Indeed, providing excellent customer service is vital to enhance the image and reputation of your company.

Excellent customer service is the lifeblood of every business and achieving customer service excellenceshould be the top priority on their to-do list!

Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends." ~ Walt Disney ~

Benefits of Achieving Customer Service Excellence

Excellent customer service not only reflects on your organization as a whole but also depicts to your customers how your organization functions and operates. Undeniably, great customer service is heavily dependent on employees - people who need to be nurtured to communicate effectively with clients, to provide a level of satisfaction that pleases the customers and in return, the organization is able to reap the benefits from repeated business through referrals, recommendations and word-of-mouth.

The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary. ~ Sam Walton ~
In Singapore and many other parts of the world, theres an increasing need for organizations to achieve customer service excellence in order to compete in today's customer oriented environment. According to an article in one of Singapores popular newspapers, Today, the services sector can expect an S$84 million boost to its service excellence efforts over the next five years. Committed by the GEMS (Go-the-Extra-Milefor-Service) committee, the funds will be in the form of grants to help companies embark on Customer-Centric Initiative (CCI) projects and to train their service staff.

Using NLP Help Achieve Customer Service Excellence?

1. NLP training to gain customer trust and rapport: As I have always reiterated, rapport is the foundation in which all relationships are built on.No business can be closed without rapport. Establishing a strong rapport and trust with your customers may also be very helpful when challenges arise. Customers tend to be more forgiving even when you make a mistake, provided you have built a robust relationship with them. 2. Using NLP to develop effective listening skills: It is important for every customer service practitioner to develop effective listening skills since your customers needs are first and foremost. To truly understand what your customers needs or concerns are, you may wish to employ the NLP perceptual position tool. We all have different maps of reality ways in which we perceive the world. Thus we can only really trust people who look at the world the way we do. If we feel understood, we give people our trust and open up to them more easily.Taking your customer's perceptual position will help you achieve rapport and be on the same wavelength with him or her.

"I am like a chief. I like to taste the food. If it tastes bad, I don't serve it. I'm constantly monitoring what we do, and I'm always looking for better ways we can provide financial services, ways that would make me happy if I were a client." ~ Charles Schwab, the founder of the US leading discounted stock brokerage company ~
3. Resolve challenges and conflicts with difficult customers with NLP: This is one of the most critical skills you need to master as a customer service practitioner.Since problems are inevitable, one of the keys that separate people from achieving customer service excellence is their ability to deal with challenges promptly and competently.

When was the last time you experienced a difficult situation with your customer, and how did you respond to the situation? Known as reframing, this NLP tool offers a great opportunity for anybody or any organization to turn a challenge into an opportunity. It is through the setbacks that one faces and his ability to turn things around that help generate your customers faith in you, taking the relationship to the next level. Are you prepared to elevate your customer service quality and achieve customer service excellence using NLP? Check out our corporate training programs today and find out for yourself how our NLP training programs can help your organization truly achieve customer service excellence that you've been seeking for. Parent Category: free nlp resources
Customers are all different and so are their outlooks To identify and serve a customer properly, involves understanding their values, beliefs and expectation and their own specific needs Customers are all different and so are their outlooks. To identify and serve a customer properly, involves understanding their values, beliefs and expectation and their own specific needs. The customers are the assets of your company and if you can serve them the optimum way, it will add to your profits not just because they will return for more, but because of the recommendations they will make to others when discussing your services. And if your customer service doesn?t hit the mark, the customer will tell 8 to 10 other people what a bad job you did. Many people think of customer service as something that is only applicable in a business context. But really it applies in any form of relationship. In the most recent video podcast, I discussed how businesses are very focused on ?getting people through the door? but then failing to maintain a good service once they?ve got you on their books. We?ve probably all had an experience like that, where we were given as much time and attention as we wanted in the early stages. We were talked to in a polite way. The ?sales person? made an effort to make their ?product? look attractive. They seemed as if they would take good care of you and look out for your best interests. Perhaps they even called you throughout the day, just to remind you that they were there to support you if you needed them. Then sometime later, after you had become a customer and started that relationship, their attentiveness and appearance changed. It became a bit slack. Now re- read those last two paragraphs with a relationship in mind- perhaps a romantic one- instead of a business one. Does the story still fit? Have you been the sales person in a relationship and suddenly got slack at making the effort? Has your customer service levels dropped over time? NLP can be used to identify problems within a company?s customer service levels and provide

