, and this includes not promising things unless you are 100% certain that your organisation can deliver. Instead of setting yourself up to fail, under-promise what you can do and dazzle your customers when you over-deliver.

An example of this might be that you know your shipment of new products is arriving next Monday. One of your best customers is waiting for this product to arrive. Contact them, and let them know you can deliver the product by next Thursday. You have now set an expectation in their mind. So just imagine how delighted they will be when the product actually arrives at their office on Tuesday – two days before the promised date.

Monitor Your Competition

You want to outshine your competition, and one way to do this is to observe what they’re doing well. Then, take what you learn and incorporate it into your own customer service practices. This is a great way to shine, and also to leave your competition in the dust.

“It can take months to find a customer…. Seconds to lose one.”

Vince Lobmardi

Want to know more about improving the skills of your Customer Service Team?

To gain an all-star customer service team, you have to give them the tools they need to thrive. CTO’s training course – Customer Service Excellence – provides critical success training to ensure your customer service team is delighting customers.

Your team will learn about:

The value of caring about your customers
Trends in customer service
How you can make a difference by applying the human touch
Managing face to face contact and the benefits of active listening
The value of complaints and the service recovery process
Learn who the customer is and about customer relationship management
How to engage with difficult customers when they are angry or unreasonable
Ways to increase customer loyalty and those moments of truth
How to increase sales via customer service
Sales orientation and the nature of persuasion

After completing your Customer Service Excellence one-day course, your organisation and team will have achieved a number of learning outcomes.

These learning outcomes include:

Acquire tools to provide quality customer service and make lasting impressions on customers
Explore how customers define the success of your organisation, as well as a customer’s emotional behaviour, and how that sensitivity influences his or her decision making
Discover techniques to increase customer satisfaction through your behaviour
Examine the techniques for providing service through face-to-face contact, the factors that contribute to the success of that contact, and the benefits of actively listening to your customers
Identify the stages of customer management and recognise who your internal customers are – you will also explore value chain management and how to make positive long-term decisions that add value to your company
Identify the guidelines for dealing with unreasonable and irate customers
Take action to increase the loyalty of the customers you serve
How to increase sales via customer service

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to provide Powerhouse Customer Service, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice. We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

—

Rosy King

Corporate Training Options

Professional Training – Exceptional Results

training@cto.com.au

www.cto.com.au

CTO Training Tip – Quality Customer Service

Written by webplanners on January 15, 2020. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

What does Quality Customer Service Mean?

In your organisation, what does quality customer service mean?

Does it mean …

Customers are 100% satisfied
There are few customer complaints going up the ladder to management
A consistent, professional effort is made throughout your organisation to satisfy customers

The last item sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

If your group or organisation doesn’t have a stated customer service objective, perhaps it’s time to create one.

The objective should be quantified, whenever possible.

Examples of specific and quantified objectives, that could be set within your organisation, include:

Meet 100% of customer timeframes
Answer all customer inquiries within two days
Develop ten sales leads per day
Manage 80% of all customer requests from within our unit
Refer less than 10% of customer requests to tech support

Your customers can be called many things – customers, clients, members, co-workers, associates.

However, regardless of who your customers are, remember that setting an objective to provide quality customer service to them, is a requirement.

If you require Customer Service training in your organisation, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We can customise your training to suit your requirements and present your training on dates which suit you.

Turn Customer Complaints into Business Opportunities

Turn Customer Complaints into Opportunities

Written by webplanners on December 5, 2019. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training. Leave a Comment

Turn Customer Complaints into Opportunities

Brought to you by: Rosy King @ Corporate Training Options

Have you ever considered that you can turn customer complaints into opportunities? When customer complaints are handled well, and you provide your customers with a seamless resolution and a positive experience, this can be the key to success. These customers are more likely to come back to your business!

On the other hand, poorly managed customer experiences may significantly impact your organisations’ revenue and without doubt, any repeat business.

Here’s some interesting customer experience statistics for you.

