Better Than Mom's Apple Pie

Summertime means county fairs, and they're in progress now all across the country --- complete with pie contests. To some, there is nothing better than Mom's blue-ribbon-winning apple pie. Just one sweet, buttery bite makes you feel good.

Compare your organization's customer service to Mom's apple pie. Is it better? It can be if your organization has well-trained employees providing winning customer service.

Customer service is an experience so memorable for customers that it can help you retain them, even when your competitors are luring them with lower prices and incentives.

Today's economy is complicated; wooing customers during a recession is even more complicated. Today, people can research businesses via the Internet and social media. The way organizations interact with customers includes multiple channels: telephone, e-mail, text, Twitter, Facebook and other social media vehicles. The extent of customer service can be intense.

What the Research Reveals

Research conducted by McKinsey Inc. indicates that business performance varied the most in industries with high levels of interaction "intensity," such as in the financial services sector. Companies can differentiate themselves from their competitors by improving their ability to interact with customers and prospects through improved service.

A survey conducted by Dr. Jon Anton and Dr. Michael Hoeck, the authors of eBusinessCustomer Service, shows that customers who buy a faulty product but have the problem resolved through "world-class" service are more likely to purchase from that company again than someone who buys a perfect product in the first place. A representative from Forrester Research, Inc., adds that some of the best-performing companies are taking great care to preserve customer service during the recession.

Furthermore, a global survey of 900 executives from 12 countries indicates that barriers exist to customer service, including a lack of trained employees. Two important factors create a superior customer service experience. These include the quality and competence of service employees and their ability to address the problem on the first call or in the first e-mail.

Finally, a U.S. study called "Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It" concludes that 87 percent of customers feel that companies don't listen to them.

The Importance of Training

Remember Mom's apple pie? We all know it has to be sweet. Think about your organization and the customer service your employees provide. Is it a sweet experience every time?

The key to retaining customers is also your most important asset: well-trained employees. One sour experience can mean the loss of the customer or client. When you consider the lifetime value of a customer, you can't afford to lose even one.

Training employees on the skills to meet customer needs is an ongoing proposition --- especially in today's interaction-heavy environment. Maintaining customer relationships requires listening to the customer's need and acting on it.

Bring Winning Customer Service to Your Organization

Vital Learning's Winning Through Customer Service™ has tested training principles through more than 10 years of product field research. This seminar provides a step-by-step process for conducting successful customer service transactions. It also identifies key competencies for world-class customer service:

• Demonstrates professionalism that builds on the ability to work with customers proactively and solve problems.
• Introduces essential communication skills, such as listening to understand the customer's needs.
• Recognizes individual customer behavioral styles and opportunities to adapt to their personal styles.
• Teaches strategies for dealing appropriately with difficult customer situations.

In addition to training, make sure that your employees know what is expected of them. Define clear, attainable goals that are measurable. Employees should also know your organization's policies and procedures for satisfying customer complaints in order to resolve situations more proactively.

Use coaching situations with successful service-oriented employees who can work through and practice real-life situations with new employees. Make these situations a part of the training to customize role-play scenarios to your business. Especially tough situations can become a source of some of the best information for improving service.

Better Than Mom's Apple Pie Service

Customer service occurs at more points of interaction than ever in the sales and service chain. Training employees about customer service can bring positive memorable experiences. High-quality customer service retains customers, expands business relationships, and increases referrals and sales. Sweeten the pie for your customers ... train employees for successful customer interactions.

Thought for the Day

"During tough times there are plenty of other pressures customers face ... We don't want a customer service issue to be what makes them blow their cork."

--- John Venhuizen, ACE

Sources:

Winning Through Customer Service (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
STAR Service (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Horovitz, J. (April 2009). Leading in Turbulent Times: Managing Your Customers.
Industry Best Practices: Customer Service Challenges and Innovations in the Financial Services and Insurance Sectors (2007). eGain Communications Corporation.
Knowledge Management for Customer Service (2004). eGain Communications Corporation.
Krasovitzky, F. The Difference Between Hearing and Listening to Customers, Customer Service Management.
McGregor, J; McConnon, A.; Kiley, D. (March 2009). Customer Service in a Shrinking Economy, BusinessWeek.
Pophal, L. Ten Tips for Effective Customer Service Training, Customer Service Management
Sprague, B. Customer Service is Crucial in a Downturn, BusinessWeek.

Leadership in Action: Become an Undercover Boss

The new television show "Undercover Boss" allows the audience to ride along as CEOs pose as frontline employees to find out what things are really like in their own companies. Through the magic of television editing, we see good people working hard for their companies, although sometimes a procedure breaks down here and there. The real story in organizations, however, could prove to be much different.