specialized techniques to improve them. But as you read through the list of areas in which NLP can provide customer service training (below), notice again the parallels between all different kinds of relationships. You can read the list as if it is talking about a business customer/sales person scenario, but it still makes sense if you think about it in term of a partner you have been with for a long time. NLP can be used in customer service to: * Comprehend customer service from the customer's point of view. * Judge the situation by putting yourself in the customer's situation. * Learn to gauge the impact of customer service on profitability (what you gain) and security. * How to converse with the customers on also other topics not directly related with the customer service. * Ask subtle questions to cash on the customer?s emotion but in a positive way. * Use customer service as a sales-generation tool to make gains in profit. * Persuade the customers to refer your company to others, but in a polite and gentle way. * Maintain the equilibrium between excellence and output. * Respect your customer?s principles and viewpoint. * Be smart and sensible when dealing with difficult customers. * Avoid giving the customer the chance to complain about your service or your company. * Strategize a plan to keep up to the excellence in the customer service for all the time. * Empathize with the customer. * Identify stressful situations and avoid any sort of conflict. * Better your relationship with every new customer and try to constantly upgrade your sales performance. * Constantly work on your efficacy and thereby prosperity. * Respond positively to the feedback from the customer. So next time you receive bad customer service, take a moment to consider the customer service experience you are providing to those who are interacting with you. Consider the relationships that you have where you made more of an effort to make a good impression in the beginning and start to make that same degree of effort again to see how it affects what you gain. Using hypnotherapy in Hertfordshire you can change the was your mind is programmed to react towards others and NLP in Hertfordshire can teach you rapport skills that can improve your relationships

Menjaga tata tertib semasa menjawab telefon terutamanya CSE (Customer Service Representative) adalah penting. Ini akan menunjukan sikap profesionalisme dan membantu membina imej syarikat serta kepercayaan pelangan. Berikut adalah tata-tertib yang saya gunakan dan anda juga boleh gunakan sebagai panduan:1. Menunjukkan sopan santun semasa menjawab telefon dengan mesra, ikhlas serta sedia untuk mendengar. Berikan suasana kepada pelanggan bahawa anda seorang yang bertanggungjawab dan berdedikasi dalam menyelesaikan isu tersebut. 2. Senyum semasa anda mula menjawab telefon. Walaupun pelanggan tidak dapat melihat, mereka akan menyedari nada dan menghargai suasana yang menyenangkan.

3. Bercakap dengan nada suara yang rendah dan tidak terlalu laju. Ia akan menggambarkan

imej yang membantu dan dalam kawalan. 4. Perkenalkan diri anda dan syarikat secepat mungkin dalam panggilan. Contoh: Terima kasih kerana menghubungi MesraOnline. Soffian bercakap, bagaimana saya boleh membantu?. 5. Menggunakan nama pelanggan sekerap mungkin. Ia membina hubungan yang baik. 6. Mendengar dengan teliti, mengambil beberapa nota, minta penjelasan mengenai soalan yang kurang jelas, dan menunjukkan beberapa reaksi kepada apa yang diperkatakan. 7. Sebelum meletakkan pelangan dalam pangilan menunggu, anda perlu meminta izin mereka terlebih dahulu dan mengucapkan terima kasih. 8. Untuk pemindahan panggilan, beritahu pelanggan sebab pemindahan dan nama orang yang akan disambungkan. 9. Jika ada masalah, tunjukkan yang anda prihatin, empati, dan jangan segan untuk meminta maaf jika masalah berlaku dari pihak anda. 10. Sebelum mengakhiri panggilan, tanya pelanggan semula jika terdapat sebarang masalah atau bantuan lain yang diperlukan. 11. Mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pelanggan kerana menghubungi anda. Maklum balas yang positif sentiasa penting. 12. Biasakan panggilan yang singkat sebagai praktikal.