Customers who have a positive experience with your organisation, will tell 4-6 people about it.
Dissatisfied customers will tell 9-15 people about their unhappy experience.
Worse still, around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people.
Up to 96% of unhappy customers don’t complain at all. Instead, 86% of them simply leave and never come back.

The “State of Customer Service in Australia Report” reveals significant gaps between customers’ expectations of excellence, ease and accessibility and the disappointing realities, with a lack of consistency and response.

That’s why it’s so important that each and every engagement you or your team have with your customers is consistently pleasant and solution-focused.

Of course, not all encounters start out being easy. All of us have had to deal with unhappy, rude or angry customers at some time or another. These customers may be upset for a variety of reasons – sometimes their anger is justified, other times less so.

However, whatever the reason, several benefits come from creating a positive environment for customer satisfaction, with real advantages gained when you can calm upset customers.

Here are just four of the power-house benefits you can experience when your team has learned the right skills to turn customer complaints into opportunities.

1. Generate Repeat Business

If your entire staff actively practices behaviours that calm customers down, these customers are more likely to come back to your business! If they see that you’re willing to work with them to come to a satisfactory outcome, they may change their perspective.

You have nothing to lose here – an irate customer is not going to be coming back; a calmed one just might.

2. Enhance Business Reputation

Creating a calm environment for customer satisfaction enhances your business’ reputation.

Customers will see your business as a place where staff will take their concerns or complaints seriously and work to fix them. They’ll talk about their problem and how your staff solved it, and this word of mouth can create a loyal customer base while boosting your reputation.

3. Improve Employee Morale

Giving your employees tips to calm upset customers or enrolling them in customer service courses can improve their morale.

They’ll come to work with confidence and know that they can safely and effectively de-escalate situations and calm their customers down.

Practising behaviours that calm customers will become second nature, and your employees’ job satisfaction levels will skyrocket.

4. Provide a Competitive Advantage

What sets you apart from your competition? If you have an arsenal of tips for calming upset customers, this can put your business ahead of your competitors.

Customers and clients want a calm, warm and nurturing environment, and this can add an aura of uniqueness to your business that your competition simply can’t compete with.

Need Tips for Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities?

Remain calm and don’t take the complaint personally

This gives you a great start to dealing with the situation on hand. It helps diffuse the excitement and allows you to gain back control of the situation, whilst reducing the chance of further escalation.

Demonstrate Active Listening

Hear the customer out and be open to observe both verbal and non-verbal cues. When they are done talking, summarise what you’ve heard and ask any questions to further clarify their complaint.

Take ownership and be solution-focused

Demonstrate to the customer that you are well equipped and truly committed to solving their problem. Be their ‘champion’ in resolving their issue. Think laterally. You may want to propose alternative options for your customer to consider, so they feel empowered to make decisions and decide on a mutually agreeable solution.

Want More Advice on Dealing with Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities?

Why not book our one-day Calming Upset Customers professional development course, and take your employees’ customer service skills to the next level?

This way, you and your team can learn to understand why customers get upset, as well as gaining the 10 steps needed to help and calm an upset customer.

You’ll learn the skills to empower your entire staff to foster the right environment for customer satisfaction.

In the CTO course – Calming Upset Customers, you and your team will learn how to:

Understand the importance of upset customers to improving your business.
Identify common causes of customer’s upsets, and learn why listening is a critical skill in dealing with them.
Be proactive in preventing upset customers.
Use various techniques to calm upset customers.
Practice management behaviours that calm upset customers and employees.

Reach out and secure your training with Corporate Training Options today!

If you’re ready to upgrade your skills to calm upset customers, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today for friendly, professional advice.

We’ll discuss your specific needs, and tailor a training course to suit your requirements.

Increase Customer Satisfaction with Telephone Courtesy Training

Written by webplanners on June 26, 2019. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

By: Corporate Training Options, Australia

Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service Skills are essential for staff who assist customers on the phone.

