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1 Customer Service Sample Corporate Training Materials All of our training products are fully customizable and are perfect for one day and half day workshops. You can easily update or insert your own content to make the training more relevant to participants. Our material is completely customizable and is backed up by a 90 day 100% no questions ask money back guarantee! With our training courseware you are able to: Add your name and logo (and remove ours). Add your own content to make the training more relevant to your clients (i.e. using examples and case studies from within your organization or city) Train unlimited users within your organization. No Annual Renewal Fees Download training material on your time, from our secure servers United States International 73 Greentree Drive, Box # Provost Street Dover, Delaware New Glasgow, NS, Canada Toll-free: Phone: Fax: Fax: sales@corporatetrainingmaterials.com sales@corporatetrainingmaterials.com Any technical issues or questions can be addressed by our support team support@corporatetrainingmaterials.com Our Product Catalog contains our entire library of available and upcoming courses. Please follow this link: Review our License Agreement to answer any licensing questions you may have. Please follow this link:

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface... 3 What is Courseware?... 3 How Do I Customize My Course?... 3 Materials Required... 4 Maximizing Your Training Power... 5 Icebreakers... 6 Icebreaker: Friends Indeed... 7 Training Manual Sample... 8 Sample Module: Providing Electronic Customer Service... 9 Instructor Guide Sample Sample Module: Providing Electronic Customer Service Activities Quick Reference Sheets Certificate of Completion PowerPoint Sample Full Course Table of Contents... 33

3 Preface What is Courseware? Welcome to Corporate Training Materials, a completely new training experience! Our courseware packages offer you top-quality training materials that are customizable, user-friendly, educational, and fun. We provide your materials, materials for the student, PowerPoint slides, and a takehome reference sheet for the student. You simply need to prepare and train! Best of all, our courseware packages are created in Microsoft Office and can be opened using any version of Word and PowerPoint. (Most other word processing and presentation programs support these formats, too.) This means that you can customize the content, add your logo, change the color scheme, and easily print and training materials. How Do I Customize My Course? Customizing your course is easy. To edit text, just click and type as you would with any document. This is particularly convenient if you want to add customized statistics for your region, special examples for your participants industry, or additional information. You can, of course, also use all of your word processor s other features, including text formatting and editing tools (such as cutting and pasting). To remove modules, simply select the text and press Delete on your keyboard. Then, navigate to the Table of Contents, right-click, and click Update Field. You may see a dialog box; if so, click Update entire table and press OK. (You will also want to perform this step if you add modules or move them around.) If you want to change the way text looks, you can format any piece of text any way you want. However, to make it easy, we have used styles so that you can update all the text at once. If you are using Word 97 to 2003, start by clicking the Format menu followed by Styles and Formatting. In Word 2007 and 2010 under the Home tab, right-click on your chosen style and click Modify. That will then produce the Modify Style options window where you can set your preferred style options.

4 For example, if we wanted to change our Heading 1 style, used for Module Titles, this is what we would do: Now, we can change our formatting and it will apply to all the headings in the document. For more information on making Word work for you, please refer to Word 2007 or 2010 Essentials by Corporate Training Materials. Materials Required All of our courses use flip chart paper and markers extensively. (If you prefer, you can use a whiteboard or chalkboard instead.) We recommend that each participant have a copy of the Training Manual, and that you review each module before training to ensure you have any special materials required. Worksheets and handouts are included within a separate activities folder and can be reproduced and used where indicated. If you would like to save paper, these worksheets are easily transferrable to a flip chart paper format, instead of having individual worksheets.

