Coaching for Customer Service Training

Coaching for Customer Service: Managing, Motivating, and Getting the Best out of Front-line Employees

Program Overview

The hiring and training a constantly revolving customer service staff costs organizations thousands of dollars each year. By learning to effectively coach and manage customer service employees, an organization can reduce turnover, deliver better service, build a stronger customer care culture, and save money. This dynamic program is designed for people who manage and supervise front-line employees whose job it is to regularly deal with the public.

Program Objectives

At this program's conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Identify first-rate customer service.
• Recognize performance gaps.
• Delegate tasks to others.
• Set SMART goals for themselves and others.
• Provide constructive feedback and follow up on goals and workgroup targets with subordinates.
• Counsel employees who are not performing up to expectations.
• Illustrate the impact of body language and voice tones on communication.
• Explain the four basic behavioral styles and how to adapt to each.
• Capitalize on personal style for more effective communication.
• List tactics for dealing with difficult behaviors.
• Create an environment that is conducive to delivering exceptional service.
• Develop an action plan to improve their supervision skills.

Course Outline

Good Manager, Bad Manager: Which Do You Want to Be?

This training kicks begins with a discussion of the qualities of both good and bad managers and supervisors and what can sabotage achieving success in a supervisory role. The trainer will place special attention on the challenges of managing those who regularly interact with customers.

Who Are You in the Zoo?: Understanding Different Communication Styles

Unit two shifts the focus inward to each participant's personal communication style. Using the Business Training Works' signature diagnostic tool, The Communication Jungle, participants will learn to identify their own behavioral styles, the styles of their coworkers and subordinates, and how to adjust for better coaching and communication.

Be SMART: Goal Setting for Peak Performance

Setting realistic and manageable goals is a critical skill for managers and supervisors to possess. This portion of the training explores the components of SMART goals and allows participants to practice writing goals and expectations for the people they supervise.

So, How Am I Doing?: Delivering Performance Feedback

Performance feedback should not only happen during an annual review. It should be part of the normal working relationship between managers and those they supervise. This segment explores the steps of giving both positive and negative feedback. Using case studies and real-life examples, participants will have the opportunity to practice giving feedback to subordinates.

Difficult Personalities and Difficult Situations: Dealing with Challenges

At this point, participants will create solutions to case studies that focus on difficult personalities and difficult situations. From "negaholics" to backstabbers, and whiners to minimal contributors, participants discuss better ways in which to communicate and manage those whose actions make the process harder.

Pull out Your Pompoms: Becoming a Cheerleader Without Being Cheesy

This program concludes with ideas for motivating a team to succeed. From competitions to raffles, this final lesson focuses on building camaraderie and the extra things customer service managers can do to make their departments better.

By the end of this training, participants will be better able to supervise and manage those who work directly with customers. From coach to cheerleader, participants will understand what it takes to keep front-line employees motivated and performing at their best.