You and your organisation will benefit when you learn to extend simple courtesy, use excellent phone manners, listen effectively and provide top level customer service when assisting customers over the phone.

Kindness and courtesy are at the root of a positive customer service experience.
Shep Kyken

Phone calls are an instant form of communication that most customers can access, and still hold a lot of value. But, if you don’t have the right training in how to manage customer calls, you could cause more harm than good.

With that in mind, here are 4 different ways you can learn the benefits of telephone courtesy and customer service training.

To learn more about the training available on this topic from CTO, visit the course page – Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service Skills training.

Four Great Ways your Business can Benefit by extending simple Courtesy and excellent Customer Service over the phone

1. Consistency secures brand loyalty

When you want your customers to remain loyal to your brand and services, you need to deliver a consistent service. If you do this, your customers will learn that they can expect the same experience each time they call you. This builds trust, loyalty and customer satisfaction in spades.

However, if they encounter different experiences with each operative, your organisation appears inefficient, disjointed and disorganised.

The aim of telephone courtesy and customer service training is to ensure each person delivers the same approach, using common processes and language.

When your customers know what to expect during a phone call to your business, they’ll be happy to keep calling, and to continue doing business with you.

Creating consistency also makes the process less confusing and more enjoyable for your team. It allows your business to brand your interaction of excellent service with your customers, and your staff to work more effectively on the phone.

2. Professionalism makes each call more effective

When your customer calls you, they have a goal in mind. You can help them reach that goal by learning professional telephone skills, such as:

the best ways to answer the phone
learning how to address your caller
practicing effective listening
answering questions succinctly
managing messages
bringing the conversation to a satisfactory close

The best telephone training gives employees the skills required to identify what customers need and how to meet their expectations.

As a result, each person who calls you is more likely to finish their call with a great feeling about your organisation.

One of the best feelings in the world is knowing that someone is happy because of you.

3. Managing different customer styles becomes easier

Smile on the phone - customers can hear it in your voice

Did you know that there are lots of different customer behaviour styles? Although each person will have unique traits, you can often group them into particular styles.

For example, while an emotive customer may provide lots of detail and go off track during the conversation, someone who’s more direct will try to take control of the situation.

When you have telephone skills and customer service training, you’ll learn how to deal with each different type of caller and direct the interaction accordingly.

You’ll understand how to:

ask questions
negotiate with different types of customers
make follow up calls
deliver bad news
avoid statements that give the wrong impression
manage various customer behaviour styles

4. Creating a positive attitude is key to Success

Finally, there’s no denying that staying positive isn’t always easy in business. This becomes even more challenging if you’re managing complaints and queries over the phone.

However, with the right training, maintaining a positive mindset becomes achievable.

Positivity is infectious and makes it easier for employees to thrive, empowering them to acquire skills that allow their careers to progress.

Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service Skills training will teach you how to create a personal action plan, to help you develop a more positive attitude. This is important, because your attitude is one of the keys to your success.

In Summary

Telephone Courtesy & Etiquette Training with CTO

Having a good understanding of Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service Skills is essential for customer service staff. If you are properly trained and can demonstrate professional customer service skills, this can greatly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty to your organisation.

There’s no denying that telephone courtesy & customer service skills are essential in all workplaces, so work on them every day, to constantly improve and get better at what you do.

And of course, if you are properly trained and can demonstrate professional telephone courtesy skills, this will greatly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Learn more about the course

If you want your business and workplace to thrive, getting the right training is fundamental. Corporate Training Options can train your staff to provide the best in customer service standards.

The Benefits and Learning Outcomes you will achieve from the Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service Skills course include you being able to:

Define quality customer service
Employ nine basic, but important, telephone skills
Professionally manage complex customer telephone calls
Manage various customer behaviour styles on the telephone
Interpret customer wants and deliver positive customer service actions

For more information or to book your training, view the details of the course here.

About Corporate Training Options

Corporate Training Options (CTO) is a Business Training Company, which provides you with training in essential business skills, via onsite and online professional development courses.

