It’s happened to every customer service rep. They answer the phone or say hello and the customer seems angry or upset right from the start. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking things personally and becoming defensive or angry. But that never helps. In the training guide, Handling Difficult Customers, the authors take readers…Continue reading

 

Take a nice, polite person with a pleasant phone voice and what do you have? A nice, polite person with a pleasant phone voice. But are they a great customer service professional? To answer that, you need to know more. Great frontline reps share eight essential skills ranging from the technical to the emotional and…Continue reading

 

Customer service has evolved over the years, adapting to technological advances, changing customer expectations, and a deeper understanding of the important role that customer service plays in every organization’s success. Along with that change comes a shift in some long-held beliefs about customer service. Many common assumptions just don’t hold up today. In this month’s…Continue reading

 

For better collaboration with customers, clearer understanding, and increased efficiency, frontline reps must recognize and overcome common barriers to good communication This month in Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, communication experts share tips and techniques to break down some of those barriers. It all starts with reducing distractions. Afterall, you can’t…Continue reading

 

Telling a customer how a problem will be resolved is important. Telling them a "story" about how a problem will be resolved adds reassurance that the problem will be handled correctly. This month in Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, J.N. Whiddon author of The Old School Advantage recommends story telling. He…Continue reading

 

When a customer says or does something to cause a frontline rep to lose control of their emotions it's difficult to respond in a professional way. This month in Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, five reps share their personal triggers and advice on the best way to respond. The first example…Continue reading