A new Towers Perrin Global Workforce study, "Closing the Engagement Gap: A Road Map for Driving Superior Business Performance," shows the complex nature of what actually goes on in most organizations.

The study reveals that employees do care about their work, and they want to learn and grow. They also want stability and security, and with the right opportunities and resources, they'll commit to a company. Although these are positive, there is a downside: The global workforce is not as engaged as they must be in order to drive results.

The Current State of the Workplace

The Towers Perrin study shows that four out of 10 employees surveyed said they were either "disenchanted" or "disengaged" --- which means they are not working to their true potential because they don't have any motivational connections to the organization.

Gallup polls spanning 1989 to 2009 show that 85 to 94 percent of respondents said they were completely or somewhat satisfied with their jobs. The Conference Board reports workers' job satisfaction dropped sharply from 1987 to 2009:

• Interest in their work decreased 18.9 percent.
• Job security decreased 16.5 percent.
• Interest in the people at work decreased 11.6 percent.
• Satisfaction with supervisors decreased 9.5 percent.

These results further define the underlying problem growing in the workplace: The growing disconnection for employees and their employer is exacerbated by layoffs, budget cuts and continued uncertainty. Employee confidence in long-term career opportunities has dwindled.

The Towers Perrin study defines engagement as "employees' willingness and ability to contribute to company success" and measures employee engagement based on three dimensions:

• Rational: How well employees understand their roles and responsibilities
• Emotional: How much passion and energy employees bring to their work
• Motivational: How well employees perform in their roles
The engagement gap is the difference between employee effort and the organization's ability to garner this effort from the bulk of the workforce.

Disengaged leaders stand in the way and are unable to recognize the changes needed to align with emerging workforce circumstances. Turning leadership into action requires focused training of an organization's leaders, so they can develop a culture that cares about the employees while understanding the importance of performance.

Author Michael Beer, in his book High Commitment, High Performance Management, indicates six leadership barriers:

• Unclear strategy, priorities and values
• Leaders who have a hands-off leadership style
• Ineffective leadership team that doesn't spend time on strategic and people issues
• Poor coordination and collaboration for value-creating activities, preventing effective execution
• Inadequate leadership development
• Closed vertical communication with employees about values strategies and priorities

Improving the State of Your Organization

Essentially, strong leaders can make a difference in motivating and engaging the workforce. This requires them to go "undercover" to really understand employee's needs, values and motivation, ensuring that they are performing the right tasks in the correct way for the proper business outcomes.

Furthermore, a highly trained and engaged leadership team can shape the work environment and culture aligned with business strategies, goals and priorities. This is what you will find as you close the gap: a better performing organization. Become the undercover boss and train your leaders. Put them in action and close the engagement gap with courses from Vital Learning.

Vital Learning's Essential Skills of Leadership™ online seminar, along with coaching, can help build strong, actionable leaders. Leaders learn to maintain team member self-esteem while managing, evaluating performance, improving work habits and resolving issues. They also learn to listen to employees and involve team members in decision-making and problem-solving to motivate employees.

Improve Customer Care in 2011

As you start to make plans for 2011, consider making customer care a priority in your organization. Rid your workplace of old employees' poor customer care habits and train new employees the right way.

With the current economy and workforce demographic shift, learning programs must be aligned with business goals and challenges. Customer care should be one of those goals.

The 2010 Major Issues Survey from the Institute for Corporate Productivity illustrates the priority. Nearly 37 percent of respondents indicated that focus on the customer service is an issue to a high extent, and more than 55 percent indicated so to a very high extent. However, high-extent respondents indicated that their companies are only 38.80 percent effective in addressing it, while very-high-extent respondents indicated only 21.71 percent effectiveness.

In a Harris Interactive Study of 2,049 U.S. adults, 80 percent of respondents indicated that they have decided never to return to a company after a bad customer service experience. Customer care is a defining issue for businesses, and to grow, organizations must attract new customers and retain their current customers.

Frustrations with customer care have come into focus during the past 10 years, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. Dozens of studies confirm that today's organizations have less committed workers, have made cuts to customer service operations and have reduced hiring and training. To remain competitive, organizations cannot survive on pricing; they must offer outstanding customer service.

The technology revolution has brought new tools and software for customer relationship management, profiles, trends and customer history. But technology can't solve the fundamental need for trained employees to deliver the following:
· Increased consistency in creating positive memorable customer service experiences
· Increased customer retention
· Expanded business relationships
· Increased customer referrals

How They Do It

American Family Insurance recently turned to its education division to revamp internal training to provide a better customer experience. Agents are now required to attend a thorough training program that prepares them to help customers achieve financial security. The new training focused on performance-based learning, multiple learning styles, interactive hands-on learning and measurement. This has brought positive outcomes, including increased efficiencies and cross-divisional work.