NLP in Customer Service

By Gemma Bailey Leave A Comment

Customers are all different and so are their outlooks. To identify and serve a customer properly, involves understanding their values, beliefs and expectation and their own specific needs. The customers are the assets of your company and if you can serve them the optimum way, it will add to your profits not just because

they will return for more, but because of the recommendations they will make to others when discussing your services. And if your customer service doesnt hit the mark, the customer will tell 8 to 10 other people what a bad job you did. Many people think of customer service as something that is only applicable in a business context. But really it applies in any form of relationship. In the most recent video podcast, I discussed how businesses are very focused on getting people through the door but then failing to maintain a good service once theyve got you on their books. Weve probably all had an experience like that, where we were given as much time and attention as we wanted in the early stages. We were talked to in a polite way. The sales person made an effort to make their product look attractive. They seemed as if they would take good care of you and look out for your best interests. Perhaps they even called you throughout the day, just to remind you that they were there to support you if you needed them. Then sometime later, after you had become a customer and started that relationship, their attentiveness and appearance changed. It became a bit slack. Now re- read those last two paragraphs with a relationship in mind- perhaps a romantic one- instead of a business one. Does the story still fit? Have you been the sales person in a relationship and suddenly got slack at making the effort? Has your customer service levels dropped over time? NLP can be used to identify problems within a companys customer service levels and provide specialized techniques to improve them. But as you read through the list of areas in which NLP can provide customer service training (below), notice again the parallels between all different kinds of relationships. You can read the list as if it is talking about a business customer/sales person scenario, but it still makes sense if you think about it in term of a partner you have been with for a long time. NLP can be used in customer service to: Comprehend customer service from the customers point of view.

Judge the situation by putting yourself in the customers situation. Learn to gauge the impact of customer service on profitability (what you gain) and security. How to converse with the customers on also other topics not directly related with the customer service. Ask subtle questions to cash on the customers emotion but in a positive way. Use customer service as a sales-generation tool to make gains in profit. Persuade the customers to refer your company to others, but in a polite and gentle way. Maintain the equilibrium between excellence and output. Respect your customers principles and viewpoint. Be smart and sensible when dealing with difficult customers. Avoid giving the customer the chance to complain about your service or your company. Strategize a plan to keep up to the excellence in the customer service for all the time. Empathize with the customer. Identify stressful situations and avoid any sort of conflict. Better your relationship with every new customer and try to constantly upgrade your sales performance. Constantly work on your efficacy and thereby prosperity. Respond positively to the feedback from the customer.

So next time you receive bad customer service, take a moment to consider the customer service experience you are providing to those who are interacting with you. Consider the relationships that you have where you made more of an effort to make a good impression in the beginning and start to make that same degree of effort again to see how it affects what you gain.
Positivity Skills

How to be a much more positive person, consistently How to change personal limiting beliefs, for success How to influence negative clients to be more positive How to communicate to ourselves more positively How to achieve outstanding results and success!

Personal Skills

How to develop even more self confidence! How to develop even more self esteem and belief How to handle rejection more positively, enjoy NO! How to handle even more, quality customer calls How and resolve, successfully customer complaints!

Communication Skills

How to communicate even more successfully Learning visual, auditory and kinaesthetic languages How to use the three NLP languages, (vak) How to build quick and effective rapport with anyone How to listen more effectively with eyes and ears

People Skills

How to use body language (55%) more effectively How to use voice tone (38%) more effectively How to use words (7%) more effectively How to successfully mirror other people, for results How to influence people, with integrity, for results

Customer Skills

How to be effective with a VISUAL Customer How to be effective with an AUDITORY Customer How to be effective with a KINESTHETIC Customer How to be even more effective on the telephone How to be even more effective face to face