The courses provide a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your team are presenting your best image to the world.

CTO onsite courses are customised to meet your requirements and will assist you to develop strong skills in:

Customer Service
Leadership & Management
Strategic Business Planning
Project Management
Marketing & Sales
Business Administration
Finance & Accounting
People & Culture
Computer Software Training
Personal Development

For more information on the range of Business Training Courses available, please visit the CTO website – cto.com.au

We look forward to working with you, to build your confidence, improve your efficiency and maximise your potential.

Rosy King

Corporate Training Options

Professional Training – Exceptional Results

training@cto.com.au

cto.noesis.chat/

Manage difficult situations with CTO Training

Strategies to Handle Difficult People and Situations

Written by webplanners on May 24, 2019. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

By: Corporate Training Options, Australia

Learning the strategies to handle difficult people and situations, and resolve them to everyone’s satisfaction, is an important life skill.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion; creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity.”
Dale Carnegie

At one time or another we’ve all experienced difficult people and situations. It could have been with a customer, colleague, peer, partner or stranger.

When you master the strategies to handle difficult people, it will help you to better manage your relationships, your career, your workplace, and your organisation.

These skills will help both you and your coworkers, as you learn to:

Listen effectively and develop your tolerance and problem-solving skills
Understand what the upset person’s motives are for being difficult
Determine if the person complaining is being difficult at all
Develop empathy for their situation and understand where you fit into the problem
Learn how you can resolve difficult situations, so everyone benefits

In this article we’re sharing 5 Master Strategies to Handling Difficult People & Situations, to get you underway.

To discover more about the Handling Difficult People & Situations course from Corporate Training Options, you can view the course outline here.

5 Master Strategies to Handle Difficult People & Situations

Strategy 1: Understand that everyone is different

All of us are individuals. We all have our own thoughts and actions and our own way of understanding and processing events. Your team, your customers and everyone you come into contact with is a living, breathing human being, with different backgrounds, different upbringings and different life experiences.

Dealing with difficult people and situations is about focusing on:

Listening to people to determine if a real problem does exist
Processing what people are saying to you
Understanding what meaning and energy you give that person, the situation and what they have told you
Discovering what type of personality that person has
Acknowledging what type of person you are
Looking deeper, so you can appreciate people’s body language, speech, attitude and other behaviours.
Deciding what action you will take

The moment you start listening, and understanding the different motivations and personality types of people around you, combined with the meaning you give it, is the moment you can begin to understand difficult people and resolve difficult situations.

Strategy 2: Look inwards, to learn if you contribute to difficult situations

We all need to understand that we cannot control other people’s thoughts and actions, just as they cannot control ours.

Some people get agitated quickly and easily, and some do not get agitated at all, no matter what unpleasantness may come their way.

So it’s time for a self-analysis check!

Start by identifying where you can improve. Perhaps you’re too quick to judge, or maybe you have trouble communicating to others – often coming off as rude.

Other times you may be just having a bad day, which makes it easy to take it out on someone else. It doesn’t make it right, but it’s a reality.

By doing a self-analysis, you’ll be able to identify traits and characteristics about yourself that you can improve on, if you decide you need to. And by identifying areas that need improvement in your attitude, persona and character, you’re already halfway there in developing and putting new practices into action.

Another way you can do a self-analysis check is – every time you have a demanding customer or situation, once it is over, score yourself out of ten about what you did well and in which areas you could have done better.

Strategy 3: Listen & Assess – what are the needs of the other person?

We all know it is much easier to retreat from unwanted conversations and conflict. However, it’s important to stand your ground, be polite, and listen, listen, listen.

Think: What does this person want or need, and what are they actually upset about?

Manage difficult conversations, with CTO Training

For example, if you have a difficult customer complaint, try to empathise with them, identify their main problem, take your time, and listen.

Master strategy Three to Handling Difficult People & Situations is to always focus on listening. There’s a reason we have two ears and one mouth.