The Walt Disney Company is well known for its superb customer advocacy and service recovery principles. "Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends," said Walt Disney. One of Disney's methods is to solicit knowledge of mistakes and rectify them so the situation becomes better than if no mistake occurred.

Aside from a focus on good merchandise at a reasonable profit, L.L.Bean, Inc., focuses on customer expectations, treating customers like neighbors and, thereby, changing the dynamic of the interaction. L.L. Bean said, "Self practical, tested merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings and they will always come back."

Put Strategy Into Motion With Training

Giving customers what they want isn't enough; you must anticipate their needs, resolve their complaints and provide service that electrifies them. Preference for products and services goes beyond selection of the product. You want to rid your organization of poor service and become a company of preference by winning customer loyalty. Permanence in the personal relationships that your service employees create brings long-term commitment from your customers. At this point, customers recognize your value proposition.

Creating this sustainable differentiation involves training employees and communicating with them. Your employees must understand that customers are the center of your business.

Vital Learning provides training tools to assist organizations with their resolution to eliminate poor customer service. Winning Through Customer Service is a program designed to help employees to understand their role as a professional within the organization and promotes a problem-solving culture. Employees will learn essential communication skills and behavioral styles that will help them adapt their personal style. In addition, they will identify and utilize a structured process/model for conducting customer service transactions while at the same time mastering strategies for dealing with difficult customers.

Vital Learning's STAR Service is another program designed to improve customer care. It presents four key areas of learning:
S: Sync-up with the customer
T: Target to determine customer needs
A: Assist to meet the customer's needs
R: Reaffirm assistance and the relationship

Vital Learning and its team of affiliate training professionals offer classroom, online and blended learning options that are easily customizable to fit your training strategies. When your employees understand their role in the customer value proposition, your customers will come back.

Thought for the Day

" A sale is not something you pursue, it is something that happens to you while you are immersed in serving the customer."
---Author Unknown

Sources:

McCauley, L. (Dec. 2007). How May I Help You? Fast Company.com
Hartley, D. (Feb. 2009). Customer Satisfaction Through Training. Chief Learning Officer Media.com.
University of Iowa News Release. UI Business Professor Studies Lousy Customer Service (Nov. 2006).
Winning Through Customer Service (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
STAR Service (2010). Vital Learning Corporation
Preliminary Survey Results 2010 Major Issues. Institute for Corporate Productivity.

Go Green With E-Learning

As organizations continue to tighten their belts with the overwhelming concerns of the economic crisis, it is time to consider "green" training strategies with e-learning.

Now more than ever is the time for organizations to take advantage of the opportunities associated with training programs delivered through easy-to-use learning management systems (LMS). Integrating e-learning into a training curriculum has never been more optimal for your strategies. Whether you are a part of a small, medium or large company, these resources are realistic and promising.

We've talked about the power of going green and the cost savings associated with it. Today, going green is also a way to attract and retain the best and brightest employees to maintain competitive edge. An example is the members of Generation Y, also called Millennials, who place a high value on the environmental ethics of prospective employers. According to Experience Inc., an Internet-based career services provider, a recent nationwide survey of 2,774 college students found that 81 percent believe it is important to work for a green company.

Furthermore, research also indicates that corporations with increased social responsibility tend to have longevity. E-learning makes environmental and financial sense because it reduces time away from the job, classroom energy use, costly travel and other resource use.

The need for communicating about and training employees on new business objectives in order to help them succeed in a more complicated business environment is imperative. It is also much easier to achieve these days because of the ease and immediacy of using technology. A Watson Wyatt Communication ROI Study 2007/08 of companies worldwide found that "firms that communicate effectively are four times more likely to report high levels of employee engagement than firms that communicate less effectively."

The tools used for communication and training enhance the business environment and are particularly important to younger employees, who have grown up with the use of computers and the Internet. I see this becoming a green engagement with employees --- a new partnership between the employee and the organization.

Leveraging Green in Your Organization

The world of electronic capabilities and portable computing and communication connected through wireless networks has facilitated mobility in learning. Mobility enables instruction and learning to extend far beyond the traditional classroom, thereby eliminating traditional inhibitors and boundaries. It offers increased flexibility and opportunity for interaction for those who might otherwise not receive the training they need.

