Customer Service Training

Sambil tengah cari kerja in corporate, ramai jugak yang amik kerja part time as a waiter kan? My cousins after degree, some of them weren't as lucky as others to get a job terus after internship. So diorang semua cari kerja as part-timer and diorang tanya akak, kerja yang mana will benefit them more? Retail ke F&B? Kalau akak, akak recommend F&B especially kalau kat restaurant. Letih memang letih, tapi kerja F&B lah yang paling berharga, kalau awak sejenis employee yang productive. Kerja dalam F&B, awak akan jumpa beribu-beribu orang yang lain perangai, lain pe'el. And this, works in your advantage. Dia bina apa? Your people skills + your resilience. Waiters deal with all sorts of manusia. Ada yang rude, ada yang terlalu banyak bercakap, ada yang tanya seratus soalan tapi last-last dia order air sirap limau je, ada yang umur 10 tahun tapi berlagak macam kedai ni atok dia punya, ada pulak yang umur 43 tahun tapi mengada-ngada. Waiters have seen it all. Waiters know how to listen, how to smooth over rough spots, and how to keep cool when things get crazy busy during peak hour especially lunchtime. Apa yang boleh ditulis kat resume awak instead of "Took orders to the kitchen. Sent food to table. Clean table."? "Effectively resolved customer complaints and addressed issues with tact and diplomacy, resulting in positive outcomes and customer satisfaction." "Developed active listening skills by understanding and addressing customers' needs and preferences promptly." "Increased ability to communicate effectively and empathise with customers from various backgrounds." "Managed multiple tasks simultaneously, such as taking orders, serving food, and processing payments, while maintaining accuracy and efficiency." Macam tu dik! Jadi waiter ke, kitchen assistant ke, customer service ke, you can use these to put in your resume. This shows yang you bukan waiter semata-mata, tapi sambil kerja tu, you sedang belajar and absorb very, very valuable skills yang - believe it or not - some orang corporate pun takde skills ni. Makanya, be proactive as you do your part-time job while looking for a corporate career. Semua yang kita lalui dalam hidup ni ada hikmahnya. Awak bukan waiter, awak problem-solver. Awak feeding hungry people. Awak satisfying customers. You are more than your title!

Here's a proven way to build trust among customers. Recently, I saw two contrasting responses in customer service in a span of 2 days. The first was at a new restaurant that we were checking out. Like I do quite often, I asked - what do you recommend in seafood? The server pointed at a particular dish and said with a big smile - this one is good. I asked him - is it too spicy? Not at all sir, it is not spicy at all. Only to be proven very wrong in a matter of a few minutes! 🔥 🔥 The second was at a salon, where the guy was telling me about a new natural moisturizer brand they are using. I asked if he was sure it didn't have chemicals. He looked curiously at the bottle for a moment and then replied - "pata nahi sir, abhi check karke batata hoon" [I don't know sir. I will check and tell you right away] Contrasting, isn't it? Saying "I don't know" is a bit of a blow to the ego, right? After all, isn’t a business supposed to have all the answers? Not really. A business is not expected to have all the answers. The truth is - pretending to know everything can actually hurt your credibility. Customers value honesty and effort far more than a polished but false response. The most honest, trust-building phrase in customer service is not - “We’re here to help.” It is “𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁.” Today, customers can spot when someone’s winging it. A vague or wrong answer can erode trust faster than silence. And when trust is broken, you lose not just one customer—it’s their referrals, reviews, and the goodwill they could have spread about your business. On the other hand, admitting “I don’t know” (and following up with a solution) shows humility, honesty, and a commitment to finding the correct answer. It’s the kind of moment that transforms a transaction into a relationship. Here’s how you can ace the art of “I don’t know” without compromising on a great customer experience: 👉 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 “𝗜 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄” 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁” Always pair honesty with action. Customers will appreciate your willingness to go the extra mile to find the right solution. 👉 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 Equip your team with the confidence to admit when they are unsure and the skills to research or escalate issues effectively. 👉 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗨𝗽 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 If you need time to find the answer, give the customer a timeline. Then, stick to it. 👉 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Customers don’t expect you to know everything. They expect you to care. Show them that their problem matters more than your pride. Saying “I don’t know” is not a weakness. It is strength. It signals honesty, commitment, and a willingness to grow. That’s what customers remember and rave about. Have you felt the power of "I don't know"? #customercentricity #customerservice #vinaypushpakaran

