5 Benefits of Customer Service Training

A company’s ability to deliver quality customer service experience hinges upon how well-trained, qualified and experienced its customer service staff is. In order to develop and maintain effective customer service teams, it is important to adequately train and educate the workforce.

There are several ways through which companies can go about training their customer service staff including workshops, seminars and with the help of training games. Customer Service Trainings are conducted to educate CSRs on changing customer service practices and dynamics. Additionally, seminars and motivational speeches by customer service experts can help CSRs gain perspective and get tips for enhancing their own performance. Some of the benefits of effectively training customer service staff are as follow:

Imparts Learning and Helps in Skill Enhancement

Training customer service staff can yield impactful results in terms of enhanced personal performance. As CSRs are exposed to new and emerging customer service trends, it helps them apply the new methodologies and approaches to their work. Moreover, training can help develop different skillsets which are essential for those working in customer service. Not only does training help develop better communication skills and problem solving abilities but also teaches how to manage human relations more effectively. Training activities, especially games, are usually fun and highly engaging. These games can help encourage teamwork and putting aside all personal differences to achieve a common goal.

Increased Employee Engagement

Training activities have an added advantage of engaging employees in such a way that it encourages learning and team bonding. Companies often experience difficulty in finding the right mix for teams owing to conflict between employees and disparity in personal philosophy. Keeping employees engaged also boosts motivation and job satisfaction. If employees feel that they are learning and constantly upgrading their skills, they are likely to stay motivated and give their 100% to their job. Employee engagement also helps reduce any communication barrier that might exist, between the co-workers and with the management. The activities provide a good opportunity for employees to voice their concerns and give recommendations to improve service experience for customers.

Improves Productivity

Several studies have shown a clear link between training and increased productivity. A study conducted by the National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce (EQW) concluded that on average, a 10 percent increase in workforce education level led to an 8.6 percent gain in total productivity. Education and training inevitably equips employees to perform their tasks more effectively, which eventually leads to happier customers and more sales for the company.

Enhances Customer Experience

Customer service training workshops and seminarshave the potential to drastically change the behaviors of CSRs, which, consequently will help them deliver better customer experience. Customer Service training teaches CSRs to develop a customer-centric approach, encouraging them to put themselves in the customers’ shoes to see things from their perspective. The training activities focus on developing a customer-centric philosophy which goes a long way to deliver and improve the overall experience for customers. Training activities help CSRs develop an ability to understand the needs of the customer and formulate solutions in accordance. Offering better customer service will in turn lead to more growth for the business.

Increased Employee Retention

Many companies face high employee turnover, which proves damaging to not only the outlook of the company, but its service quality as well. As new employees have to be constantly inducted and trained, it impacts the company’s ability to maintain the same customer service standards. A recent survey revealed that up to 40% of employees who receive poor training leave their position within the first year. High turnover is problematic for the business as it adds to the cost of re-hiring and training as well. Providing adequate training and upgrading the skillset of CSRs is likely to encourage them to stay with the company, since it signals a potential for personal growth and development.