Malah, menyediakan perkhidmatan pelanggan yang cemerlang adalah penting untuk meningkatkan imej dan reputasi syarikat anda. Perkhidmatan pelanggan yang cemerlang adalah nadi setiap perniagaan dan kecemerlangan perkhidmatan pelanggan harus menjadi keutamaan dalam senarai mereka tugasan! "Adakah apa yang anda lakukan dengan baik sehingga mereka akan mahu melihat lagi dan membawa rakan-rakan mereka." ~ Walt Disney ~ Kebaikan Mencapai Kecemerlangan Perkhidmatan Pelanggan Perkhidmatan pelanggan yang cemerlang bukan sahaja mencerminkan organisasi anda secara keseluruhan tetapi juga menggambarkan kepada pelanggan anda bagaimana fungsi organisasi anda dan beroperasi. Tidak dinafikan, perkhidmatan pelanggan yang hebat adalah bergantung kepada pekerja orang-orang yang perlu dipupuk untuk berkomunikasi dengan berkesan dengan pelanggan, untuk memberikan tahap kepuasan yang dikehendakiNya pelanggan dan sebagai balasan, organisasi dapat meraih manfaat daripada perniagaan berulang-ulang melalui rujukan , cadangan dan perkataan-of-mulut. "Matlamat sebagai sebuah syarikat adalah untuk mempunyai perkhidmatan pelanggan yang bukan sahaja yang terbaik, tetapi legenda." ~ Sam Walton ~ Di Singapura dan banyak bahagian-bahagian lain di dunia, terdapat satu keperluan yang semakin meningkat bagi organisasi untuk mencapai kecemerlangan perkhidmatan pelanggan untuk bersaing dalam persekitaran berorientasikan pelanggan hari ini. Menurut satu artikel di dalam salah satu surat khabar yang popular di Singapura, Hari ini, sektor perkhidmatan boleh mengharapkan S $ 84000000 rangsangan kepada usaha

kecemerlangan perkhidmatan dalam tempoh lima tahun akan datang. Dilakukan oleh GEMS (Pergi-the-tambahan-Mile untuk Perkhidmatan) jawatankuasa, dana akan dalam bentuk geran untuk membantu syarikat-syarikat melaksanakan projek-projek Inisiatif Pelanggan-Centric (CCI) dan melatih kakitangan perkhidmatan mereka. Menggunakan NLP Bantuan Mencapai Kecemerlangan Perkhidmatan Pelanggan? 1. Latihan NLP untuk mendapat kepercayaan pelanggan dan hubungan: Seperti yang saya sentiasa mengulangi, hubungan adalah asas di mana semua perhubungan yang dibina perniagaan on.No boleh ditutup tanpa hubungan. Mewujudkan hubungan yang kuat dan kepercayaan dengan pelanggan anda juga boleh menjadi sangat membantu apabila cabaran-cabaran yang timbul. Pelanggan cenderung untuk menjadi lebih Pengampun walaupun anda membuat kesilapan, dengan syarat anda telah membina hubungan yang kukuh dengan mereka. 2. Menggunakan NLP untuk membangunkan kemahiran mendengar yang berkesan: Adalah penting bagi setiap pengamal perkhidmatan pelanggan untuk membangunkan kemahiran mendengar berkesan kerana keperluan pelanggan anda adalah pertama dan utama. Untuk benar-benar memahami apa keperluan atau masalah pelanggan anda, anda mungkin ingin untuk menggunakan NLP alat kedudukan persepsi. Kita semua mempunyai peta yang berbeza daripada realiti - cara di mana kita melihat dunia. Oleh itu, kita hanya benar-benar boleh mempercayai orang-orang yang melihat dunia dengan cara yang kita lakukan. Jika kita berasa difahami, kita memberi orang kepercayaan kita dan

