Learn How to be a Great Customer Service Manager

Jeff Toister August 4, 2016

There's a cool feature on Lynda.com that let's any user curate a playlist of training videos.

I've used it to create a playlist that's specifically geared for service leaders. My Customer Service Leadership playlist contains six courses that you can use to become a great customer service manager.

This post provides an overview of the training and tips on how to maximize your learning. Best of all, I'll show you how to access this training for free!

Playlist Overview

Here's a description of the six courses on the playlist, along with my rational for including them.

Managing a Customer Service Team, by Jeff Toister

Learn the basics of managing a customer service team. I included this course because it was designed to provide a thorough introduction to customer service management.

Coaching and Developing Employees, by Lisa Gates

Learn how to coach, transform, and empower employees and teams in ways that increase retention and improve the bottom line. This course will help you develop one of the most important skills a leader can have.

Getting Things Done, by David Allen

Learn the art of getting things done with world-renowned productivity expert David Allen. Managers are always pressed for time, but this course can really help. I've been using David Allen's principles myself since 2001 with great success.

Using Customer Surveys to Improve Service, by Jeff Toister

Learn how to design and implement customer service surveys, and turn the data into actions that can improve service quality. This will help you obtain essential data to make your team, and your organization, even stronger.

The Manager's Guide to Managing Expectations, by Jeff Toister

Learn to identify what a typical customer expects, where those expectations come from, and where your organization might be vulnerable. You can use this course to help prevent service failures from happening.

Quick Fixes for Poor Customer Service, by Jeff Toister

Discover simple solutions to instantly improve customer service. Things occasionally go wrong, but this course can help you quickly identify straightforward solutions.

Maximize Your Learning

Start by establishing a few learning goals for yourself.

Think about the specific skills would you like to learn. Determine how will you apply this skills in your role as a leader. Most important, consider how these skills can help you improve you and your team's performance

Next, decide what content best matches your needs. If you're new to leadership, you might take the courses from start to finish. Or, if you are an experienced customer service manager, you might browse through the content to pick and choose topics that best fit your needs.

Finally, be prepared to practice new skills as you learn them. You don't have to watch the videos all the way through! They're designed to allow you to watch a short segment, try out what you learned, and then continue watching.

Perfecting the art of practice is a major way to improve the value of training.

Accessing the Playlist

You'll need a Lynda.com account to access the playlist.

Remember when I mentioned I'd show you how to take these courses for free? You can get a 10-day Lynda.com trial that will give you access to the entire library!

Once you're logged in, visit my Customer Service Leadership playlist and start learning!

How to Improve Customer Service Training by 900%

Jeff Toister July 14, 2016

Imagine your employees need customer service training.

You want to hire a professional. Someone who can share cutting-edge concepts and really fire up the team.

The standard approach is to look for someone like me. The trainer flies in, conducts the training, gets great reviews, and then leaves.

Has that ever really worked out well? Motivation usually jumps for a few days and then employees gradually settle back into their old habits.

There's another approach. One that's 900% better and costs less.

The 70-20-10 Rule

Research conducted by the Center For Creative Leadership is credited with developing the 70-20-10 Rule. It suggests that leaders learn their skills from three sources:

70% from challenging assignments
20% from developmental relationships
10% from formal training

In truth, it's not really a rule. The 70-20-10 ratio is more of a guide. And, it can be applied to all sorts of training.

Let's look at what happens when we apply the 70-20-10 rule to a typical customer service training program:

The typical program focuses on formal training, which accounts for roughly 10 percent of learning. But, what about the other 90 percent?

That's usually not part of the plan.

Developmental relationships account for 20 percent of learning - twice as much as formal training. These usually come from a boss or mentor. Unfortunately, typical training programs often fail because the boss doesn't do much coaching to help employees develop their new skills.

The typical training also lacks a clearly defined initiative where employees' new skills can make a measurable difference. That's another 70 percent of learning they miss out on.

A New Approach

The good news is we can make a few tweaks to capture the missing 90 percent. And, we can reduce our costs at the same time, but more about that in a moment.

First, we need to identify a challenge for everyone to work on. Jim Collins and Jerry Porras coined the term Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal in their classic book, Built to Last.

The idea is you can rally the team (or an organization) behind an important goal that focuses everyone's efforts.

My clients often identify a specific challenge through a customer service assessment. I offer a comprehensive version, but you can download this mini-version and try it on your own.

That challenge represents 70 percent of learning. We can capture the other 20 percent if the employees' supervisors are prepared to coach their teams.

There are often two big issues for supervisors:

They don't think they have time to coach
They don't know how to coach

You can solve both issues by enrolling supervisors in a one-on-one coaching program. They'll learn how to carve out the necessary time and how they develop their employees.