5 We recommend these additional materials for all workshops: a. Laptop with projector, for PowerPoint slides b. Quick Reference Sheets for students to take home c. Timer or watch (separate from your laptop) d. Masking tape e. Blank paper Maximizing Your Training Power We have just one more thing for you before you get started. Our company is built for trainers, by trainers, so we thought we would share some of our tips with you, to help you create an engaging, unforgettable experience for your participants. f. Make it customized. By tailoring each course to your participants, you will find that your results will increase a thousand-fold. o o o Use examples, case studies, and stories that are relevant to the group. Identify whether your participants are strangers or whether they work together. Tailor your approach appropriately. Different people learn in different ways, so use different types of activities to balance it all out. (For example, some people learn by reading, while others learn by talking about it, while still others need a hands-on approach. For more information, we suggest Experiential Learning by David Kolb.) g. Make it fun and interactive. Most people do not enjoy sitting and listening to someone else talk for hours at a time. Make use of the tips in this book and your own experience to keep your participants engaged. Mix up the activities to include individual work, small group work, large group discussions, and mini-lectures. h. Make it relevant. Participants are much more receptive to learning if they understand why they are learning it and how they can apply it in their daily lives. Most importantly, they want to know how it will benefit them and make their lives easier. Take every opportunity to tie what you are teaching back to real life. i. Keep an open mind. Many trainers find that they learn something each time they teach a workshop. If you go into a training session with that attitude, you will find that there can be an amazing two-way flow of information between the trainer and trainees. Enjoy it, learn from it, and make the most of it in your workshops. And now, time for the training!

6 Icebreakers Each course is provided with a wide range of interactive Icebreakers. The trainer can utilize an Icebreaker to help facilitate the beginning of the course, as it helps break the ice with the participants. If the participants are new to each other, an icebreaker is a great way to introduce everyone to each other. If the participants all know each other it can still help loosen up the room and begin the training session on positive note. Below you will see one of the icebreakers that can be utilized from the Icebreakers folder.

7 Icebreaker: Friends Indeed Purpose Have the participants moving around and help to make introductions to each other. Materials Required Name card for each person Markers Preparation Have participants fill out their name card. Then, ask participants to stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder. They should place their name card at their feet. Then they can take a step back. You as the facilitator should take the place in the center of the circle. Activity Explain that there is one less place than people in the group, as you are in the middle and will be participating. You will call out a statement that applies to you, and anyone to whom that statement applies must find another place in the circle. Examples: Friends who have cats at home Friends who are wearing blue Friends who don t like ice cream The odd person out must stand in the center and make a statement. The rules: You cannot move immediately to your left or right, or back to your place. Let s be adults: no kicking, punching, body-checking, etc. Play a few rounds until everyone has had a chance to move around.

8 Training Manual Sample On the following pages is a sample module from our Training Manual. Each of our courses contains twelve modules with three to five lessons per module. It is in the same format and contains the same material as the Instructor Guide, which is then shown after the Training Manual sample, but does not contain the Lesson Plans box which assists the trainer during facilitation. The Training Manual can be easily updated, edited, or customized to add your business name and company logo or that of your clients. It provides each participant with a copy of the material where they can follow along with the instructor.

9 About 70% of customers buying decisions are based on positive human interactions with sales staff. People buy from people, not companies. Lee J. Colan Sample Module: Providing Electronic Customer Service A growing number of customer interactions are taking place online. Younger people in particular prefer to do too much of their business online rather than in person. But online interactions have limitations. To provide excellent customer service online, you need to understand what works and what doesn t work, and how to make the most of the tools that are available to you.

10 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Communication Electronic communication is something which has taken off in a big way in today s society. Most people now are familiar with , text messaging, instant messaging, and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Each of these forms of communication has definite advantages, but it is worth remembering that, relatively speaking, these forms are in their infancy. Many of us may have been e- mailing for a decade or more now, but people have been using the telephone for much longer, writing letters for longer than that, and speaking directly (one way or another) since mankind began. There are many people who have become very used to doing things in the old ways, and who are not yet on the same page when it comes to electronic communication. The advantages of are very obvious. Firstly, it is highly convenient. Unlike sending a letter, gets there instantly. If someone is looking for a detailed, same day response and cannot get to the telephone at the same time as you, is absolutely wonderful as a way of getting the information across. As well as this, a telephone call costs a certain amount per minute. However long you make your message, it will cost the same to send as a three-line update. Once it is sent, it stays in the recipient s inbox until such time as they read it and then decide what action to take. However, as has been mentioned with telephone conversations, there is a body of opinion which holds that is a very impersonal and cold way of communicating. Certainly if someone wishes to pass on news that may be sensitive, is not the best way to go about it. A telephone conversation leaves us relying on the inflection in our voice to give the correct interpretation to the words (in the absence of body language) and in , we don t even have that inflection to rely on. Therefore, does have its benefits and cannot be dispensed with entirely as a way of providing customer service, but its limitations need to be understood.

