When we talk about corporate training, it sounds like a rather generic term. A corporate trainer is supposed to follow certain tools and measures to implement effective training sessions and push the learners towards achieving their best workplace performance. That said, while the structure, design, and conduct of the training must be effectual, so should be the trainer’s grasp on the topic taught. Yes, good training delivery is important, and a train the trainer program teaches those with adequate rigor.

However, that can only happen if the trainer is fluent with the content they plan to share in due course. There can be training sessions hosted for a vast range of skills and abilities. Sometimes internal managers may host these training sessions, whereas external trainers are also often hired. In this blog, we intend to explore one particular type of training in the workplace – customer service training and expound some of the ways in which it can be performed impactfully.

Customer service training refers to the act of training sales staff and other employees on how to serve their customers in a way such that there is a boost in customer loyalty and the size of the company’s consumer base. Through effective customer service, a firm can establish strong bonds with the consumers, develop a better understanding of their needs, and address them with intricate accuracy. This can pave the way for increased sales and augment the brand’s competitive position in the market.

Let us go through a few tips on how to perform effectual customer service training sessions.

• A field as broad and widely researched as customer service possesses vast amounts of literature, findings, tips, and methods for reinforcing effective customer service. Thus, it is a healthy idea for trainers to first compile the existing information and share it with the staff. When gather information, the trainer should also expand her/his knowledge base to handle different questions that the learners may ask. This can expose the learners to numerous best practices that worked in real-life and statistics around specific methods that work and those that do not. The bedrock or foundation of their learning should include a rigorous transmission of knowledge. Once the information has been absorbed, one can move on to the application stage.
• Despite the emphasis on starting off with theoretical strategies and best practices, customer service requires a lot of practical experience. Thus, trainers should host activities and assessments wherein learners must handle mock customer complaints, partake in role playing scenarios for serving customers, and even being observed by the trainer as they go about their daily job of serving customers. Such tasks will reveal the learners’ true skills and inform the trainer of common mistakes that needs attention.
• Trainers of customer service must view the training session as an example of customer service itself – especially if the trainer was externally hired to train the staff (the customers). S/he should constantly ask for the learners’ reviews and procure feedback to identify areas of the session that can be modified or further customized to match the learners’ needs. This is very essential for external trainers as they do not have a grip on the firm’s internal functions and culture. Thus, the strategies they propose may not align with the company’s value, customers, or work style.
• As every successful trainer does, a customer service trainer should also engage the learners as much as possible. Some of them can suggest intriguing ideas, which can benefit others. Hence, encouraging discussions is key to effective customer service training.
• If the company you are training for wishes to see an improvement in customer service, they must have a few standard goals that must be met for effective customer service to be delivered. That said, customer service trainers must be thoroughly aware of the firm’s specific objectives for customer service. If the company sells cars, the type of customer service required will be very different from the service offered when selling sandwiches. Hence, awareness of the industry is important before designing a training program.

A train the trainer program for HR plots some of the key components that HR managers must consider before hiring the right corporate trainer, subject matter knowledge being one of those main considerations. If you plan to become a successful customer service trainer, you must apply the mentioned tips.