membuka kepada mereka dengan lebih easily.Taking kedudukan persepsi pelanggan anda akan membantu anda mencapai hubungan dan pada panjang gelombang yang sama dengan dia atau dia. "Saya seperti seorang ketua. Saya suka rasa makanan. Jika ia rasa buruk, saya tidak berkhidmat. Saya sentiasa memantau apa yang kita lakukan, dan saya sentiasa mencari cara yang lebih baik kita boleh menyediakan perkhidmatan kewangan, cara-cara yang akan membuat saya gembira jika saya pelanggan. " ~ Charles Schwab, pengasas syarikat broker saham diskaun terkemuka AS ~ 3. Menyelesaikan cabaran dan konflik dengan pelanggan yang sukar dengan NLP: Ini adalah salah satu kemahiran yang paling penting yang anda perlu menguasai sebagai pelanggan masalah practitioner.Since perkhidmatan tidak dapat dielakkan, salah satu kunci yang memisahkan manusia daripada mencapai kecemerlangan perkhidmatan pelanggan adalah keupayaan mereka untuk menangani dengan cabaran segera dan cekap. Bilakah kali terakhir anda mengalami situasi yang sukar dengan pelanggan anda, dan bagaimana anda bertindak balas kepada keadaan ini? Dikenali sebagai reframing, alat NLP ini menawarkan peluang yang besar bagi sesiapa atau mana-mana organisasi untuk mengubah cabaran menjadi peluang. Ia adalah melalui rintangan yang satu muka dan keupayaan untuk mengubah keadaan bantuan yang beliau menjana kepercayaan pelanggan anda dalam anda, mengambil hubungan ke peringkat seterusnya. Adakah anda bersedia untuk meningkatkan kualiti perkhidmatan pelanggan anda dan mencapai kecemerlangan perkhidmatan pelanggan yang menggunakan NLP? Menyemak program latihan

korporat kita hari ini dan mengetahui sendiri bagaimana program latihan NLP kita boleh membantu organisasi anda benar-benar mencapai kecemerlangan perkhidmatan pelanggan yang anda telah mencari. Ibu Bapa Category: free NLP sumber Pelanggan adalah berbeza dan begitu juga pandangan mereka Untuk mengenal pasti dan berkhidmat kepada pelanggan dengan betul, melibatkan memahami nilai-nilai mereka, kepercayaan dan harapan dan keperluan masing-masing Pelanggan adalah berbeza dan begitu juga pandangan mereka. Untuk mengenal pasti dan berkhidmat kepada pelanggan dengan betul, melibatkan memahami nilai-nilai mereka, kepercayaan dan harapan dan keperluan masing-masing. Para pelanggan adalah aset syarikat anda dan jika anda boleh memberi khidmat kepada mereka dengan cara yang optimum, ia akan menambah keuntungan anda bukan hanya kerana mereka akan kembali untuk lebih, tetapi kerana cadangan mereka akan membuat orang lain apabila membincangkan perkhidmatan anda. Dan jika perkhidmatan pelanggan anda doesn t melanda tanda, pelanggan akan memberitahu 8 hingga 10 orang lain apa kerja yang buruk yang anda lakukan. Ramai orang berfikir perkhidmatan pelanggan sebagai sesuatu yang hanya boleh digunakan dalam konteks perniagaan. Tetapi benar-benar ia terpakai dalam apa jua bentuk hubungan. Dalam podcast video yang paling baru-baru ini, saya telah membincangkan bagaimana perniagaan adalah sangat memberi tumpuan kepada? Mendapatkan orang melalui pintu? tetapi kemudian gagal untuk mengekalkan perkhidmatan yang baik sekali mereka? telah mendapat anda pada buku-buku mereka.

