Founder & CEO at Millennial Services, a dedicated call-center services provider.
getty
Happy customers are customers who feel taken care of. They trust in your expertise when they have questions about your products and services. This trust is part of the relationship-building process, and it's vital in your efforts not only to retain customers but to gain new ones.
When your employees have thorough knowledge of your products and services, they're better able to provide a good customer experience. This is a major aspect of the customer success factor. Same goes for policies and other pertinent knowledge.
All new hires should receive thorough training so they are familiar with your product line, services and general policies. That's right: all new hires, no matter what role they play. If there's any chance the employee may have customer contact, they need this knowledge.
By giving employees real-world anecdotes that show how the product or service is used and how it benefits the customer, it becomes second nature for the new employee to know answers to product features, benefits and unique selling points.
When a customer calls your business, wouldn't it be great if they connected with someone who is enthusiastic about the product and can easily explain how it will benefit them?
It's All In The Training Materials
Now that we've gone over the benefits of training employees on your product line, how do you actually accomplish it?
You should be providing your employees with training manuals, reference guides, or handbooks that cover product information in detail. Training materials should include product specifications, technical details and any other relevant documentation.
These materials can be via hard copy or computer-based. All that matters is that they are accessible and easy to navigate, so that they're a go-to reference for new hires who have questions or have to answer questions.
Help Employees See The Product In Action
Approach training with multiple learning styles in mind, so that new hires can really integrate what you are teaching them. Demonstrations and simulations help trainees gain a better understanding of how your products and services work.
Aside from physically demonstrating product or service usage in person, you can also use multimedia presentations, videos or virtual simulations. Always take the time to encourage questions and discussion, and follow up with them a few days later to see what comes up.
Provide Hands-On Practice And Role Play
Hands-on practice is an important piece of the training puzzle, and you should use this method whenever possible. When an employee is walking a customer through a problem-solving or trouble-shooting call, this hands-on experience is going to make a huge difference in your customer success factor.
You want your customer success agents to be able to interact with customers and prospective customers confidently. It's one thing to be able to answer product and service questions, but it's another to have them troubleshoot and answer questions around things like return policies or billing issues. Being responsive, empathetic and practicing active listening is vital while delivering the information and solutions necessary to resolve customer issues efficiently and in a way that makes the customer feel heard and valued.
Role-playing exercises are a powerful way to fine-tune skills and receive valuable feedback. They also build confidence. By creating realistic scenarios that simulate customer interactions, you provide them with real-world training needed to excel in their customer service role.
During the role-playing training, make sure you offer immediate feedback and coaching. This provides ample opportunities to ask questions, discuss solutions and offer tips for increasing your customer success factor.
Provide Ongoing Support And Resources
Successful customer service teams are armed with the tools and know-how needed to serve customers in a competent, caring manner. But it doesn't end with that initial training.
Establish a support system for new employees to provide ongoing support. Provide mentors, trainers and other additional resources such as online forums, knowledge bases or FAQs.
Forums are great because peer support is a powerful tool that allows your team to help each other and improve their skills at the same time. Continuous learning, refresher courses and up-to-date information on new products, systems and policies are also key.
Also, make sure you conduct periodic evaluations. They offer a chance for staff to discuss their challenges and their successes over time, and allow employers the opportunity to provide valuable feedback and guidance.
Where To Get Started
What are some steps you can take now to help your team? How can you give your new hires the best chance of succeeding?
Start off by evaluating your current training protocol. Brainstorm ways you can revamp it to increase efficiency while offering new hires an immersive training experience. Add product demonstrations and hands-on training whenever possible.
Create refresher training for existing employees to ensure they have the most up-to-date product knowledge. Don't limit this to customer service agents only. Remember, all staff who have contact with customers should be able to answer questions about products, services and policies.
Remember, employees who are familiar with your company's products and services are more confident when dealing with customer inquiries. Knowledge is power!
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
