Improving Customer Service Training By Nancy Friedman Through the years we’ ve found that role playing is one of the more suc- cessful techniques in customer service training. It enables trainees to act out the real-world situations they are likely to encounter. The process involves the trainer presenting the role-play scenario and asking for volunteers to play the roles. The trainer provides the ground rules. Then selected trainees act out the sce- nario and the entire class analyzes the role playing. Consider two approaches: In the first, the players can attempt to think, speak and behave like someone else. Being an irate customer is a natural for customer service training. This teaches the trainees to identify with other people and their problems, and to ap- preciate different perspectives. In the second approach, the play- ers are themselves and report a par- ticularly frustrating experience they have had as customers. While role playing can be con- ducted in pairs or small subgroups, the procedures are quite effective when staged in front of the entire class. All trainees can, therefore, find ways to handle the roles. Alternative solutions can be tried which reflect company policies and various methods of dealing with cus- tomers. To enhance role playing, use prob- ing questions during the analysis of the scenario to guide trainees to arrive at workable solutions: – How well can you predict the re- actions of the customers? – How else might the situation be managed? – What are effective approaches you have used? – In summary, what have we learned from this? A ready list of subjects about customer problems from which the players can choose for role playing and discussion is helpful. Here are a few: – The store employee has just told you the item you want is out of stock. That’s all that he/she said. Play that scene out. – Incalling acompany, you’ re try- ing to reach a human being and all you get is the automated attendant. Finally, someone answers. You want to know why you were not able to reach a human more quickly. – You’re trying to purchase an item, and the person assisting you only gives one-word answers. – You need someone to help you. After waiting in line for several min- utes, you see that the clerk is fiddling with some paperwork, ignoring you. When asked if you could be helped, you’ re told to “hang on asec. I’Il be right with you.” If these role-playing scenarios seem close to home, it’s because most of the trainees have experienced them. It brings everyday occurrences to the customer service training class. It’s a way of making the training re- alistic. Role playing demands some skill and practice on the part of the trainer. Deft handling of participants is needed. But you’ll feel an enormous sense of accomplishment when you get an attendee, who may not have wanted to role play, up in front and excited about pretending to be a cus- tomer. Barriers to Training What would logically stop a cus- JUNE/JULY, 2000 tomer service training program from being successful? Think for a moment about the bar- riers or the problems that can diminish the quality of the training: – Lack of training resources – Not having clearly defined objec- tives and procedures – Unfamiliarity with training content – Unavailability of trainee time – An inadequate training site Ask any veteran trainer about the obstacles they’ve faced through the years and the list seems to go on and on. How- ever, the two barriers to training that are most frequently cited as primary causes of trouble are: – Lack of support by management – Lack of interest in the program by trainees You may be able to overcome content and delivery deficiencies, but you will need to deal with these two issues. The predicaments of facilities, resources and the rest can normally be overcome one way or the other. Not always, though, with the lack of man- agement endorsement and trainee commitment. Getting through to these two groups can boost the value of customer service training by removing what are commonly considered the two most frustrating “barriers to training.” If there’s a need for customer service training and you find it difficult to “sell it to management” because of one thing or another, you need to find out ex- actly what the concerns are. Then, with this support, motivating trainees will be much easier. Otherwise, it’s very possible the training won’t be as successful as it could! Nancy Friedman, Telephone Doctor, ® St. Louis, MO. Reprinted with permission, The Friendly Voice. EPRIE| Page 1 of 1