Service culture is built from daily work. Here's an example from a fast food restaurant with a 4.6-star rating from 1,200+ Google reviews. I once spent my lunch watching the manager coach his employees. He did it within the flow of serving customers: 1. Model The manager worked alongside his team. This allowed him to model the same customer service skills he expected his employees to use. 2. Observe He watched his employees perform while they worked together. This allowed him to see exactly what they did well and where they could improve. 3. Nudge The manager "nudged" his team while they worked. Quick compliments for great work. Constructive feedback as needed. Lots of appreciation. Employees were receptive because it was all positive. It felt like a coach helping his team win by making adjustments throughout the game. Bottom line: Don't wait for that annual training to focus on service culture. Make it part of your everyday routine.

When I worked customer service roles, I regularly had people screaming in my face. And I often kept a smiling face, but internally (and in private) I felt like crying. As a waitress, retail worker, cashier, bartender, and customer service rep — you deal with a lot of clients and stakeholders. Some are nice, some a little less. But you’re expected to always be kind, provide great service, and keep your cool, no matter how irrational someone gets. In fact, I think working in customer service while studying to earn some spending money taught me the most of out of all my more “corporate” positions. Those jobs were tough and contributed enormously to my personal growth. In those roles, you learn: - To manage difficult stakeholders - To work well under pressure - To communicate effectively in conflict - To be compassionate towards others - To juggle multiple tasks at once - To get stuff done, fast These skills stay with you and are beneficial for many seemingly unrelated careers. Because no matter what you do, you’re always dealing with people. 💡 Biggest learning? Don’t take things personally. It often has nothing to do with you. What do you think? #CustomerService #Career #PersonalDevelopment

Before the holidays, I spoke with Joel Sylvester, Chief Client Officer, and John Coulter, Vice President of Business Development at Five Star Call Centers, about their journey deploying AI. Five Star Call Centers, a Midwest-based BPO operating in the US and Latin America, uses a mix of client-selected and internally chosen technologies. As a mid-sized player, they’ve embraced technology to stay competitive and were early AI adopters. Joel and John, both industry veterans, generously shared their insights. As with many practitioners, they initially approached AI with caution regarding accuracy, choosing to first deploy it for back-office functions. One of their initial AI use cases was recruitment. Five Star Call Centers recruits 5,000 associates annually, processing over 50,000 resumes. AI manages the top of the funnel by reviewing applications and conducting avatar-based initial interviews, with recruiters remaining in the loop. This approach doubled efficiency, improved seasonal handling, and freed recruiters to focus on subsequent interviews. Beyond efficiency gains, attrition rates dropped by an impressive 40%. Their next step was leveraging AI for role-based training. AI eliminated the need to remove top-performing agents from production for mock calls, chats, and emails and allowed for individualized training programs. The impact was significant: a 20% reduction in training time to reach the same performance levels. Agents also appreciate the flexibility to choose training times, boosting show rates by 20%. Automated Quality Assurance (AQA) was another breakthrough. Previously, only 3% of calls were randomly reviewed and scored. With AI, over 70% of calls are now analyzed automatically, surfacing the important ones to supervisors. This transformation has freed up 50% of their time, enabling more targeted training programs and proactive agent coaching. Finally, they implemented agent assistance, most often leveraging the built-in capabilities of the CCaaS platforms to provide real-time nudges based on customer sentiment and keywords or intents identified during conversations. The impact of agent assistance is harder to quantify—given that simpler interactions are increasingly handled via self-service, leaving the urgent, more complex, and emotional ones to agents. Associates appreciate its unobtrusive design: usage is voluntary, and there’s no penalty for opting out unless performance metrics are unmet. Five Star Call Centers' journey exemplifies the value of a phased approach to AI adoption, addressing one use case at a time while prioritizing buy-in at every stage. It highlights varied metrics required to measure AI's impact. I was particularly impressed by their focus on adoption, ensuring associates were engaged at every step and giving them control over AI. #cx #contactcenter #ai