11 Understanding Netiquette With the massive changes that the Internet has brought to many of our lives, it is entirely unsurprising that it has brought another substantial change that which it has wrought on the English language and most other languages too. New words have been invented and new uses found for old words in order to describe things which simply did not exist before the Internet came along and changed our world. A decade ago, pretty much no-one blogged, absolutely no sane human being Tweeted, and the word netiquette was unknown. Not only do we have to mind our Ps and Qs, we would be well advised to keep an eye on as well. If we are required to contact a customer by , it is important to be aware that the usual standards pertaining to do not apply. Many, if not most, people, have a different way of expressing ourselves in than we would if we were writing a letter or speaking on the telephone. Perhaps emboldened by the text messaging revolution, many people have taken the txt spk approach to writing s. Even though is not bound by the character limits that text messaging and Twitter impose upon us, people will still try to squeeze a message into a few short lines and cut words down. But when using in a business setting, it is essential to avoid this, as it is seen as being unprofessional.

12 Tips and Tricks Because so much of what we do on the Internet has been molded from the social aspect, which makes the medium great fun for most of us, the process of electronic communication has become more influenced by that social aspect. When we are communicating with customers it is essential to remember that things are different. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves in person, on the phone, and the Internet. The issue of how to correctly express oneself in online communications will be somewhat different from the traditional ways. Electronic communication is disembodied, and specifically can come across as being extremely abrupt. Even phrases like thank you have a great time and even I love you can seem quite straight and lifeless when placed in a standard font on a computer screen. It is essential to avoid this abruptness in a customer service . Picking your words carefully is essential, avoiding jargon is fundamental, and it must be remembered that brevity in what you say should be limited to simply saying things in the simplest way. Abbreviations are not for this kind of . When we speak out loud, our words have an inflection, they are absorbed by the listener, and then we move on. In an , it stays there on the page and can be read into a number of different ways. It is essential to avoid saying things that are ambiguous, as this can lead to a complaint some way down the line if misinterpreted. Remember that in person if you say something, the listener can then respond instantly before you move on to your next point. This means that if something you said was unclear, they can seek clarification before replying. In , this is not possible. Getting things said clearly and unambiguously and ideally just once is hugely important.

13 Eliminate Electronic Ping Pong One of the benefits of is its promptness. Sending an to a friend, a customer, or a co-worker can be done very quickly, and will usually be read within a short time of being sent. This system means that, wherever our conversation partner is in the world, we can converse in real time without the need for a huge telephone bill. Partially due to this, we have a habit of sending s in a very cursory manner, which can lead to them being sent with information missing. This leads to a phenomenon known as electronic Ping-Pong, with each party sending ten s to each other to organize or clarify something that could have been handled in the space of two or three messages. Below are some examples of this:

14 Instructor Guide Sample On the following pages is a sample module from our Instructor Guide. It provides the instructor with a copy of the material and a Lesson Plans box. Each Instructor Guide and Training Manual mirrors each other in terms of the content. They differ in that the Instructor Guide is customized towards the trainer, and Training Manual is customized for the participant. The key benefit for the trainer is the Lesson Plan box. It provides a standardized set of tools to assist the instructor train that particular lesson. The Lesson Plan box gives an estimated time to complete the lesson, any materials that are needed for the lesson, recommended activities, and additional points to assist in delivering the lessons such as Stories to Share and Delivery Tips.

15 About 70% of customers buying decisions are based on positive human interactions with sales staff. People buy from people, not companies. Lee J. Colan Sample Module: Providing Electronic Customer Service A growing number of customer interactions are taking place online. Younger people in particular prefer to do too much of their business online rather than in person. But online interactions have limitations. To provide excellent customer service online, you need to understand what works and what doesn t work, and how to make the most of the tools that are available to you.

