3 Steps to Become a Customer Service Trainer

One question I've received from several Customer Service Tip of the Week subscribers is "How do I become a customer service trainer?"

It's a fun one for me because I've spent nearly 25 years of my career as a customer service trainer. I'm particularly passionate about training and even volunteer to mentor up and coming trainers through my local ATD chapter (a professional association for trainers).

Answering their questions caused me to go back in time and think about my own journey. I realized I did three things that helped me.

These worked for me and I think they can work for you, too.

Step 1: Master Your Craft

You have to know how to do something really well if you want to train others.

Imagine a flight instructor who couldn't fly a plane. Or a music teacher who couldn't play any music. That is not exactly the person you'd want to teach you.

The same is true for customer service. If you want to become a customer service trainer, start by getting really good at serving customers.

The best way to do that is to learn from your experiences.

The first customer I ever served was a disaster. He asked me if the retail store I was working in carried Dockers. I didn't know the answer because I had been on the job for all of 15 minutes and hadn't yet been trained on our product selection. My brain wasn't yet experienced enough to prevent me from saying exactly what I was thinking, "I don't know."

The customer didn't give me a second chance. He huffed about a lack of customer service and stormed out of the store.

I knew I didn't provide good service, so I resolved to get better. I made a point to learn as much as I could about our products so I could answer questions with confidence. And I learned how to better respond to questions I couldn't answer, such as "I'm not sure, so let me go find out for you."

There are many resources that can also help you develop your skills:

• Get weekly tips and reminders from my Customer Service Tip of the Week
• Take customer service courses on LinkedIn Learning
• Read books and blogs from experts (here are some of my favs)

Step 2: Help Others Grow

Most trainers start informally.

They might be asked to help out a coworker or make a short presentation in a meeting. In my case, my first training opportunity came when my boss at the retail store asked me to help train a new employee. I saw training as an extension of customer service since it also involves helping someone else succeed, so naturally I was hooked.

I trained at every opportunity over the course of several years in various jobs I held. This included on-the-job training with new hires, facilitating short training sessions, putting together training programs on my own.

This was all done informally without a lot of knowledge about the science of adult learning, but I discovered what worked and what didn't. 

You can do the same thing. Look for any opportunity you can to develop your training skills. It might be in your current job or part of a special assignment within your company. You can also develop your training skills through volunteering with a nonprofit organization in your community.

Step 3: Develop Your Training Skills

The final step is to learn specific skills that will help you become a better trainer. You might start by reviewing the ATD Competency Model, which outlines the various knowledge and skills a trainer might know about.

Here are some additional resources that can help you:

• Take this train-the-trainer course on LinkedIn Learning
• Join your local ATD chapter and find a mentor
• Pick up a copy of the excellent book, Telling Ain't Training

Feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have specific questions about becoming a customer service trainer. I'm happy to help!