Kita? Telah mungkin semua mempunyai pengalaman seperti itu, di mana kita telah diberi banyak masa dan perhatian seperti yang kita mahu di peringkat awal. Kami telah berbincang dengan dengan cara yang sopan. Ini? Jualan orang? membuat satu usaha untuk membuat produk? mereka? kelihatan menarik. Mereka seolah-olah seolah-olah mereka akan menjaga anda dan melihat keluar untuk kepentingan terbaik anda. Mungkin mereka juga dipanggil anda sepanjang hari, hanya untuk mengingatkan anda bahawa mereka berada di sana untuk menyokong anda jika anda memerlukan mereka. Kemudian kadang-kadang kemudian, selepas anda telah menjadi pelanggan dan memulakan hubungan itu, perhatian dan penampilan mereka berubah. Ia menjadi kendur sedikit. Sekarang baca semula kedua-dua perenggan terakhir dengan hubungan dalam minda mungkin romantis satu daripada perniagaan satu. Adakah cerita masih patut? Pernahkah anda orang jualan dalam hubungan dan tiba-tiba mendapat kendur menjadikan usaha? Adakah tahap perkhidmatan pelanggan anda jatuh dari masa ke masa? NLP boleh digunakan untuk mengenal pasti masalah dalam syarikat s tahap perkhidmatan pelanggan dan menyediakan teknik-teknik khusus untuk memperbaiki mereka. Tetapi seperti yang anda membaca senarai kawasan-kawasan di mana NLP boleh memberikan latihan khidmat pelanggan (di bawah), notis lagi persamaan antara semua jenis hubungan. Anda boleh

membaca senarai seolah-olah ia sedang bercakap tentang pelanggan perniagaan / orang senario jualan, tetapi ia masih masuk akal jika anda berfikir tentang hal itu dalam tempoh rakan anda telah dengan untuk masa yang lama. NLP boleh digunakan dalam perkhidmatan pelanggan kepada: * Memahami perkhidmatan pelanggan dari sudut pelanggan pandangan. * Hakim keadaan dengan meletakkan diri anda dalam situasi pelanggan. * Belajar untuk menilai kesan perkhidmatan pelanggan pada keuntungan (apa yang anda mendapat) dan keselamatan. * Bagaimana untuk bercakap dengan pelanggan juga topik-topik lain yang tidak berkaitan secara langsung dengan perkhidmatan pelanggan. * Tanya soalan halus untuk tunai kepada pelanggan s emosi tetapi dalam cara yang positif. * Gunakan perkhidmatan pelanggan sebagai alat generasi jualan untuk membuat keuntungan dalam keuntungan. * Memujuk pelanggan untuk merujuk syarikat anda kepada orang lain, tetapi dengan cara yang sopan dan lembut. * Mengekalkan keseimbangan antara kecemerlangan dan output. * Menghormati pelanggan s prinsip anda? Dan pandangan. * Bijak dan wajar apabila berurusan dengan pelanggan yang sukar. * Elakkan memberikan pelanggan peluang untuk mengadu tentang perkhidmatan anda atau syarikat anda. * Strategi rancangan untuk bersaing untuk mencapai kecemerlangan dalam perkhidmatan pelanggan untuk sepanjang

masa. * Perasaan dengan pelanggan. * Kenal pasti keadaan tertekan dan mengelakkan sebarang bentuk konflik. * Better hubungan anda dengan setiap pelanggan baru dan cuba untuk sentiasa meningkatkan prestasi jualan anda. * Sentiasa bekerja di keberkesanan anda dan dengan itu kemakmuran. * Respon positif kepada maklum balas daripada pelanggan. Jadi masa depan anda menerima perkhidmatan pelanggan yang buruk, mengambil masa untuk mempertimbangkan pengalaman perkhidmatan pelanggan yang anda menyediakan untuk orangorang yang berinteraksi dengan anda. Pertimbangkan hubungan yang anda mempunyai di mana anda membuat lebih daripada usaha untuk membuat kesan yang baik pada mulanya dan mula membuat ijazah yang sama usaha sekali lagi untuk melihat bagaimana ia memberi kesan kepada apa yang anda boleh mendapat. Menggunakan hipnoterapi di Hertfordshire anda boleh menukar fikiran anda adalah diprogramkan untuk bertindak balas terhadap orang lain dan NLP di Hertfordshire boleh mengajar anda kemahiran hubungan yang boleh meningkatkan hubungan anda

1.One-up
o

Have the entire customer service team play a game of one-up, where the group sits in a circle. Starting with the first member, the facilitator calls out a common situation that may occur when an employee interacts with a customer. For example, a customer walks into the clothing boutique looking for a gift for her friend. The first team member must say what he would do as soon as the person walks in--for example, “Greet them with a hello.” The next team member must then attempt to do a “one-up” by going one more

step toward making the customer’s experience satisfying; this might be, “asking them if they need help finding something.” As you go around the circle, challenge each team member to increase the possibilities of service. The last member may say “offer to come over to their house to help them get dressed.” The ideas may turn a little unrealistic towards the end of the game; however, they may spark innovative ideas that can be done in a more scaled-back way. For example, the boutique may offer on-location personal styling.