16 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Communication Estimated Time Topic Objective Topic Summary 5 minutes To understand the advantages and disadvantages of electronic communication. Electronic communication can be fast and efficient, but in some situations it may seem too cold and impersonal. Discuss the advantages of electronic communication: It s fast, efficient, and easy to use. Recommended Activity Ask participants if they can think of any disadvantages. How can these disadvantages be overcome? Ask participants to brainstorm new ways to use electronic communication to provide customer service. Write their ideas on a flip chart. Ask participants to vote on which ideas seem most promising. Stories to Share A woman was up for a promotion in her department. She thought she was the leading candidate for the position. She found out through an message that went out to the whole department that she was not going to get the job. Is this an appropriate use of ? Electronic communication is something which has taken off in a big way in today s society. Most people now are familiar with , text messaging, instant messaging, and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Each of these forms of communication has definite advantages, but it is worth remembering that, relatively speaking, these forms are in their infancy. Many of us may have been e- mailing for a decade or more now, but people have been using the telephone for much longer, writing letters for longer than that, and speaking directly (one way or another) since mankind began. There are many people who have become very used to doing things in the old ways, and who are not yet on the same page when it comes to electronic communication. The advantages of are very obvious. Firstly, it is highly convenient. Unlike sending a letter, gets there instantly. If someone is looking for a detailed, same day response and cannot get to the telephone at the same time as you, is absolutely wonderful as a way of getting the information across. As well as this, a telephone call costs a certain amount per minute. However long you make your message, it will cost the same to send as a three-line update. Once it is sent, it stays in the recipient s inbox until such time as they read it and then decide what action to take.

17 However, as has been mentioned with telephone conversations, there is a body of opinion which holds that is a very impersonal and cold way of communicating. Certainly if someone wishes to pass on news that may be sensitive, is not the best way to go about it. A telephone conversation leaves us relying on the inflection in our voice to give the correct interpretation to the words (in the absence of body language) and in , we don t even have that inflection to rely on. Therefore, does have its benefits and cannot be dispensed with entirely as a way of providing customer service, but its limitations need to be understood.

18 Understanding Netiquette Estimated Time Topic Objective Topic Summary Materials Required Planning Checklist Recommended Activity Ideas to Share 10 minutes To understand how to use appropriately. There are no universally recognized rules for using , but most people would agree to a few common principles of netiquette. Copies of the handout Etiquette: The Do s and Don ts of Distribute copies of the handout. Lead a discussion of the handout. Ask participants if they have anything to add. Some people think that is just like face-to-face communications, but it isn t. When you speak to someone in person, you have a whole range of nonverbal elements to help send your message facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. When you use , you have only words. That s the main reason why the tone of an message is often misinterpreted. With the massive changes that the Internet has brought to many of our lives, it is entirely unsurprising that it has brought another substantial change that which it has wrought on the English language and most other languages too. New words have been invented and new uses found for old words in order to describe things which simply did not exist before the Internet came along and changed our world. A decade ago, pretty much no-one blogged, absolutely no sane human being Tweeted, and the word netiquette was unknown. Not only do we have to mind our Ps and Qs, we would be well advised to keep an eye on as well. If we are required to contact a customer by , it is important to be aware that the usual standards pertaining to do not apply. Many, if not most, people, have a different way of expressing ourselves in than we would if we were writing a letter or speaking on the telephone. Perhaps emboldened by the text messaging revolution, many people have taken the txt spk approach to writing s. Even though is not bound by the character limits that text messaging and Twitter impose upon us, people will still try to squeeze a message into a few short lines and cut words down. But when using in a business setting, it is essential to avoid this, as it is seen as being unprofessional.

19 Tips and Tricks Estimated Time Topic Objective Topic Summary Materials Required 10 minutes To share tips and tricks for handling electronic communications more efficiently. People who have experience providing electronic customer service develop tips and tricks to make the process work more smoothly. Sharing best practices can be a worthwhile activity. None. Prepare to discuss a few tips and tricks to get the discussion going. For example: Planning Checklist Recommended Activity Make the subject line in an message as specific as possible. That will help recipients manage their inboxes. Avoid loaded words in messages, such as failed (Your claim was rejected because you failed to provide the necessary documentation.) Other examples: you claim, your complaint. Use a greeting in an message ( Good morning ) to make the tone friendlier. Use the magic words thank you in most messages. Ask participants to break into small groups. Ask each group to come up with at least one suggestion to make electronic communication with customers more effective. Provide a few suggestions to get them started. Ask each group to report on the tips and tricks it came up with. Delivery Tips Ask for one idea at a time from each group. That way, each group will have a chance to contribute something, and the first groups to report won t use up all the good ideas.