Practice training your mind, attitude and speech to be ‘judgment-free’, so when people are upset, you’re cool, calm, collected and helpful.

In many cases, much of the conflict a customer or person may have towards you, isn’t directed or about you at all. The person who is upset may be just having a bad day, or have other problems in life, and you’re the unlucky one they decide to take it out on.

Strategy 4: Use the right words, voice and attitude to calm people and resolve the situation.

We all under-estimate the power of words and how we use them. When flung into situations and disagreements it’s easy to get caught off guard and respond in an angry and impolite manner. But remember – You’re bigger than that.

We’ve all heard the saying ‘You get more with a smile than you do with a frown.’

When you need strategies to handle difficult people or situations, this is one you should apply. First, analyse the complaint, the person and the situation. Then, before responding, choose your words carefully, using a soft courteous voice, and a calm and helpful attitude and manner. You’re guaranteed to find a positive result for everyone involved.

By thinking clearly and choosing your words carefully, you’re less likely to crack under pressure, become negatively influenced or leave serious issues unaddressed altogether.

Strategy 5: Think in terms of solutions and service, not problems

You and your mind are powerful beyond measure. What you think about, you bring about. Your mind can take you to the depths of despair, or to heights of success you’ve only imagined. It all depends on how you use it.

Resolving difficult situations is all about focusing on solutions, being true to your word and yourself, and being respectful, irrespective of who is right or wrong.

The last of the Master strategies to Handling Difficult People & Situations is this.

Every single human being wants to feel valued, wants to be heard and needs to be understood. By focusing on solutions and understanding, you are in the service business. You will find positive outcomes, resulting in less anger and better resolutions for everyone involved.

In Summary

All of us face difficult people and situations, both in and outside of work. It’s inevitable. However putting your energy into resolving and handling difficult people and situations, comes down to your attitude, your people skills and how you feel, think and act, that will result in a positive outcome for all.

So take the initiative – don’t give away your power, or let difficult interactions affect your mind or performance in your workplace or relationships.

Over to You.

Think about your experiences with handling difficult people & situations

Dealing with difficult people and situations is never easy. However, there are some great resources, and particular skills you can learn and develop, to help you resolve these conflicts.

One great resource that many other organisations have used before is the Handling Difficult People & Situations course from CTO.

This course is perfect if you who want to equip yourself with the necessary skills to manage difficult people and resolve difficult situations effectively and professionally.

Upon the completion of the )Handling Difficult People & Situations course, you will be able to:

Identify who the problematic people in your life have been in terms of their characteristics and the rewards they get for behaving as they do.
Examine how your personal beliefs and values play into the way you deal with difficult people.
Identify the ‘sources of power’ difficult people have over you, and learn the degree of difficulty posed by each one.
Assess each difficult situation, to enable you to make a good decision about how to handle the situation you face.
Learn new tools to help you find the right words
You’ll also receive a process model, to guide you through difficult interactions with grace and skill.

To discover more about the Handling Difficult People & Situations course from Corporate Training Options, you can view the course outline here.

Alternatively, please contact us by email at training@cto.com.au, for the latest team member training packages.

The Benefits of the strategies to Handle Difficult People & Situations Training Courses include:

We focus your training on the outcomes you require for your team
Your training can be provided on the dates which suit you
Training can be provided for a number of trainees for the same rate
You can choose topics from different courses, and your trainer will tailor your sessions around these requirements
Our trainers are available to present your training within two weeks of your booking date.

Why Choose Corporate Training Options?

Your Trainers are certified experts who are real-world practitioners
The courses are interactive, well organised and fun – making it easier for you to learn
Small classes mean each trainee will receive individual attention and can be confident about the skills gained
Our complimentary trainer consultation prior to your training ensures your objectives will be met
CTO is a Business Excellence Award winning company

About Corporate Training Options

Corporate Training Options is Australia’s leading professional development training company. Incorporated in 1992, we have facilitated & run over 100,000 training courses across Australia and in numerous international locations.

