It is delivered by a team of trainers, Ros and Lea, who have lots of experience in public speaking and communication skills in the media.

You will leave the day buzzing with new ideas and self-belief, equipped with skills to communicate imaginatively and effectively.

Simply hanging up a shingle and setting up shop won’t draw customers in, let alone keep them coming back for more.

Those days are long gone.

Customers are more savvy than ever and know that if you aren’t going to meet at least their basic expectations, they’ll find your competitor who will.

Here are three ways that businesses fall short on customer expectations and what you can do about it.

1. The company was unavailable

58% of consumers in a Right Now study stated that they were less than satisfied because the company did not answer the phone or respond to email.

What should you do?

Pick up the phone and answer your email!

This is so simple and requires minimal explanation. Be sure that someone is manning your phones and email at all times. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, then set a goal for your business to answer the phone within three rings and respond to all emails within two hours.

Now, you may not have the answer within 2 hours, but by responding that you are glad they contacted you and that you are working to get an answer or solution, you’ve put their mind at ease that they haven’t “fallen through the cracks.”

2. The company showed no sense of urgency

56% of customers in that same study said they found that companies were slow to resolve issues.

What should you do?

Step on it!

When a customer contacts you with a question, concern, or problem – get moving right away to fix it. In reality, customers know that there will occasionally be issues with a product or service, but when you don’t make it a priority to fix it for them, you’ve lost your edge in their eyes.

This study suggests that more than half of the time customers feel that the business just doesn’t care enough about them to take action right away or within the customer’s perception of a reasonable amount of time.

Would you, putting yourself in the shoes of a customer, continue to do business with a company that less than half the time acted quickly to resolve issues? I would hope not. Go to their competition and explain why you left business number one. If the competition is smart, they’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen to you again.

3. The staff didn’t have a clue

Imagine the frustration level of the 57% of customers that stated they felt like they knew more about the company and it’s products than the customer service agent who was working with them.

What should you do?

Get the facts!

Train your teams on everything about your company and the products and service it has to offer. Give them the history of the company – who founded it, why, when, and where. How has it grown and what has changed over time. As for your services or products, dive deeper than just the facts stated in the brochure or website. Anyone can find that.

Your customers are contacting you because they’ve shown an interest already in your product, so give them more information than just a high level overview. Train your teams on what is the best use of the product and what it wouldn’t be suited for.

Who is the best person to benefit from the service and who wouldn’t be the target market? Is this a standard item or can modifications be made if needed? Focus on the benefits of the item or service, not just the features that are listed elsewhere.

Evey, K. 3 Big Customer Service Tips, accessed on 08/04/2013. Available at http://www.customerservicemanager.com/3-big-customer-service-tips.htm

We get frustrated when we come across a website that looks very impressive only to find after reading a couple of pages that we still don’t know what the organisation actually does. That was the one trap we were determined to avoid in revamping our own website, so we’ve tried hard to avoid too much ‘consultant speak’ and we’ve tried to give you a real feel for exactly what we do, the ‘look and feel’ of our development programmes, the type of projects our clients ask us to undertake, and the range of tools and techniques we use to deliver them.

Please do visit and browse through the website. If you have any comments, let us know. Feedback is a gift and we will very much appreciate yours. Thank you!

If we can help you with any project management training enquiries, or if you have any training needs in general, please give us a call on 01582 714285.

]]> http://www.in-house-training.com/2013/03/effective-project-leadership/feed/ 0 http://www.in-house-training.com/2013/02/top-training-in-2012/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-training-in-2012 http://www.in-house-training.com/2013/02/top-training-in-2012/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:27:22 +0000 admin http://www.in-house-training.com/?p=6558 To help you plan your training for the next 12 months, we would like to share with you our most popular training subject areas from 2012. These are by no means the only topics we can offer but is intended to help you start thinking about what training you might need this year.

So in no particular order, the 5 most popular training subjects delivered by The In-House Training Company:

• Customer service
• Management and leadership development
• Project management and specification writing
• HR and employment law
• Commercial awareness and contract management

If this sparks any thoughts you may have on training for your organisation, please give us a call on 01582 714285.

• Agile project management
• Discovering requirements
• Introduction to requirements
• Leading technical teams

How do you feel? Excited; satisfied; fulfilled – eager to return and buy again?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your customers to feel the same way about dealing with you?

Lots of small business owners (and not so small!) seem to think that the customer is merely an interference.

But how can you get your customers all pumped up and ready to do business with you again? I’ll share some tips on exactly how you can get a ‘Wow!” response and show how it can positively impact your bottom line.

Get promising

These days too many businesses seem reluctant to commit to anything. As a result, you walk away with a nagging doubt that nothing is going to happen and so the whole experience is not pleasant. What a refreshing change to get a business that provides a firm promise on dates and times or opening hours. Can you provide a clear promise to your customers? Have a think about each aspect of your business and highlight all your ‘promisables’ in your sales and marketing stuff. One great tip – under promise and over deliver. Promise delivery in 7 days, knowing you can do it in 3 days. When the goods arrived 4 days before expected, that’s a ‘Wow’ factor if ever there was one!

Important point – if you can’t deliver it, don’t promise it!