E-learning supports experiences that are accessible to, collaborative with and integrated with the business environment. What can green learning bring to your organization?
• Increased training for busy employees
• Anytime, anywhere access to new content
• Enhanced interaction between and among learners and trainers
• Just-in-time training or a review of content
• Enhancement of student-centered training
• Greater engagement of tech-savvy participants in a media-rich environment
• Support of personalized learning
• Collaboration through asynchronous and synchronous communication
Researchers also indicate the benefits of training occurring in the individual's environment rather than in the classroom. It enables reinforcement of learner recall and reflection with others in the same technology space online. Some organizations can also use e-learning to increase learning within team environments.

A Green Strategy

Greener strategies may not have reached your organization yet, but chances are they will. If they haven't, then you may have an opportunity to take a leadership position. Obviously, global warming, high energy prices and other issues have many people wondering how they can make an impact. Organizations are beginning to incorporate green initiatives into their strategic planning initiatives. This is a great time to suggest e-learning as a greener approach to delivery.

The following are some reasons to consider e-learning in your organization's green strategy:
• Eliminate paper-based marketing materials and tools for inviting participants by replacing them with electronic components and the use of learning management system (LMS) tools.
• LMS tools offer self-service registration and confirmation components that save time, staff and paper.
• Offer training materials and resources through the online program.

Because training in classrooms requires time and gas commuting and time spent off the job, organizations can save energy in a variety of ways. Consider shifting to more e-learning components through blended learning, online coaching, performance support and stand-alone courses. While helping the environment, this also helps make training more transparent and efficient as well as increase skills development.
Consider moving course evaluations and assessments online.

Researchers indicate that greener training must start at the top by promoting a clear commitment to it as an overall organizational strategy to social and ethical responsibility. Nick Van Dam, Ph.D., suggested in his article, "Time for Green Learning!" suggested that this strategy involves early communication and planning for a green learning environment, and it requires the support of the organization's learning community. Again, transparency is important addressing trainee concerns in the shift from paper use and traditional classroom settings. Finally, specific goals and objectives for green learning must be matched with measurement of progress.

Go Green With Vital Learning

Vital Learning is doing its part to enable organizations to commit to green learning practices by offering online learning programs through a comprehensive LMS. With programs that incorporate e-learning and blended learning methods, your organization can save time and money while ensuring that your employees receive the training they need. Your local Vital Lerning training consultant can show you the best way to go for the green with e-learning for your organization.

E-Learning Buzz to Your Training Toolbox

It's learning in a widely networked world. It's green, it's in cyberspace, it's blended and unblended, it supports change. It can save your organization money, it fosters interaction and collaboration, it's global, scalable, adaptable and part of the new learning fabric that goes hand-in-hand with revolutionary and technological change. That's the buzz of e-learning. But is e-learning in your training toolbox?

Content and Providers

The e-learning market is expected to surpass $52.6 billion by 2010, according to a May 2008 industry article. Shorter business cycles, mergers and increased competition are driving businesses to incorporate of e-learning in their training curriculums. Other drivers include quality instruction, cost effectiveness of new technology and increasingly supportive cultures of e-learning.

Another trend is not only in the purchase of software but also the added value of training vendors who can provide online facilitation, blended approaches and coaching. This increases engagement and customer learning satisfaction leading to outcomes contributing to the bottom line.

Scenario: A data processing company is rolling out supervisory training for its 200 managers. The company wants to deliver the same training to all managers, but because the participants are in five locations in three states, classroom-based training is not feasible due to the cost of bringing participants to one location.

The decision is made to use e-learning. A training vendor supports online training by interacting with students through threaded discussions. The online trainer is also available to answer participants' questions. Thus, students feel supported. They apply their learning on the job for a defined period and return to the online course fur further discussion and coaching with the instructor based on their real-life experiences.

Productivity levels are measured before and after the training, as well as at six months and one year. The results show that turnover is reduced and productivity has increased.

Learning 2.0 and Social Communities

According to research, the future of e-learning may be in workplace communities using social learning, which is a major change for business training. As a training professional or chief learning officer, you are responsible for managing and delivering training with classroom, online or blended approaches. The prospect of socialized learning adds to the formal approaches. E-learning lends itself well to this because it is already delivered via technology and uses features such as chat, asynchronous threads and document sharing.

How they do it: Social networking sites and blogs can be easily embedded into e-learning formats. The accessibility of posts for best practices and ideas are built upon and archived over time, becoming a wealth of collaborative knowledge for the organization.

Another way inject social learning is to wrap it around existing formal content and link to social forum spaces where they can discuss the training. These are public spaces where additional outside experts contribute so learning is further enhanced.