CTO training provides a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your staff are presenting your best image to the world. CTO Professional Development and Computer Training courses are customised to meet your requirements, and your training is provided on-site, on dates which suit you.

The courses will assist you to develop strong skills in:

Customer Service
Leadership & Management
Strategic Business Planning
Project Management
Marketing & Sales
Business Administration
Finance & Accounting
People & Culture
Computer Training
Personal Development

Each CTO trainer has specific areas of expertise. This enables them to provide invaluableassistance to organisations like yours, seeking to maximise your investment in your teams and your technology.

So if you’re ready to upgrade your skills, or you wish to tackle some new challenges, contact Corporate Training Options today. We’ll meet your specific needs with a tailored training course to suit your requirements.

We look forward to working with you, to build your confidence, improve your efficiency and maximise your potential.

Rosy King

Corporate Training Options

Professional Training – Exceptional Results

training@cto.com.au

cto.noesis.chat/

How to use Technology to Provide Exceptional Online Customer Service

Written by Rosy King on March 5, 2019. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

By: Corporate Training Options, Australia

10 Ways you can use Technology to improve your online Customer Service Interactions.

These days, most organisations need to provide online customer service. Let’s use the airlines as an example. I can’t remember the last time I spoke to a real person at an airline. That’s because I can search online for the flights I want, for the days and times that suit me. Then I can book and pay for my flights online, in one simple transaction.

That’s providing great online customer service, delivered when I need it.

It’s the same with ordering flowers, booking concert tickets, buying shoes or ordering home delivered pizza. I can find what I need online, order and pay for it, then have it delivered to my door, within a few minutes, hours or days – depending on the item.

Online Customer Service Training with CTO

So in a world where transactions take place automatically, how does customer service fit in? It needs to be provided online, because customers demand fast answers to their questions and fast access to support.

Your online customer service can be provided via email, your social media accounts or your website. Your customers need to be able to find answers quickly, in order to complete their online transactions.

Corporate Training Options can deliver a course for you on Customer Service in the Information Age, which is ideal for all staff who deal with customers online.

Many of the customer service skills required for the information age are the same as they have always been, so here’s some tips on delivering great online customer service for your customers, in the information age.

In the world of Internet Customer Service, it’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.

~ Doug Warner

Review Your Customer Service Skills

Basic customer service skills such as communication, active listening and fast response times are still as relevant as ever. Customers should always be made to feel valued, heard and understood. Be sure that you and your staff are trained in customer service fundamentals and that your systems and procedures are documented and reviewed regularly.

Use Web Based Support Systems

Your web site needs to be customer focused. And ensure your website is mobile friendly.

Try this tool on your site right now, to check your score on how quickly your site loads on mobile phones. Fast load times are essential for customers who require fast answers.

PageSpeed Insights

You could also have a support form available which your customers can use to contact you and explain their issue.

Ideally, have an online chat function. Information for your customers should be available in a way that is easy to use and understand.

Complement Software with Human Interaction

Although a lot of business and customer interaction is now done online, it’s important for your clients to be able to get in touch with a real person when they need to.

An angry customer can be soothed and then assisted, when a customer service representative really listens to them and shows compassion. Having someone who really relates to customers if and when it is needed, will always result in more harmonious interactions and a better customer retention rate.

Always include contact details on your website. A customer support email address is important. Your address and phone contact details should also be listed.

Be real to your customers. Keep your website and social media pages current, with regular updates, posts, blogs and videos. Your customers will feel more confident in your business knowing that they can deal with a real person if and when they need to.

Let Customers know that you Appreciate their Business

Your customers should know that they are not just another sale to you. Respect their time, try to keep wait times to a minimum, get back to them quickly and really treat them as a valued part of the organisation.

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises.

He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him.

He is not an interruption to our work, he is the purpose of it.

He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it.

