In the current economic recession, organizations may be tempted to cut back on training their staff in customer service. But consumers are becoming more demanding, and whilst prices are being slashed to get them in the door to buy, it is customer service that can be the real difference. This article provides valuable tips and advice on how to train your staff in great customer service.

People want more than just a transaction. They want to have a good experience. And no matter how good the product or service or how competitively priced it is, organizations really are missing a trick if they don't provide excellent customer service to close the deal, to win repeat business and to build customer loyalty. We all know how long it can get to get new customers, and the sad truth is that poor service can lose them very quickly indeed. Losing customers in this way is sheer negligence.

So what IS great customer service? We've all experienced it, although it seems to be the exception rather than the norm. It's providing what the customer needs, but more importantly it's about leaving them with a good experience. It's about how they FEEL, not just what they buy. Customers tend to want four things:

1. To feel welcome
2. To feel valued
3. To be understood
4. To have their needs met

Where to Start

Actually first things first. People buy people, not just products and services. Every great salesperson will tell you that. And if they are going to serve customers, you need to recruit the right people in the first place. People who can put themselves in the customers' shoes. People who can demonstrate core skills of listening, building rapport and empathy. Positive, energetic and enthusiastic people with a 'can do attitude'. Then the training can begin:

Time Management plays a critical part in the workplace. It can have a big importance on whether you will be successful or not and this applies to whatever industry you are in. Time Management allow you to effectively manage your time and know how to make the most of it. The importance of Time Management cannot be overestimated. Being able to prioritise work is a major challenge for most people. As soon as work start piling up on our desk we tend to feel overwhelmed and we do not know what to do first. The Triage technique gives us answers to that growing problem.