Why Every Company Should Require Employees to Spend 1 Day a Year in Customer Service or Retail: I’ve had 3 pivotal experiences working directly with consumers: 1. During college, I worked at Gap & Abercrombie & Fitch (yes, the days of pumping perfume into the store & rolling up shorts). This experience gave me firsthand exposure to retail operations & customer interactions. 2. Later, I partnered with cultural anthropologists, conducting in-home visits to observe how consumers used products. This process not only validated or disproved our hypotheses but also uncovered new insights. 3. At Estée Lauder, I was required to work a day in retail. My shift was December at Macy’s Herald Square. Clinique alone could generate over a million dollars in sales that day. It was an eye-opening experience that offered invaluable lessons. Through these experiences, I learned several key lessons about consumer behavior: 1. Personalization Drives Engagement Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they feel understood—whether they prefer being assisted or left alone or have style preferences. Building rapport & customizing the experience leads to increased sales. 2. Promotions Influence Purchases Many consumers are motivated by discounts & deals. Learning to up or cross-sell by leveraging promotions or bundling products taught me how these tactics can drive conversions & traffic. 3. Speed is Crucial Customers want efficient service. Whether it's finding an item, completing a purchase, or getting assistance, speed is essential. I learned the importance of reducing wait times & ensuring all areas of the store/site were staffed for prompt service. 4. Visual Merchandising Impacts Buying Decisions Store layout, window displays & signage (simple=better) have a powerful effect on attracting consumers & influencing their purchasing choices. Adapting visual merchandising to trends & promotions can significantly boost sales. 5. Product Knowledge Builds Trust Consumers expect employees to be well-versed in the products they're selling. Proper training equips staff to answer questions confidently & showcase key product benefits. 6. Customer Loyalty is Earned Through Consistency A great product alone isn’t enough to secure customer loyalty. Consistent service, inventory & transparent pricing all contribute to a positive experience that keeps customers returning. 7. Handling Difficult Customers Teaches Problem-Solving Dealing with challenging customers & situations taught me the value of patience & conflict resolution. I learned how to diffuse tense situations while maintaining a calm environment so that other customers weren’t affected. Cumulatively, these experiences have shaped me as a leader. I firmly believe that beyond an outstanding product & resources (your team & financial capital, etc.), the key to long-term success lies in understanding and serving your consumer. The closer you are to your consumer, the more value you can create. #consumercentric #brand

Today, the training time of new frontline agents is one of the most expensive at contact centers. Onboarding a new agent might take up to 10 weeks. Learning the business, tools and processes is difficult. AI can reduce this time significantly 🔥 In this interview, Philip Bennett, Call Center Technology Director Empire Today and I do a deep dive into how they utilize AI today. Here’s what stood out to me most 👇 1) There is a noticeable shift from phone calls to digital interactions, although phone calls are expected to remain significant. 2) The future of call centers involves integrating AI agent assist and bots to handle different aspects of customer service, balancing between automation and human agents. 3) AI handles simple tasks, freeing up human agents to manage more complex calls, enhancing their productivity and reducing burnout. 4) Early adoption of AI has significantly improved agent consistency, reduced training times, and lowered the competency gap for new agents. 5) Empire Today was an early adopter of Agent Assist technology and they were able to reduce training time from 21 days to 9 for new agents 6) It is crucial to ensure a smooth escalation path from AI to human agents to maintain a strong customer experience, especially for complex issues. 7) The deployment of AI should focus on providing a seamless and customer-centric experience, ensuring that their issues are resolved by human agents as soon as they’re needed. 8) There is a need to balance the deployment of AI and human agents in a way that complements each other and enhances overall service efficiency and effectiveness. Phil, thanks for your time and insights 🙏 Full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2K4QBAa

