Online Class: Customer Service 101

How to train, measure, and improve customer service for your business or organization.

$70.00
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$95.00
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$95.00 (with CEU Certificate)
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  • 15
    Lessons
  • 22
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 7,002
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 15
    Hours
    average time
  • 1.5
    CEUs
 
 

Course Description

Good customer service is not about satisfying the customer, it is about "wowing" the customer!   It's about making the customer walk in, do business, and walk out again absolutely stunned that their transaction was so enjoyable.
Customer service is a crucial buzzword in the corporate world today. Just about every company seems to understand just how important customer service is and many have started to find ways to improve and measure customer service. In this course we are going to look at what customer service is and isn't and identify how you can understand and provide good customer service.

Many businesses want to achieve "good customer service". Right now that's the brass ring of business training and vision-casting and many companies are analyzing their current mission and realigning it to be increasingly customer-focused. Do you give return business to a company that provides poor customer service support? Probably not! You and everyone else want better customer service, and it's one of the driving forces of why consumers shop at one place and not another.
Companies want customers and they understand that customers want good service, and they will visit a store that provides it.
One of the problems that many companies have is in their definition of good customer service. Companies create measurable standards of customer service and expect their staff to adhere to those standards. They measure those standards and compare them over time to see if there is a growth or a decline.
While that is a noble undertaking, it often starts from a flawed beginning -- the definition of good customer service.
When a company defines good customer service it often includes such things as:
  • Be fair
  • Be honest
  • Be prompt
  • Be courteous
  • And so on.
These are good things to work toward but what makes them flawed is that companies strive for this and measure it, and miss the point: these things are not good customer service. The above list is how one human should treat another. It is the bare minimum of interaction between people. And yet, many companies take this to be their goal. They use phrases like, "satisfy the customer" to encourage their staff, then they wonder why they're losing customers. The answer is that they are just satisfying customers, but the customers are finding better value and better service elsewhere.
 
If companies are doing just the bare minimum, which is often the case, they are simply biding their time until their customers go somewhere else.
When a customer enters a store they expect to be treated like a human being. If not,  they will complain. If they are treated like a human being, they will buy their product and leave, and the company won't even earn a blip on that person's radar. However, if the company goes out of its way to stun the customer with amazing customer service, that customer will become loyal, and not only that, they will tell their friends and their family.
 
This course is about providing stellar customer service. It makes the assumption that you are already treating your customers like human beings by providing valuable, helpful service, courteous attitudes, and a smile. Those are simply the basics; they are not good customer service. This course will show you and your employees how to give not just "good" or "average" service but great customer service.

Course Motivation

We’re living in a world where good customer service can mean the difference between a successful and growing business and one that is just “getting by” – or, worse yet, might actually be seriously struggling.  Time after time, we’ve seen how a company that has a reputation for good customer service is able to thrive and constantly grow, while those that have poor customer service fall by the wayside.

In today’s marketplace, knowing how to provide good customer service is a skill that is both valued and rewarded in major corporations.  Go to any business seminar and you’ll discover just how important customer service is in the marketplace – and you’ll find out that those businesses that reward customer service are the ones that are always in the spotlight in a positive light.

This course is designed for anyone in the business community that wants to learn the best ways to grow and expand using customer service – whether you’re involved with management, human resources, or are just a customer service representative yourself.  This course is also designed for those who are looking to increase their knowledge of what good customer service means in order to advance within their chosen profession. 

More than just a powerful buzzword, customer service is essential to every business out there.  No company is so strong and solid that it can afford to provide anything less than the best customer service out there – and this course will give you essential tools needed to build up the best customer service team possible.

In understanding what it takes to provide good customer service, you’ll learn the ins and outs of what good customer service looks like.  You’ll see how some of the most simple techniques out there can greatly improve the experience that a customer has with your business – and you’ll learn how to make sure that just about every customer walks away satisfied.

Customer service is not just about resolving problems, though.  Not everyone who calls customer service is experiencing something serious.  Sometimes, they are just seeking basic information – and you’ll learn how to parlay something as simple as answering a few questions into creating a valued customer.  For example, if someone calls up with a simple question about prices and is treated courteously and with genuine concern, that individual might well decide to look no further than your company and give their business to you.

You’ll learn that businesses are created one satisfied customer at a time.

In this course, you’ll examine and learn about such areas as:

·       Defining service:  This introduction will provide you with the tools needed so that you know what good customer service is.  You’ll see how jobs have changed through the years and why there are problems with customer service today – and ways that you can improve the customer service that both you and your company provide.

·        Putting the customer first:  You’ll learn how to deal with customers and how to best provide them with the essentials that you can give them – and also how you can exceed their expectations.  The company that provides service above and beyond what the customer expects is the company that is going to have loyal customers come back time after time.

·        Effective communication:  The student will understand that one of the key aspects of keeping a customer satisfied is effective communication.  Services that are offered that are not known by the customer might as well be services that are not even provided.  The student will also learn the power of effective listening – following the old adage, “We have two ears and one mouth and therefore should listen twice as much as we speak.”  The student will also learn the difference between a “closed question” and an “open question,” and which one is most effective in communication.

·        Building relationships:  Students will understand how important building relationships in customer service are and will learn the techniques necessary to move from being a voice on the television in the customer’s mind to someone that they go to when they need whatever product or service you are providing.

·        Telephone and e-commerce contacts:  Students will see how good customer service extends beyond face-to-face encounters – and how important treating all customers with the “wow” factor is in building a business.

·        Handling difficult customer contacts:  The student will learn how to deal with certain customers – and when it might be necessary for you to “fire a customer.”