Add in the challenge and coaching and your training model now looks like this:

Reduce Your Costs

Remember that bit about adding in a challenge plus coaching while reducing your costs? Here's how you do that:

You do the training via video.

Will a training video be as good as live training? The short answer is no. But, video can be extremely effective. And, remember that formal training is only 10 percent of the pie. Better to focus your resources on the other 90 percent.

Let's look at an example of the costs associated with training 30 employees using the typical approach versus the new approach.

I've made a few assumptions here, so your math might work out a little differently:

The average hourly wage is $15 per hour.
There are three supervisors who oversee the 30 employees.
The one-on-one coaching program for the supervisors costs $4,500.

The $900 cost of training for the new approach is based on a one month premium Lynda.com subscription for 30 employees at $29.99 per person. The actual cost can be lower than that with a volume discount.

Bonus Benefit

Many of my clients have reminded me of a bonus benefit gained by the new approach.

Think about what happens when you bring in a professional trainer. That person does their training and then goes home. But, what do you do when you hire a new employee? Or, what happens when it's been six months and your team needs a refresher?

With the new approach, you have an easy source of ongoing development if you keep your access to the training videos!

Three Surprising Stats About Serving Customers Via Social Media

Jeff Toister June 21, 2016

Let's start with a bonus stat.

The 2015 Customer Experience Management Benchmark report from Execs in the Know found that only 64 percent of companies train their social media agents.

That's startling. Contact centers regularly spend six weeks or more training agents who take phone calls, but social media agents get zip?!

The big question is why. Perhaps these companies don't know what training to provide. Or, they don't have access to a quality training program.

Fear not, companies. Lynda.com has just released my latest training video, How to Serve Customers Via Social Media.

This means companies no longer have an excuse for not training their social media agents. In honor of this momentous occasion, I've compiled three surprising stats about social media customer service.

And, if you stick around to the end of the post (or scroll, cheater), I'll show you how to access the course for free.

Stat #1: Retailers respond to only 18.2% of customer tweets.

Companies routinely ignore their customers.

It's the equivalent of not answering a phone call or responding to an email. Or, imagine walking into a retail store and asking for assistance and then having that person just ignore you! (Ok, all of those things do happen.)

Sprout Social compiles a quarterly social media index report. Their 2016 Q1 report shared the abysmal response rate from retailers. The worst part? Retailers were the leading industry in terms of responsiveness.

Here's an example of doing it right.

Social media guru Marsha Collier mentioned AJ Bombers in a recent #custserv tweet chat (every Tuesday, 6pm Pacific). I decided to see if they really were on the ball. They were:

@toister sometimes. :)
— AJ Bombers (@AJBombers) June 8, 2016

Guess where I'm going for a burger the next time I'm in Milwaukee?

Stat #2: 67% of customers are influenced by online reviews

This stat comes from Moz. Check out their recent article for a more in-depth run-down.

Companies large and small are missing the boat on this oft-ignored corner of the social media world. The biggest opportunity here is your business could be using positive reviews to directly increase sales. Here's how.

Let's say a customer wants to find a good bistro restaurant in San Diego. So, they naturally google "bistro san diego."

Here's what popped up on my screen:

Notice that Google shares three options of restaurants that match my search criteria and are also highly rated. Right away, this should lead you to the obvious conclusion that good ratings equal better search results.

Now, let's look at what happens when I click on Terra, a bistro with a stellar 4.9 star rating:

I can see reviews, check out their menu, and visualize where they're located. Google is practically leading me there! I'm one click away from booking my reservation on Open Table.

So, my big question, is why oh why do so many businesses large and small ignore these reviews?!

Here's a chance to engage your current customers AND entice future ones. Do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes reading up on Google My Business to see how it can help you improve customer service and win more customers!

You can also check out this blog post on using Yelp reviews to improve your business. The basic concepts work the same on Google, Facebook, or any other review platform.

Stat #3: 61% of Fortune 500 CEOs have no social media presence

Domo does an annual survey to track down this stat.

There's a good chance that not being on social also means "doesn't understand social." I think this is one of the main reasons why so many companies struggle with social media customer service.

Let me tell you a story to illustrate why this is important.

In 1998 I was working for a catalog company called Chadwicks of Boston. When people wanted to order merchandise, they'd either call a 1-800 number or mail their order. (A few people faxed. There's always someone who's different.) The internet was exploding during this time, but Chadwicks wasn't on it.

Dan, the company's President, resisted the idea of exploring e-commerce. He thought the internet might just be a fad. Kind of like how blacksmiths doubled down on horseshoes when the car first came out.

