Web Extras – Skill Sharpener

Making teamwork work in the service center — For additional ideas and insights on improving teamwork in the service center, read and share these articles:

• Mario Moussa discusses the STAR model for team building in this Wharton@Work article.
• Renee Evenson talks to frontline reps about contributing to the success of the team. Share it with your staff.

A car-maker’s hard-won lessons apply to all service professionals — Joseph A. Michelli, author of Driven to Delight, reports on Mercedes-Benz USA’s efforts to improve its customer experience and what customer service reps in general can learn from that experience. Michelli offers additional advice in the links below:

• In this blog post Michelli suggests how managers can leave a “leadership legacy” in their organizations.
• Michelli has also worked with and reported on the Starbucks service mission in his book Leading the Starbucks Way. Here’s a summary article from the Customer Service Group archives.

Help reps to make a more positive impression with customers — A group of well-known customer service experts bring their expertise to bear in this issue of The Customer Communicator to answer the question, “What can reps do to make a more positive impression on customers?” The links below offer additional help from some of those experts.

• Read Jeff Toister’s blog post on the “2015 National Rage Study” that looks at what customers don’t like about the customer experience.
• Share an article from the Customer Service Group archives. It will help your staff keep a positive attitude.

Help your reps to “lean in” to criticism — In this month’s issue of The Customer Communicator newsletter, Richard S. Gallagher, author of The Customer Service Survival Kit, offers reps a strategy for “leaning in” to criticism as a way to gain agreement. The links below offer additional tools:

• In the video below, Dr. Gallagher discusses techniques for dealing with difficult customers.
• In this article from the Customer Service Group archives, Gallagher gives managers advice on preparing reps for “worst-case scenarios.”

Don’t subject your reps to a toxic work environment — Paul White, coauthor of Rising Above a Toxic Workplace, describes the dangers of a toxic workplace and suggests ways that reps can cope in this month’s issue of The Customer Communicator. The links below offer additional tools for dealing with a toxic workplace.

• See Dr. Paul White’s blog post, “5 Ways to Tell If Your Workplace Is Toxic.”
• An article from our archives that can help your reps avoid toxic talk.

Teach your reps the importance of asking customers the right questions — The January issue of The Customer Communicator provides advice from writer and speaker Shep Hyken on building rapport and solving problems by asking the right questions. The links below offer even more for managers to work with:

• A C-Suite TV video of Shep Hyken discussing his most recent book, Amaze Every Customer Every Time.
• An archive article on making a habit of asking questions.

Create an environment that encourages reps to reach out to others — This month The Customer Communicator offers advice from Tony Fielek, author of The Success Process Handbook, on how reps can build relationships with others in the workplace. The links below suggest how managers can help to create that kind of relationship-building environment.

• An excerpt from Tony Fielek’s book, The Success Process Handbook, on how to develop a more personal touch in the workplace.
• An article from the Customer Service Group archives on setting up a mentorship program.

Will your reps be ready to adapt to evolutionary changes in customer service? — The November issue of The Customer Communicator offers advice from John Goodman, author of Customer Experience 3.0 on some of the skills reps will need in the customer service center of the near future. The links below provide some additional insight.

• An article by Goodman on redirecting your quality assurance program toward what’s really causing customer dissatisfaction.
• Several customer service educational videos below.

United Airlines in-flight safety instructions

How to register the handset on your Panasonic cordless phone

How to track your Amazon order

Keep your reps from falling into bad service habits — The October issue of The Customer Communicator offers advice from Jeff Toister, author of Service Failure, on how reps can avoid falling into bad service habits. The links below offer additional information and advice:

• The webinar below  with Jeff Toister.
• A Customer Service Group archive article on setting up a “quiet room”for your customer service agents.

Help reps develop the skills they need to provide exceptional service — In the September issue of The Customer Communicator, Flavio Martins, author of Win the Customer, offers advice on how reps can create a more positive customer experience. The links below offer further advice on winning customers.

• Read an excerpt from Flavio Martins’ book, Win the Customer: 70 Simple Steps for Sensational Service.
• Get more advice with this article from the Customer Service Group archives on helping reps build trust with customers.