Learning Management Systems

Learning management systems (LMS) need not be expensive. They allow companies to register, track and catalog available courses for participants within the organization, allowing them to manage the function.

Choosing the right content and provider can bring resources to you without the expense of building or investing in large-scale systems beyond your reach or budget. This makes it easier to deliver value to your organization and mange results. For example, tracking the number of participants, courses delivered, and time spent in courses compared to the return on increased customer service or productivity following training.

Scenario: An auto parts store chain has rolled out training to its 257 stores nationwide. Through its LMS, the chain can track those who have received customer service training. Because the store also tracks customer service levels, it can draw correlations between those who completed the training and increased customer service ratings. Further return-on-investment has been shown through this tracking.

Vital Learning Brings the Buzz to Your Toolbox



Organizations are increasingly examining the incorporation of e-learning and the vast array of technology and Web-based tools strategically. Resources include planning and evaluation methods.

Vital Learning has been delivering online training courses and tools since 1996. With its affiliated training partners, Vital Learning offers a sate-of-the-art LMS and courses that can be delivered as stand-alone modules for self-paced learning or for blended learning solutions. Contact your Vital Learning training consultant today to discover how you can add e-learning to your toolbox.

Cutting-Edge Customer Service

The Problem

Maybe your organization doesn't make cutting-edge products. You don't necessarily have to. But do your employees deliver cutting-edge customer service?

With today's uncertain economy and belt-tightening occurring on every level, people are scrambling to maintain profitability and grow their businesses. Add to that competition and a world that relies on social networking and word-of-mouth marketing ... well, let's just call it a tough sell.

Retaining and gaining edge hinges on the kind of customer service that brings people to your door, helps you through the economic downturn and creates customer advocacy.

Who should you be training to provide cutting-edge customer service?

• Sales and service representatives
• All employees who deal with your customers
• Anyone who has internal and external customer contact

That sounds like almost everyone in an organization needs training, doesn't it? In truth, every employee can use customer service training. Such training helps an organization shift its culture to one that encourages cutting-edge thinking and progressive service.

The following are examples of organizations known for delivering superb, memorable customer service.

Nordstrom

An American business more than 100 years old, Nordstrom is touted in a destinationcrm.com article as the gold standard for customer service excellence. The company now relies on word of mouth as a primary marketing tool.

Nordstrom makes customer service a priority, and customers know they will be treated special. One longtime employee said that he felt empowered to pave his own career path and to bring customers along with him. Nordstrom also gives employees on the frontline the ability to make decisions.

Ford

Ford was founded in 1903, and remains a leader in the American auto industry. A Ford division customer relationship manager was interviewed, and she said the company has been responsive by listening to what customers want instead of telling them what they need. The Ford philosophy has always been to focus on the customer experience at every touch point.

Men's Wearhouse

A FastCompany.com article, "They Sell Suits With Soul," shares the story of Men's Wearhouse's record of turning "reluctant shoppers into loyal customers." One top executive said that the company's training curriculum is less about how to sell suits than about understanding people. In addition, Men's Wearhouse believes in "the ability to move beyond the initial customer request and to satisfy a true need."

The Solution

Design Customer Service Training and Make it Happen

Consider the level of customer service your organization provides today. What might you consider in the way of training for employees so they feel the kind of empowerment that leads to cutting-edge customer service?

Assessment must be a part of your customer service methodology. Some assessment firms indicate that finding the right operational targets and customer satisfaction information to determine where service and delivery integrate is key. Next, design a CSR training program that builds service levels to satisfy your customers; this will have a direct bearing on your organization's productivity and profitability.

Vital Learning, in conjunction with your training representative, offers a variety of customer service training programs. Each program is flexible to fit your needs and provides both traditional classroom-based and online options.

STAR Service is a powerful, four-hour program that teaches participants how to achieve the following:

S: Sync up with customers
T: Target customer needs
A: Assist customer needs
R: Reaffirm assistance and the relationship

The STAR Service program offers maximum training in a short period of time to improve CSRs' consistency and create positive and memorable experiences for your customers. It also helps increase customer retention, expand business relationships and drive increased customer referrals.

Vital Learning's Winning Through Customer Service program offers four modules to train participants about professionalism that leads to a proactive, problem-solving culture. The program also focuses on communication skills while using a structured process/model for conducting customer service transactions. Furthermore, participants practice strategies for appropriately dealing with difficult customer situations.

Two complementary online programs, Delivering Customer-Focused Service and Dealing With Difficult Customer Situations, allow organizations to deliver training as either stand-alone, self-paced modules or blended learning to complement to the classroom-based programs.

There has never been a more compelling time to keep your organization moving and on the cutting edge with customer service training.