Needless to say, sales slowly eroded as competitors went online. And Dan, he was eventually fired.

Don't be like Dan.

Get the Training Video

Ok, you've read through the entire post or you scrolled like a boss. Either way, here's how you can take my new course for free.

First, check to see if you have a Lynda.com account. If you do, you already get the course for free. Enjoy!

If you don't, drop my name and get a 10-day trial account. (Special bonus - you'll get access to Lynda's entire library during this time.)

Next, click here to access the course.

Introducing a New Course on Innovative Customer Service Techniques

Jeff Toister February 2, 2016

People often ask me what's new in customer service.

They're looking for advanced techniques, cutting-edge research, and frankly, short-cuts. Everyone wants to find a faster, smarter, better way to serve their customers.

If you subscribe to this blog, you know I publish a lot of that research here.

Now, I'm excited to announce that I've just created a new training video on LinkedIn Learning called Innovative Customer Service Techniques.

This post will give you an overview of the course, a preview of the content, and I'll let you know how to watch the training video for free.

Overview

Companies often want their employees to think outside the box when it comes to great customer service. Managers and frontline employees, in turn, often want to learn new techniques to boost customer service ratings.

The Innovative Customer Service Techniques course delivers new and cutting-edge research that can be used to take customer service to new levels.

Topics include:

Influencing customer perceptions
Enhancing service senses
Building teamwork

Sneak Preview

This course was a lot of fun to create because it allowed me to share some of my favorite customer service lessons. I've included links to blog posts that detail the research behind a few examples:

Here's a short video from the course. It provides some tips for improving your powers of observation:

Improving your powers of observation from Innovative Customer Service Techniques by Jeff Toister

Watch It For Free

You generally need a LinkedIn Learning subscription to view these training videos. However, you can get a free 30-day trial account.

Your trial account will allow you to watch all of my training videos. You'll also be able to check-out LinkedIn Learning’s entire library of courses. They offer a wide range of topics including business skills, computer skills, and creative skills like photography.

Working with Upset Customers

Jeff Toister July 16, 2015

I like to ask the audience for input when I do public workshops.

“Here’s what we’ll cover today,” I tell them. “Let me know what skills you’re most interested in learning and we’ll spend extra time on those topics.”

Participants get a minute or so to peruse the list and make their selection. The top choice is the same every single time.

People want to know how to serve angry customers.

That’s why I’m so excited about my new Working with Upset Customers training video on lynda.com. It shares proven techniques for diffusing tense customer service situations. You'll also learn how to prevent problems from reoccurring or even from happening in the first place.

Here are the topics covered:

Listening with empathy
Helping the customer be right
Preserving the relationship
Learning from angry customers
Passing along complaints
Replacing trigger words

Here's a sample module from the course. It uses a scene in a coffee shop to illustrate the right and wrong ways to handle an angry customer. You can watch it here:

You’ll need a lynda.com subscription to view the entire course, but you can sign up for a free 10-day trial.

You might also want to check out some of my other customer service videos on lynda.com:

Finally! A Customer Service Training Video for Managers

Jeff Toister March 19, 2015

My new training video on lynda.com is aimed squarely at helping customer service leaders elevate their team’s performance.

The course is called Managing a Customer Service Team.

It covers the fundamentals of leading a customer service operation and features the same advice I give to my clients.

Topics include:

Clearly defining outstanding service for employees
Evaluating service quality
Identifying obstacles to outstanding service
Aligning resources to optimize service delivery
Calculating the cost of poor service

The course was produced by lynda.com. If you aren’t familiar with them, they’re an online learning company that offers a fabulous library of video-based training programs.

One of the course’s strengths is its broken into short video segments. Each is generally three to five minutes long. This allows you to watch part of the course, apply some of the exercises in each segment, and then come back for more at a later time.

Here's a sample module that focuses on identifying icebergs - small problems that can easily become big ones.

This is my fifth training video on lynda.com. Other customer service courses include Customer Service Fundamentals and Leading a Customer-centric Culture.

I’ve also authored two courses on instructional design. One is on conducting a training needs analysis and the other provides an introduction to adult learning theory.

A subscription is required to view an entire course. If you don’t have one already, I can offer you a free 10-day trial. Click here or on the banner below.

Behind the Scenes: Filming Training Videos at Lynda.com

Jeff Toister February 17, 2015

Last week, I traveled to Carpinteria, California to film my latest customer service training videos with lynda.com.

Many friends and colleagues have asked me what it’s like to create a course with lynda.com. My friend, Trish, suggested I blog about it, so here goes.

Before diving in, here are a few things to know about lynda.com:

It’s a subscription-based library of video-based training courses
Subject areas include business, software, technology, and creative skills
You can access lynda.com training on your computer, tablet, or smart phone

Their huge collection of training videos are also ideal for accelerating training with a flipped learning approach.