All in all, this course will prove beneficial to anyone in the business community – and many of the tools that are provided can be used in everyday relationships, as well. 

  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.3 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(9,454 votes)

Lesson 1: Defining Service

Customer service is the key. Providing good customer service is one of the only ways that we can now generate any customer loyalty. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Your Own Customer Service Experience; Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Assessment: Lesson 1 Quiz

Lesson 2: Putting Your Customer First

In this lesson we're going to learn how to put your customer first. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Customer Service Industry (worst service)
  • Assessment: Lesson 2 Quiz

Lesson 3: Effective Communication

How can you meet your customers' needs? Through effective communication. 20 Total Points
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Customer Service Industry (best service)
  • Complete Assignment: Open and Closed Questions
  • Assessment: Lesson 3 Quiz

Lesson 4: Building Relationships

The point of good customer service is to create loyalty and get those customers coming back again and again. 6 Total Points
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 4 Quiz

Lesson 5: Effective Communication II: Appearance and Impressions

Your appearance, gestures, and attitude make lasting first and final impressions that customers notice. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 5 Exam

Lesson 6: Telephone Contacts

We need to provide great customer service over the telephone to those customers who prefer to communicate and transact in that way. 7 Total Points
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 6 Quiz

Lesson 7: Telephone Contacts, Part II

Some additional instruction on business telephone etiquette will enable you to impress your customers with every call. 20 Total Points
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Complete Assignment: Handling Customers by Phone
  • Assessment: Lesson 7 Exam

Lesson 8: E-commerce Contacts

This lesson will give you tips on how to provide great customer care, whether your business is online only or online service is one of several ways you do business with customers. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Your Customer Service Preference
  • Assessment: Lesson 8 Quiz

Lesson 9: Handling Difficult Customer Contacts

You try to keep your customers satisfied, but there are times after the transaction is completed that they may not be. 18 Total Points
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Lesson discussions: 'Firing a Customer'
  • Complete Assignment: Customer is Not Happy
  • Assessment: Lesson 9 Quiz

Lesson 10. E-mails: Getting Them Right

E-mails enable you to respond quickly to customers, keep in touch with them between sales or service visits, and provide them with various kinds of information, such as order updates. 18 Total Points
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Complete Assignment: Customer Service Emails
  • Assessment: Lesson 10 Exam

Lesson 11. Newsletters: Giving the Customer Added Value

A really good newsletter can bring you increased sales, impress your customers so that they become repeat customers, and enhance your image as an expert in your industry. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 11 Exam

Lesson 12. Handling Difficult Customer Contacts, Part II

This lesson discusses how to satisfy potential customers who may be difficult to deal with. 19 Total Points
  • Lesson 12 Video
  • Complete Assignment: Handling Difficult Customers
  • Assessment: Lesson 12 Exam

Lesson 13. Customer Service Management

Management is essential to maintaining and improving quality service on a long-term basis. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 13 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 13 Exam

Lesson 14: Creating a Customer Service Policy

A written policy is a guideline that all employees can easily refer to when providing customer service. 16 Total Points
  • Lesson 14 Video
  • Complete Assignment: Customer Service Policy
  • Assessment: Lesson 14 Exam

Lesson 15: Conclusion: The Future of Customer Service

It is not impossible to continue to provide excellent customer service, in spite of automation and global markets. 121 Total Points
  • Lesson 15 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Final Course Poll - Your Opinion; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
  • Complete Assignment: Personalizing Automation
  • Assessment: Final Exam
296
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Define customer service.
  • Describe how and why to put customers first.
  • Summarize methods to effectively communicate with customers.
  • Summarize techniques to build customer relationships.
  • Define the roles of appearance and impressions in customer relations.
  • Demonstrate proper telephone etiquette for customer service.
  • Demonstrate proper email etiquette for customer service.
  • Summarize techniques and strategies for handing difficult customers.
  • Describe the requirements and skills needed to manage a customer service department.
  • Create a Customer Service Policy.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Customer Service 101
Course Number: 8900058
Lessons Rating: 4.3 / 5 Stars (9,454 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Last Updated: March 2022
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 1.5 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: John Chouinard
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $95.00 U.S. dollars

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Student Testimonials

  • "I am extremely grateful for this course and enjoyed every video that was provided! The lessons were easy to understand and the videos helped me a lot! Thank you for all you do!" -- Melody T.
  • "This course helped me get a new job in customer service. It has great pay and benefits. I am so grateful for Universal Class. I will keep taking courses to achieve promotions." -- Danielle L.
  • "This course has helped me improve in every aspect. I am putting into practice everything I have learned." -- Martha B.
  • "I enjoyed the class and I learned new ways in communicating with my customers. I've even used some of the lessons I learned and applied to my job with positive results." -- Mallory E.
  • "I love the course it gave me more insights on how to treat people in general and not just your customers." -- Joy voke S.
  • "I have spend years in the hospitality industry and worked with a diverse community of people, yet, taking this course really helped refresh my skills and I learned new information." -- Teresa A.
  • "the instructor was there when I had a question he would answer right away and he checked my work he really motivated me." -- Mary V.
  • "This was a fun course! It was written very well and easy to follow. I enjoyed taking this class. More people need to learn what great customer service is all about. They need to take this class!" -- Theresa H.
  • "Thank you for the overall great course. I really appreciate your time and effort in making this course available to us. Overall, I enjoyed it." -- Reana D.
  • "Universal classes have changed my life for the better. Very thankful. All my instructors are awesome!" -- Maxine C.
View More Testimonials...
 

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