Customer Care for Public Sector Organisations

Being competent in the ‘technical’ IT. skills of the job is no longer enough. If we do not have appropriate ‘soft’ skills - we lose or upset customers. Your staff will learn the key skills.

Course Outline

Overview

• Ensure the right perception of customer care
• Learn the key skills of questioning and how to apply them
• Your staff will learn how to improve their ‘Active’ listening skills and use them to ensure greater effectiveness
• Staff will learn how to use Transaction Analysis to ensure a productive outcome.
• Staff will learn how to handle difficult situations and problems
• Staff will learn the errors/challenges of dealing with customers on the telephone within the IT. helpdesk environment and how to overcome them
• Your staff will learn how to recognise different behaviours within their customers.
• They will learn how to pace and match the customer’s style to achieve rapport and build relationships
• Sometimes we have to say no and refuse or reject the customer’s request
• Staff will learn how to say ‘No’ without damaging the relationship

What Customers Want – Managing their Expectations

• Ensuring customers feel important and understood
• Customer perceptions
• Controlling the perception of the best service
• Common pitfalls
• Our role in competition
• Internal and external customers
• Exercise, Discussion

Question Skills

• The role of questioning skills in handling difficult people and other professional situations
• The structure of a good question
• Question types and their use
• Using questions to obtain information
• Common errors
• Exercise, role-play, Discussion

Listening Skills

• Barriers to effective listening
• The difference between ‘Active’ and ‘Passive’ listening
• How to use ‘Active’ listening to demonstrate interests and obtain information
• How to use ‘Active’ listening to steer a conversation
• Why ‘Active’ listening is essential on the telephone
• Exercise, role-play, Discussion

Handling Difficult Situations/Problems

• Difficult situations can be good news
• Common errors
• The method of handling difficult situations
• Problem ownership and ‘follow-through’
• Role-play, Discussion
• Telephone Control Skills
• Differences between telephone and face-to-face communication
• Overcoming the disadvantages of the telephone
• Developing an effective personal style
• The ’10 Commandments’ of effective Tele-control skills
• Understanding the use of voice inflection
• How to use voice to gain and hold attention
• Exercises, role-play, Discussion

Behaviour Versatility

• Recognising different behaviour types
• Predicting behaviour
• How to modify behaviour
• Understanding your own preferred behaviour style
• How your behaviour style can influence the customer relationship
• Personal Behaviour Profile Questionnaire
• Role-play, Discussion
• How to say ‘NO’
• Disadvantages of ‘confrontation’
• The alternative to ‘No’
• Exercise, role-play, Discussion

Summary, Round-table, Personal Action Plan