Why Customer Service Training is NOT a magic wand

Ever wondered why after the staff have attended the best of the best customer service training, they still don't change? Too many times you hear managers saying my people need customer service training, then afterwards there is excitement and in a few months they drop the ball and revert back to their usual ways. In this article I would like to discuss with you some of my observation as a customer service or customer experience trainer.

1. Lack of Systems After Training

If you train a person to bake cakes and then they return home where there is no baking stove, should you still expect them to bake cakes? Here is the dilemma that organizations may not understand; if you train staff then make sure they are systems in place that support the implementation, monitoring and review of the customer experience. You cannot just train people to have customer service then forget to put the tools in place.

Any customer facing department needs the right tools to implement, monitor and review whatever is going on in relation to customers.

2. Am okay you are not okay syndrome

The manager thinks the employees need training but the manager never attends the training. What then happens is, when the staff want to implement what they would have learned, the manager has no appreciation and thus does not fully support it. The manager thinks they are okay in terms of customer care training but the truth is we all need a bit of refreshers (it's fun).

For the customer service training to work then the manager must be in there with the troops to experience the same training.

You cannot plan for others to change yet you are not part of the change.

3. The Staff are gone

Sometimes we might be training people but then we realize that some people already sailed to another dimension, they are no longer interested in anything about the improvement of the company. It could be a difference in culture or that the employees are now looking else where, but these will not change their tune.

Any effort to change is cast aside because it no longer fits with where the person wants to go.

4. The Personal Culture is too Strong

Sometimes all it takes is a bit of "showtime attitude". By "showtime" we mean sometimes you have to act the part, which is the customer service implementation. Some people are able to assimilate good customer experience provision as part of their job description (they know how to play the part.).

On the other hand some people do no fit into the business culture that you are trying to implement. Where people do not fit into the culture sometimes you need to part ways to avoid other problems. REMEMBER customer service is both internal and external, transferring someone to the back office does not always serve the purpose.

In Summary

Yes, in summary, there are more reasons that can exist which can vary from not just the company or its personnel but in some cases the type of job and environment may be so stressful people get lost in different emotions. If you are intending to have customer care training, customer service or customer experience improvement, think deeper beyond just the training. Do feel free to drop in some of the reasons you think the after training can be a mess.