I'm looking pretty serious as I try to hold still while a few last-minute adjustments are made.

Development

The first step is developing the course concept. A lynda.com content manager guides me through this process.

This is where a course description is created, learning topics are identified, and a rough outline is developed.

Script Writing

The next step involves writing scripts for the course.

The project is handed off to a producer for this phase. The producers I work with have a lot of experience with creating training videos, so they can offer some great guidance.

Each course is typically broken down into a series of modules that are three to five minutes long. I write a script for each module while linking them together in a logical narrative.

This presents an interesting challenge because each script has to stand on its own while still being a part of the larger course. It’s similar to a television series, where some viewers may never miss an episode while other viewers may only watch a few.

Filming

All of my courses have been filmed at lynda.com’s studios in Carpinteria, California. Most of the filming is done in a green screen studio. My scripts are displayed on a teleprompter and I deliver them into the camera.

A small crew is on hand to make it all happen. Here’s a picture from my latest shoot.

From left to right are Zach Bobbit (Production Support), me, Tony Cruz (Live Action Director), and Carlos Alfaro (Associate Content Producer)

Some of my courses feature scenes with actors.

Here’s a short video from my course on conducting a Training Needs Analysis. The video starts with me in studio explaining the importance of involving key stakeholders at the start of a project. Later in the video, you see me and an actress act out a scene where I meet with an executive to discuss a training project.

Post Production

A lot still needs to happen once a course is done filming.

Graphics are created to highlight key concepts. Editors put everything together to assemble the finished modules. Beta testers review the course to spot any errors and make sure the key learning concepts are communicated clearly.

The course is in the hands of lynda.com’s experts at this stage, and they do a tremendous job of making the finished product look great!

Release

The course is finally ready for release. You can see previews of a few of my courses below:

You’ll need a lynda.com subscription to view a course in its entirety, but you can get a free 10-day trial that let’s you check them out.

You can also check out this short video that gives you a look at lynda.com’s course creation process from their perspective.

New Training Needs Analysis Course Launched on lynda.com

Jeff Toister August 27, 2014

A needs analysis is the first step when developing a new training program.

It can help you identify what training participants really need and connect that training to business objectives. In many cases, a good needs analysis allows you to create training that's faster, cheaper, and more effective.

My new course on lynda.com will take you step-by-step through the needs analysis process. It’s intended for instructional designers, but anyone who creates training programs can benefit.

Topics include:

Setting project objectives
Identifying the target audience for training
Selecting data sources
Facilitating focus groups and interviews
Designing effective surveys
Identifying participant needs
Defining learning outcomes
Presenting results to project sponsors

The course is part of lynda.com’s online library of video-based training programs. Using video allowed me to create some interesting visual examples.

In the sample video below, you’ll see me meeting with a Vice President who requested an interviewing skills training program. Initial meetings like this can help trainers discover a lot of really useful information. (Click here if you don’t see the video.)

You’ll need a lynda.com subscription to view the entire course. The good news is your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of their courses.

Even better news? You can use this link to get a free 10-day trial.

Introducing My New Customer Service Training Video

Jeff Toister March 25, 2014

More and more people are turning to video-based training.

Clients and colleagues have often asked me to recommend a customer service training video. Now, I can finally suggest my own.

The full-length course is called Customer Service Fundamentals.

It’s based in part on my Delivering Next Level Service training program that I facilitate for clients in live classes. The course also borrows heavily from concepts discussed in my book, Service Failure.

The course covers the following skills:

Building winning relationships with customers
Exceeding customer expectations
Handling angry or upset customers

The course was produced by Lynda.com. If you aren’t familiar with them, they’re an online learning company that offers a fabulous library of video-based training programs.

You can watch a sample module on the Lynda.com website or by watching the video below. This particular video covers managing customer expectations.

A subscription is required to view the entire course. If you don’t have one already, I can offer you a free 10-day trial. Click here or on the banner below.

New Training Video: Leading a Customer-centric Culture

Jeff Toister November 4, 2013

I’m excited to announce my new customer service training video on Lynda.com. If you aren’t familiar with Lynda.com, it’s a fabulous subscription-based library that’s full of video training courses on wide range of topics.

My course is called Leading a Cutomer-centric Culture. It’s a short overview of the three steps required to build a customer-focused culture. The class is based on my service offering, The Journey to a Customer-focused Culture.

You can view the first video in the course below or on the Lynda.com website.

A subscription is required to view the entire class, but they offer a 10-day free trial so you can check it out. The free trail gives you unlimited access to Lynda.com’s entire library!