Web Extras – Skill Sharpener

Adding the human element to customer service — This month author Jeff Toister recommends two resources from his website.

• A “Thank-You” letter exercise that reps can use to create their own personal service vision. Also included are daily email reminders and tips. (Registration is required.)
• A blog post on how to create a service vision for your team.

• • A checklist from Khera on Six phrases star performers never use.
  • A management-oriented video featuring Shiv Khera offering advice on how to become a “high-impact leader.”

Create a culture of appreciation — A culture of appreciation can boost positive relationships between coworkers and increase engagement and productivity, says Dr. Paul White in this month’s issue of Customer Communicator. Here are additional resources:

• A blog post in which Dr. White discusses how employees want to be SHOWN APPRECIATION.
• An article from the Customer Service Group archives in which Dr. White offers advice on how to cope with a “toxic work environment.”

Are your reps prepared to respond to complaints about coworkers? — Customer complaints about coworkers happen more often than one might think, and it pays to build a service culture that knows how to deal with those issues. This month’s issue of Customer Communicator and these resources will help.

• A blog post by Kate Nasser on how to build a unified service culture in your organization.
• Kate Nasser’s #PeopleSkills Twitter Chat.

Support your reps’ trust-building efforts. — When there’s a high-level of trust in the service center, people communicate well, work well together, and strive to meet common goals. Without trust, guarded communication, speculation, and disengagement can get in the way of productivity and serving customers. These resources can help:

• The introduction to Nan S. Russell’s book — Trust, Inc.
• An article from the Customer Service Group archives on how managers can “build a culture of trust” in their organizations.

Make sure your reps can handle service issues via social media. — More and more customer service departments are being called upon to handle customer issues that arise on social media. These resources can help:

• An article by Chip R. Bell on how to tame customer complaints on social media.
• A chapter from Jeff Toister’s new book, The Service Culture Handbook. See how Twitter saved the day.

Old-fashioned service skills are still important in today’s high-tech world. — Use these resources to get back to basics.

• A blog post by J.N. Whiddon on communications in the age of technology.
• Handout: An article from the Customer Service Group archives on “building rapport on the phone.”

What are you doing to help your reps improve their written communication skills? — In today’s service world, written communication skills can be just as — or more — important than oral communication skills. Here are resources you can use to help your reps boost those skills.

• Handout: An article from the Customer Service Group archives that looks at business-writing blunders that reps should avoid.
• Advice for managers from Marsha Collier, author of The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide, on how to manage reps’ online communications with customers.

Make sure your reps are practicing positive vocal skills — A customer service rep’s voice can provide a clear message to customers about how willing they are to help. Here are some resources managers can use to make sure that message is a positive one:

• Handout: Additional advice from Renée Evenson on “choosing the right words for every occasion.”
• An article from the Customer Service Group archives on how to screen new hires for vocal skills.

Make sure reps don’t make things worse when delivering bad news to customers — The wrong words, the wrong attitude, too much information, and too little information can all contribute to making a difficult situation worse. These resources can help.

• Evan Horowitz’s advice on hiring the right people for the job.
• “I have some good news and some bad news.” — Researchers look at which news reps should deliver first.