20 Because so much of what we do on the Internet has been molded from the social aspect, which makes the medium great fun for most of us, the process of electronic communication has become more influenced by that social aspect. When we are communicating with customers it is essential to remember that things are different. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves in person, on the phone, and the Internet. The issue of how to correctly express oneself in online communications will be somewhat different from the traditional ways. Electronic communication is disembodied, and specifically can come across as being extremely abrupt. Even phrases like thank you have a great time and even I love you can seem quite straight and lifeless when placed in a standard font on a computer screen. It is essential to avoid this abruptness in a customer service . Picking your words carefully is essential, avoiding jargon is fundamental, and it must be remembered that brevity in what you say should be limited to simply saying things in the simplest way. Abbreviations are not for this kind of . When we speak out loud, our words have an inflection, they are absorbed by the listener, and then we move on. In an , it stays there on the page and can be read into a number of different ways. It is essential to avoid saying things that are ambiguous, as this can lead to a complaint some way down the line if misinterpreted. Remember that in person if you say something, the listener can then respond instantly before you move on to your next point. This means that if something you said was unclear, they can seek clarification before replying. In , this is not possible. Getting things said clearly and unambiguously and ideally just once is hugely important.

21 Eliminate Electronic Ping Pong Estimated Time Topic Objective Topic Summary Materials Required Planning Checklist Recommended Activity Stories to Share 5 minutes To learn how to avoid unnecessary back and forth messaging. Electronic messaging is so fast that people tend to send messages back and forth without thinking about whether their messages are complete. This type of electronic ping pong can be a waste of time. Copies of Avoid Ping Pong Distribute copies of handout. Ask for volunteers to play the parts of the different characters on the handout. After each example, lead a discussion of how this case of ping pong could have been avoided. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, believes wholeheartedly in the power of technology, but he also recognizes that it doesn t always make us more efficient. In explaining why he cancelled his Facebook account, he said, All these tools of tech waste our time if we re not careful. One of the benefits of is its promptness. Sending an to a friend, a customer, or a co-worker can be done very quickly, and will usually be read within a short time of being sent. This system means that, wherever our conversation partner is in the world, we can converse in real time without the need for a huge telephone bill. Partially due to this, we have a habit of sending s in a very cursory manner, which can lead to them being sent with information missing. This leads to a phenomenon known as electronic Ping-Pong, with each party sending ten s to each other to organize or clarify something that could have been handled in the space of two or three messages. Below are some examples of this:

22 Activities During the facilitation of a lesson Worksheet or Handout may be utilized to help present the material. If a lesson calls for a Worksheet or Handout it will be listed in the Lesson Plan box under Materials Required. The trainer can then utilize the Activities folder for the corresponding material and then provide it to the participants. They are all on separate Word documents, and are easily edited and customized. Below you will see the Worksheets or Handouts that are utilized during the training of the above lesson. They are located in the Activities folder and can be easily printed and edited for the participants.

23 Sample Worksheet: Etiquette Etiquette: The Do s and Don ts of DO use greetings and closings in most messages. DO remember to check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. DO use the spelling checker. DO place yourself in your reader s position and ask yourself how you would feel if you received the message you are planning to send. DO remember that some people check their only once a day. Don t expect instant replies. DON T include private or confidential information in an message. DON T label a message urgent unless it really is. DON T use all capital letters. DON T send a message when you are angry or upset. DON T forward a message unless you feel completely certain that the original sender will not object to having other people see it. DON T say anything negative about another person in an message. DON T use the Reply to All feature unless all the original recipients really need to see your reply.

24 Sample Worksheet: Avoid Ping Pong Bob and Carol exchange messages about setting up a meeting. Bob: Could we meet in the next few days to discuss the new inspection procedure? Carol: Sure. What time is good for you? Bob: How about this Thursday? Are you free for lunch? Carol: No, I have another commitment. How about 4:00? Bob: Sorry, I have to leave early on Thursday. How about Thursday morning at 10:00? Carol: Sorry, can t make it. How about next week? Alice and Ted exchange messages about sharing some financial data Alice: Would you please send me the financial results for the first quarter? Ted: The attached file contains the financial data you requested. Alice: Thank you. Ted: You re welcome. Let me know if you need anything else. Alice: I will. Thanks again.