We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Offer After Sales Support

Use multiple avenues for your customers to achieve after sales support. They should never be left to feel as though there is no assistance after the sale. They should be able to contact you online or through email at the very least.

Respond Promptly to All Online Requests

This includes emails. Personalise your email responses. On social media sites this is even more important – people have come to expect that they will receive replies very quickly.

Let your customers know when their initial query has been received with a quick personalised email or text message.

Use Everyday Language

Speak to your customers in layman’s terms about your services and products. Try to avoid using jargon whether online, over the phone or in person. Keep it simple, and keep your customers happy.

Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)

Using a CRM software tool to manage your customer interactions enables you to track essential data about your customers. This could include information about the products or services they purchase, their place of work, the time of day when they usually shop or order, their average purchase price and much more.

By using CRM Software you can offer your customers products that will benefit them, and can also increase your organisation’s sales.

Click here to read our article on how a CRM System can power your customer relationships.

Have Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Your Site

Having a list of frequently asked questions on your website can save your customers valuable time. Include questions that are often asked by phone or email, and perhaps basic product information. Make the information clear and easy to read.

We set up our FAQ’s on the CTO website by simply tracking the questions our clients regularly asked over a 3 month period. The FAQ’s were then uploaded to our site. Our FAQ list is updated whenever a new question is asked.

Click here to see the FAQ page on the CTO website. It’s set out very simply, with a white cross at the end of each heading leading to the Frequently Asked Questions listed in that category.

Take Customers Privacy Issues Seriously

Have an easy to read privacy policy on your site and take measures to ensure that your customers feel secure when you handle their information. Personal and sensitive information such as credit card details should only be obtained over secure sites.

Be sure to verify your customers’ identity when you’re assisting them. Don’t ask for personal payment information unless it is required to complete their transaction, and only if they are happy to provide it.

In Summary

We are living today in a world of constant change, where customer service is more important than ever, but can be provided easily and simply online, in most instances.

However, the same rules still apply.

Be courteous, thoughtful and compassionate in your interactions with customers. Treat them with respect and have empathy for the situation they are currently in, or the problem they are currently experiencing.

Look after them at all times, and they will continue to look after you and your organisation well into the future.

It’s not only what you say, but how you make them feel, that your customers will remember, long after an issue has been resolved.
~ Rosy King

_______________________________________

How can you train your team in Online Customer Service?

At Corporate Training Options our course on Customer Service in the Information Age is ideal for all staff who deal with customers online.

This one-day course covers 5 main areas:

Customer Service Basics – with a new century twist
Customer service on the web
Providing customer service via email
Customer Relationship Management
Effective automated telephone service

Enrol online today

Corporate Training Options can help you and your team to excel in online customer service and streamline your customer service processes to benefit your business, your staff and your clients.

______________________________________________

About Corporate Training Options

Corporate Training Options (CTO) is a Business Training Company, which provides you with training in essential business skills, via onsite and online business and professional development courses.

The courses provide a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your team develop strong skills in:

Leadership & Management
Strategic Business Planning
Project Management
Marketing & Sales
Customer Service & Relationship Management
Business Administration
Finance & Accounting
People & Culture
Computer Software Training
Personal Development

We look forward to working with you, to build your confidence, improve your efficiency and maximise your potential.

For more information on the range of Business Training Courses available, please visit the CTO website – cto.com.au

Rosy King

Corporate Training Options

Professional Training – Exceptional Results

training@cto.com.au

www.cto.com.a u

5 Keys to Customer Service Excellence

Written by Rosy King on February 12, 2019. Posted in Corporate Training Courses, Customer Service Training.

How Delivering Exceptional Customer Service will help you to engage your current customers and acquire and retain a solid customer base.

By: Corporate Training Options, Australia

Do you think your customer retention rate could be better? Are you confident that your customers would always give you a 10/10 for customer service?

Looking after your customers is one of the best ways to increase your organisation’s growth. Sadly, it’s also often overlooked.