2. 1. Body Language
3. Good for: Face to face customer service personnel, understanding the power of body language 4. Length: 2 minutes 5. Preparation: Practice - Remember the sequence of the actions below. You need to be well practiced doing this, if you hesitate then people will not follow you so easily 6. Instructions: 7. Explain that you are going to give a series of instructions which you'd like everyone to follow. 8. As you state the actions, make sure you do them too: 9. -touch your nose -wave at everyone -stand up -cross your arms -sit down -clap your hands -pay yourself on the back

-touch your forehead!! but as you say this last instruction touch your nose 10. You'll see that the group will follow your non verbal cue over your verbal instruction. 11. This links nicely to first impressions work and body language when dealing face to face with customers 12. Here's another exercise on creating a good impression

which you might like to use after this exercise. This also focuses on creating a good first impression and body language plays a huge part in that.

Just a minute
This training activity is a derivative of the great BBC radio panel game. Great forEnergising the group Repetition of key messages Focusing attention Participation and focus Listening skills You understanding the points they are learning. You can use this training activity as an energiser or to get people to summarise their learning after a session or an exercise. If you are working with good sized groups (say 6 12 people ), you can split them into two teams, as there is an element of competition which encourages participation and focus. You will need Stop watch Whistle for you to signal the end of one minute Whiteboard to keep scoreOptional Something for the participants to make noises this rattles, whistles, bells ( you could just ask them to shout their name, or clap ) How it works

You explain that the objective is to speak for one minute on a topic which you will give them, without deviation ( going away from the point ) hesitation ( ums, ers, pauses )or repetition ( of any word ). If people on the opposing team observe a deviation, a hesitation, or a repetition they challenge by blowing their whistles, or shouting their names out. You must stop the clock when a challenge takes place. You will need to keep score, one point is awarded for a correct challenge, and the person challenging ( if they are correct ) takes over and continues to speak without deviation, hesitation or repetition. This continues until the minute is up. If the challenge is incorrect, you award a point to the speaker, and they are allowed to carry on. Its often worth having a practice round before you start scoring, start on something simple for people to get the gist of it. Something like, where I live Then give them subjects related to customer service, such as the customer is always right dealing with angry customers when something goes wrong the customers shoes going the extra mile good customer service This can put real energy in the training room, if you run it after each input or exercise, so that the teams compete with each other. It focuses peoples attention during exercises because they know they will be playing for their team. You can get them to play for prizes, individually or as a team.

Fists* This is a really useful training activity for looking at dealing with customer complaints, and makes lots of learning points around

assertiveness and persuasion and influencing skills. It's also great because you don't need any equipment or preparation. Get people into pairs, and ask one of the pair (A) to clench their fists ( or the appropriate action from the list below ). The other person (B) in the pair now needs to persuade the other person to open their fist. Neither party should touch the other person. Reverse the roles after a few minutes. Then lead a dicussion in plenary, to ascertain what worked and what didn't, and why it worked. You'll be able to lead a discussion around * asking versus telling * telling versus persuading * building rapport * body language * choice of words * the use of the powerful word "because" - explaining the reason why you want or need someone to do something * what worked and why it worked * what didn't work and why it didn't The interesting thing about this exercise is that you can't script what will work in every case. The "persuader" has to tune into the other person, which has good parallels for customer service. * This doesn't have to be fists, it could be - persuading someone to sit down, - or stand up,- to put a jacket on- to take a shoe offthe choices are endless