25 Quick Reference Sheets Below is an example of our Quick reference Sheets. They are used to provide the participants with a quick way to reference the material after the course has been completed. They can be customized by the trainer to provide the material deemed the most important. They are a way the participants can look back and reference the material at a later date. They are also very useful as a take-away from the workshop when branded. When a participant leaves with a Quick Reference Sheet it provides a great way to promote future business.

26 Customer Service Meeting Basic Needs j. Friendliness: Friendliness is the most basic of all customers needs. k. Understanding and empathy: Customers need to feel that you understand and appreciate their circumstances without criticism or judgment. l. Fairness: Customers may get annoyed and defensive when they feel they are subject to unfair treatment. m. Control: Control represents the customers need to feel they have an impact on the way things turn out. n. Options and alternatives: Customers need to feel that other avenues are available to getting what they want accomplished. o. Information: Customers need to be educated and informed about our products and services, and they don t want us leaving anything out! Going the Extra Mile Once you have met that customer s basic needs, what could you do to show that you are committed to providing the best service possible? p. Remember someone s name and use it frequently in conversation q. Remember what someone has purchased r. Learn your customers likes and dislikes s. Contact your customers regularly t. Put their needs high on your priority list u. Inform customers of specials and sales v. Be available to meet his/her needs w. Follow up when you say you will x. Be organized and thorough y. Return customer calls promptly z. Demonstrate you want to fulfill their customer needs Dealing with Legal and Physical Threats aa. Do not attempt to offer your own interpretation of the legal issues involved. bb. Tell the customer that you are not in a position to speak for your company on legal matters (unless you are). cc. Inform your supervisor immediately. Corporate Training Materials

27 Certificate of Completion Every course comes with a Certificate of Completion where the participants can be recognized for completing the course. It provides a record of their attendance and to be recognized for their participation in the workshop.

28 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION [Name] Has mastered the course Customer Service Awarded this day of, 20 Presenter Name and Title

29 PowerPoint Sample Below you will find the PowerPoint sample. The slides are based on and created from the Training Manual. PowerPoint slides are a great tool to use during the facilitation of the material; they help to focus on the important points of information presented during the training.

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33 Full Course Table of Contents Preface...4 What is Courseware?... 4 How Do I Customize My Course?... 4 Materials Required... 6 Maximizing Your Training Power... 6 Module One: Getting Started...8 Housekeeping Items... 8 The Parking Lot... 9 Workshop Objectives... 9 Pre-Assignment Review Action Plans and Evaluations Module Two: Who We Are and What We Do Who Are Customers? What Is Customer Service? Who Are Customer Service Providers? Module Three: Establishing Your Attitude Appearance Counts! The Power of a Smile Staying Energized Staying Positive Module Four: Identifying and Addressing Customer Needs Understanding the Customer s Situation Staying Outside the Box Meeting Basic Needs Going the Extra Mile... 29

34 Module Five: Generating Return Business Following Up Addressing Complaints Turning Difficult Customers Around Module Six: In-Person Customer Service Dealing with At-Your-Desk Requests The Advantages and Disadvantages of In-Person Customer Service Using Body Language to Your Advantage Module Seven: Giving Customer Service over the Phone The Advantages and Disadvantages of Telephone Communication Telephone Etiquette Tips and Tricks Module Eight: Providing Electronic Customer Service The Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Communication Understanding Netiquette Tips and Tricks Eliminate Electronic Ping Pong Module Nine: Recovering Difficult Customers De-Escalating Anger Establishing Common Ground Setting Your Limits Managing Your Own Emotions Module Ten: Understanding When to Escalate Dealing with Vulgarity Coping with Insults Dealing with Legal and Physical Threats... 62

35 Module Eleven: Ten Things You Can Do to WOW Customers Every Time Ten Tips Module Twelve: Wrapping Up Words from the Wise Parking Lot Action Plans and Evaluations... 67