I strongly believe that everyone should work in a customer-facing job at least once. Retail, hospitality, restaurants - you name it. When I was younger, I spent some time at the flagship Banana Republic store in downtown Seattle. I enjoyed my time there, even though no one told me that my feet would hurt after a full day's work. In the service industry, customer satisfaction hinges more on how we handle issues than the issues themselves. Guests rarely stop patronizing an establishment solely due to an overcooked steak or slow service. What truly frustrates them is an inadequate response to these problems. When customers feel their time and money aren't respected, that's when they take it personally. It's not about the overcooked steak itself or the miss priced coat; it's about how we address the situation. By focusing on our response, we can resolve a majority of customer complaints effectively. Mistakes happen. It's inevitable. But what we can control is our interaction with guests when problems arise. This is the most crucial aspect of customer service. A complaint presents an opportunity to win over a guest, turning a potentially negative experience into a positive one. When faced with a complaint, the best response is, "I'll take care of you." This demonstrates acknowledgment of the issue, commitment to resolving it, and respect for the customer's experience. By mastering our response to problems, we can significantly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, even when mistakes occur. #PersonalPost

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲! 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁  𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 $𝟴𝟬𝟬𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀! An associate of mine met with a dealer exec recently (over coffee, I think?). He told me something that made me stop and think. Their most unlikely revenue generator wasn't their star salesperson with tons of training and years of experience. It was a service tech. Let that sink in for a minute.  Crazy, right?!? A guy who spends his days covered in grease and solving problems brought in more business than anyone else on the team. While the sales team was busy doing what salespeople do, this tech was: 👍 Spotting equipment issues before they became disasters  👍 Actually LISTENING when customers mentioned challenges  👍 Noticing aging machines that were costing more than they were worth  👍 Casually suggesting solutions that made operational sense No hard selling. No pressure tactics. No closing techniques. Just genuine expertise and honest recommendations. He was practicing the “Golden Rule”, not complicated sales tactics.  It was natural for him. And the customers 𝘕𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙 felt like they were being sold to. They saw him as the trusted advisor with a whole lot of common sense. The results were eye-opening…impressive really! $800,000 in influenced sales over 12 months. That's not a typo. All from a guy who'd never spent a single day in sales training (and probably never will). 𝗣𝗢𝗩 𝟭: 𝘜𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳. 𝗣𝗢𝗩 𝟮: 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 

Remember rage-quitting a customer service call? This guide helps you avoid such CX nightmares. Inside: hard-earned lessons, practical solutions, and strategies to transform CX from cost center to growth driver. 1) Right people, right seats. - Develop clear agent profiles - Hire for skills, attitude, and cultural fit 2) Create specialists, don't hire them. - Comprehensive training in brand culture and product knowledge - Use varied learning methods 3) Co-author the process. - Implement agent feedback loops - Encourage peer-to-peer learning 4) Learn from every interaction. - Create a team-wide knowledge center - Real-time issue reporting and regular syncs 5) Personalize it. - Prioritize one-to-one communication - Allow script deviation for personal touch 6) Meet customers where they are. - Go omnichannel, including social media - Maintain conversation history 7) Intuitive self-service options. - Design user-friendly experiences - Offer clear paths to human support 8) Value-based CX. - Educate customers appropriately - Explain concepts clearly and securely 9) Don't obsess over ROI. Long-term benefits include: - Reduced churn - Longer Customer Lifetime Value - Positive referrals 10) Metrics that matter: - Net Promoter Score (NPS) - Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) - Customer Effort Score (CES) - First Contact Resolution Rate Celebrate achievements along the way. Ready to elevate your CX? Share your challenges. We'll craft a bespoke strategy to set you apart.