Did you know that the cost of finding new customers is much higher than that of retaining your existing customers – around 5 times higher in fact.

Below are some key ideas on how you can increase your customer service standards, and turn your customers into raving fans.

By looking after the customers that you have, and making them lifelong fans, they will continue to buy from you, will very possibly increase their business with you, and will recommend you to others.

1. Provide a Warm Welcome

Customers like to do business with those that they know and trust, so it’s important that you develop good relationships with your customers. Welcome them warmly when they come into your business, call you on the phone, or send you an email.

Build rapport with your customers by getting to know them. Talk to them about their family, their hobbies, their interests and their business goals. Make your customers feel valued and appreciated. They should never feel that they are just a sale or a number.

2. Connect with your Customers

Learn to connect with your customers by communicating well. Engage in active listening, both in person and over the phone. Add a human touch to your communications, instead of giving stock standard responses to their queries.

Have information about each of your customers available on file, so that it can be accessed by all employees. This alleviates the need for your customer to explain their situation all over again when they contact you.

CTO Customer Service Excellence Training — Customer Service Excellence is what keeps your Customers coming back

Use active listening to show your customers that you understand their needs and are here to help them. Good communication skills allow you to connect with your customers, and go a long way towards them feeling confident and happy with your organisation.

3. Under Promise and Over Deliver

When a customer is looking for you to meet a deadline, it can be tempting to oversell yourself to keep them happy. The opposite, however, is true. For example, your client may wish for a project to be completed by next Wednesday. You know that you can probably complete it on Monday.

By promising it for Thursday and delivering it on Monday the customer will get a pleasant surprise – and if you fall behind schedule, you still actually have three days in which to complete the project and still keep the customer happy.

4. Increase Your Sales Through Great Service

Find out what it is about your services and products that your customers like, and how you can better serve them. Answer phone calls and emails promptly. If they have put in a request, acknowledge that it has been received. Deal with any issues straight away.

Don’t assume that you are meeting your customer’s needs. Check in with them frequently to ensure that they are happy. You can also have your customer service team conduct anonymous surveys to get extra feedback.

The Goal as a company is to have Customer Service that is not just the best, but Legendary.
Sam Walton

5. Think Long Term

Think long term about your customer service. Your aim is to have your customers for life. Going the extra mile and giving more than what is expected will result in grateful and happy customers. It also means that you will come to mind when they require future services, or are asked for a referral.

In Summary

Looking after your customers is one of the best ways to increase your organisation’s growth. Teach your team these 5 keys to Customer Service Excellence, and you will retain your existing customers, plus have them refer new customers to you.

Training in Customer Service Excellence will help your business to thrive.

Need help with Customer Service Training?

Corporate Training Options helps train your staff to provide the best in customer service standards. Our Customer Service Excellence course is suitable for staff of all levels, from reception and support staff through to senior management.

In the Corporate Training Options Customer Service Excellence course, you’ll discover:

The value of caring for your customers
trends in customer service
how the human touch can make a difference
face to face contact skills
active listening benefits
how complaints can be valuable for your business
customer relationship management techniques
how to deal with difficult customers
how to increase customer loyalty
methods of increasing your sales through great customer service
the nature of persuasion
and more

Enrol online or contact us at Corporate Training Options for more information about our Customer Service Excellence course today.

About Corporate Training Options

Corporate Training Options (CTO) is a Business Training Company, which provides you with training in essential business skills via onsite and online business and professional development courses.

The courses provide a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your team develop strong skills in:

Leadership & Management
Strategic Business Planning
Project Management
Marketing & Sales
Customer Service & Relationship Management
Business Administration
Finance & Accounting
People & Culture
Computer Training
Personal Development

We look forward to working with you, to build your confidence, improve your efficiency and maximise your potential.

For more information on the range of Business Training Courses available, please visit the CTO website – cto.com.au

Rosy King

Corporate Training Options

Professional Training – Exceptional Results

training@cto.com.au

cto.noesis.chat/