Be a Tigger

Remember Tigger from Winnie the Pooh? He’s all over the place; bouncing up and down with endless energy and enthusiasm. He just leaves his friends breathless! What a great person to be with and do business with. Are you enthusiastic when you speak and deal with your customers? Are your staff brimming with enthusiasm? If you can’t project an image which says “I’m happy to be here”, how can you expect your customers to feel different? So, have a Tigger day every day!

First impressions

If you have a shop or office where customers visit you, what do your premises say about your business? Is it modern, fresh-looking, clean and tidy? Or is it worn, tired and generally looking run down? Like it or not, customers will judge you on what they see. They may say ‘Wow’ but for all the wrong reasons!

A pot of paint and a splash of colour can make all the difference and it doesn’t have to cost the earth (these DIY programmes have a lot to answer for!).

Be a problem solver

Despite all businesses believing they have great customer service, the fact is that the majority don’t. The main reason is that when people complain, most feel that they have not been listened to and their problem has not been solved. Be a solver of problems – quickly and efficiently. A motto – ‘Resolve to solve’.

Be their friend

I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for business owners who take their time to know me and recognise me when I next call or visit! The bond and the desire to do more business with those types of entrepreneurs, is strong for me. Do you take time to build a relationship with all your key clients? Do you go out of your way to greet them when they next do business? As the saying goes, aim to turn strangers into friends and friends in to customers.

Value for money

In this day and age of new technology, and the hefty prices that go with it, the concept of giving great value is sometimes forgotten. Creating a ‘Wow’ moment can be as simple as giving a little bit extra, something unexpected. It doesn’t have to be of huge value, it’s genuinely the thought that counts. However, don’t restrict this idea just to price. Price on its own may not work, it has to be tied in with something else – 2 for 1, a small gift etc.

The quality of your product must also reflect value for money. Don’t try and pass off an inferior product with a superior price – you’ll again create the wrong type of ‘Wow’ moment! Medium price and great quality – a definite, positive ‘Wow’.

Call them

The real killer ‘Wow’ is calling your customer a few days after he has bought. Asking him if the product is fine, whether it does what he wanted it to do, is one sure way of stopping him in his tracks! If everything is great, then you have a customer for life. If there is a problem, wonderful; you have the opportunity to put it right and … have a customer for life. This is a very simple and powerful way of creating ‘Wow’.

So that’s it. If you follow theses simple ideas, all your customers will be saying ‘Wow’ and they will be coming back time and time again. Who knows, they may even tell their friends? Take some time to review these tips and see how you can apply them in your business.

Warlow, R. 7 Ways of Getting Your Customers to Say ‘Wow’!, available at http://www.customerservicemanager.com/7-ways-of-getting-your-customer-to-say-wow.htm

Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock, announced the second round of funding was now available and open to bids through the Employment Ownership Pilot.

Businesses will be able to use the fund to train employees and develop the skills of their existing workforce.

Firms such as Nissan, Whitbread and GE Aviation have already benefitted from a share of £70m in the first round of funding.

Diverse projects such as skills training for local suppliers and apprenticeships targeted at increasing numbers of female workers were made possible by this funding.

The pilot scheme, which is run jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education, has been assigned a total Government investment of £250m.

Matthew Hancock commented: “For Britain to compete we need as a nation to deliver the skills employers need.

“This is a unique opportunity for companies across all industries to secure their futures by addressing their skills needs now.

“I would encourage businesses – large and small – to be ambitious and innovative in their vision for how the fund can help them grow, from creating new apprenticeship programmes to setting up specialist training academies.

“The Employer Ownership Pilot is not only strengthening individual businesses. It is showing us new ways to make sure the whole of the UK economy has the skills it needs to compete in the global race.”

The Skills Minister also announced a partnership with Channel 4, BBC and training support body, Creative Skillset, to develop work placements, internships, training and apprenticeships in the production and technology sectors.

Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and backer of the Employment Ownership scheme said: “We know that there aren’t any quick solutions to creating a highly skilled workforce, but projects such as the Employer Ownership pilot offer a unique opportunity for businesses to collaborate and create ambitious bids which can begin to address skills issues at a sector or geographic level.

“I would urge every business to consider how their involvement in the pilot might support them to improve the skills of our people to benefit our businesses, our economy and our society.”

The National Apprenticeship Service reacted positively to Tuesday’s announcement, and welcomed an “employer-led approach.”

Chief Executive of NAS, David Way, said: “The Employer Ownership Pilot will encourage a fresh and creative approach to stimulating employers to offer more opportunities to young people.

“This initiative will enable even more employers to collaborate and lead to the further expansion of apprenticeships.

“This is vital for ensuring employers of all sizes and in vital growth sectors invest in and benefit from apprenticeships.

“We look forward to working closely with UKCES, BIS and all of our employers in developing and delivering high quality apprenticeships.”

Dobson, M. Government opens £150m training and skills fund, available at http://bdaily.co.uk/business/20-11-2012/government-opens-150m-training-and-skills-fund/

Our monthly newsletter will include interesting news stories and articles, updates on the ever-growing range of courses offered by The In-house Training Company, top tips and more.

If you would like to receive our newsletter, the subscribe form can be found here.

To help organisations develop and focus on the trust needed to effectively manage any flexible working arrangement, we have designed the Managing remote and flexible teams course.

We have already delivered the workshop to Central Bedfordshire Council and had great feedback for both the course and the trainer.

If your organisation is struggling to manage its remote and flexible working arrangement, please do give us a call – we’re happy to help!