A short training session for customer service – from TenMinuteTrainerTips

Experiencing Excellent Service

Aim

To show the key elements which make the difference between service that is adequate and service that is excellent.

Overview

Participants reflect on a recent experience of excellent customer service and analyse what made it so special.

Numbers

Any number working in groups of up to four.

Suitable for

New starters, refresher, team meeting activity.

What you need

Handout 1 – The Brief

Handout 2 – Action Plan

Handout 3 – Report Back (for evaluation)

A flip chart or wipe-board and pens

Preparation

1. Copy Handout 1 – The Brief (one per group)
2. Copy Handout 2 – Action Plan (one per person)
3. Arrange the room so that participants can work in groups of up to four people
4. Divide your flipchart or wipe-board into 2 sections; one headed ‘procedures’ and the other headed ‘people’.

What to Do

Activity – 5 minutes – groups

Give each group a copy of Handout 1- The Brief.

If any of the groups are having difficulty thinking of situations you could prompt them by re-defining ‘excellent’ as ‘better than expected’, or ‘memorable’.

Reflect – 3 minutes – whole group

Lead a discussion about the outputs from the exercise, capturing the elements that affected the customer service under the headings ‘procedures’ or ‘people’.

Conclude – 1 minute – whole group

Ask the group what positive conclusions they can draw about customer service as a result of their reflections.  Look for the conclusion that the attitude or behaviour of the person delivering the service, and the quality of the procedures can make the difference between service that is ‘adequate’ and service that is ‘excellent’.

Plan – 1 minute – individuals

Give each individual a copy of Handout 2 – Action Plan and ask them to complete it.

Evaluation

Three weeks after the event send everyone a copy of Handout 3 – Report Back, asking them to complete and return it.

Variations

You could ask the participants to think about excellent service that they have given, rather than service they have received.

 Experiencing Excellent Customer Service

Handout 1 – The Brief

We are all customers of many different organisations, and, as customers, experience different standards of customer service many times each day.

Each member of your group should try and recall a time in the past few weeks when you have experienced excellent customer service.

Share these experiences amongst yourselves, thinking in particular about:

What made this service so special in term of:

The Procedures that were being followed?

The Person involved?

 

You have five minutes for your discussion, so you will need to stay focussed on the task.

Experiencing Excellent Customer Service

Handout 2 – Action Plan

 

The action I am going to take as a result of today’s training session is:

The effect I hope to get from this is:

I shall do it by (date):

Signed:

Date:

Experiencing Excellent Customer Service

Handout 3 – Report Back

Following the training session, the action I took was:

What I have learned from this is:

I now need to:

Signed:

Date:

Please complete this form and return it to:

By (date):

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