Published on Tuesday 5th 2008

The 4 steps for ‘building powerful and effective customer and people relationships’

This is a logical and highly effective structured skills development approach designed to develop the soft skills of ‘people who work with people.’ It is the result of 20 years of people development experience, has taken 18 months plus to develop and includes a flexible programme of 18 training courses to satisfy the requirements of the 4 steps.

The detail and methodology

The 4 steps for ‘building powerful and effective customer and people relationships’

This a logical and highly effective structured skills development approach designed to develop the soft skills of ‘people who work with people.’ It is the result of 20 years of people development experience, has taken 18 months plus to develop and includes a flexible programme of 18 training courses to satisfy the requirements of the 4 steps.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

The programme is ideal for people working as

Customer service staff, sales people, call and contact centre agents, receptionists, representatives, complaint handlers, trainers, coaches, estate agents, recruitment staff, personnel staff, teachers, insurance and banking staff, account managers, advisers, customer facing staff, and anyone who ‘works with people’ as part of their role and job.

STEP 1. Know yourself

It is important for ‘people who deal with people’ to know themselves, their strengths and development areas, their job role, its importance within the organisation, their motivators and drivers and how they come across to different people. They should also know and understand their preferred communication and behavioural style, as well as their personality type. This will help them to understand the reasons why they are getting the results that they currently get and why they get on better with some people than others. Once they know this they can plan what they need to do in order get the results they personally want and the business desires and as a result of this they will be become more skilled at being able to adapt and deal with different situations and customer types. They will feel more confident in the knowledge that they know where they are now, they know where they are going and what they need to do to get there.

Surprisingly many people who communicate daily with people as part of their job,
NEVER know themselves and this makes it difficult to identify what to keep doing and what to change.

The benefits of step 1
The customer receives
A flexible and personal service delivered through well informed, competent individuals who care about what they do and are positive and well motivated.

The team member receives
Increased personal awareness and understanding, enhanced motivation, drive and confidence, understanding of what skills development is required and what they are good at, a full understanding of the skills, attitudes and behaviours required and an increase in the results they receive and job satisfaction they get.

The business receives
More motivated, positive and adaptable people, more confident staff, greater focus on personal development, increased retention and more satisfied customers.

Step 1. Know yourself
Ensuring that ‘people who work with people’ know, understand and are skilled in:

Their role and where if fits in
Their strengths and weaknesses
The skills required for the job
The attitudes needed in the job
Their communication style
Their behavioural style
Their motivators and drivers
Their personality type
Their objectives and aims
The job behaviours required

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STEP 2. Know your customer

Once an individual knows and understands themselves it's vital that they are able to quickly and easily get to know their customer. By identifying their customer’s communication and behavioural style, their personality type and their needs and drivers they can then adapt their style and approach accordingly. Combine STEP 1 (know yourself) with STEP 2 (know your customer) and your customer facing staff will be equipped with the skills, techniques and confidence to enable them to decide on the best approach for that customer and the situation, and deliver a more personal and effective customer experience.

The benefits of step 2
The customer receives

A level of service that is tailored to their specific needs and customer style, an experience that is memorable, personal and effective, and solutions that satisfy their needs and requirements completely.

The team member receives

The skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to adapt to different customer types and situations effectively. The skills and confidence to enable them to deliver a service that is adaptable, customer focused, personal and structured. They will also feel more confident and in control.

The business receives

Satisfied customers that receive a personal and positive experience delivered in a way that is most appropriate for them. Skilled, motivated and adaptable staff who are less frustrated, less stressed and more positive. Staff who can adjust to a wider variety of customer types and situations and are therefore more likely to achieve their personal goals and business targets. Resulting in more initial, repeat and quality business and a service culture focused on customer needs.

STEP 2. Know your customer
Ensure your customer facing staff know and can apply the following:

What it is like to be a customer
The needs and wants that different customers have
How to identify different customer personality types
How to identify customer behavioural style
How to identify different customer communication styles
The different drivers underlying different customer types

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STEP 3. Know your offer and approach

Once you ‘know yourself’ and ‘know your customer’ it is important that you know and understand the product and service offer and have a structured approach to customer communication. Skills are most effective when applied in a structured way and this will enable your customer facing staff to be able to quickly identify, select and then provide the most appropriate features of your ‘offer’ for that customer type. This should go beyond the details and information about what your company has or provides, and should include techniques on how to present these solutions in different ways for different customer types.

The benefits of step 3
The customer receives

A personal and tailored customer experience that is both positive and appropriate to their needs and customer type. Appropriate solutions delivered in a way that is most appropriate for them.

The team member receives

The skills, confidence and techniques required to be able to identify and present solutions that both satisfy and motivate a customer to take positive action. The confidence to be able to apply their skills in a logical and structured way.

The business receives

Confident skilled staff who are able to select and match the right solutions to each customer type and then present these in a flexible, structured and consistent way. More satisfied customers and increased performance, productivity and profitability. Quality and consistency within the business.

STEP 3. Know your offer and approach
Ensure your customer facing staff know and understand the following:
The features, advantages and benefits of your offer

How to plan and prepare for the call
How to present to different customer personality types
How to manage objections in a structured and positive way
How to adjust communication to match customer style and type
How to complete a call in a way that leaves a customer completely happy

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STEP 4. Develop your skills and adapt

Becoming more skilled at an activity is one of the most effective ways of increasing personal success. Combine this with the ability to be able to adapt skills to different situations and customer types and you will have the skills flexibility and techniques to be able to get the most out of your people interactions. Personal performance, confidence and motivation increase, along with productivity and profitability.

The benefits of step 4
The customer receives
Solutions and a level of service that perfectly matches their needs wants and requirements, and is delivered in a well structured and professional way by highly motivated and skilled individuals. The customer will benefit from receiving a personal service that represents the principle of ‘right first time.’

The team member receives

The skills, knowledge, techniques, structures and confidence required to enable them to deliver the right solution, in the right way, at the right time using the right approach. The team member will feel confident and have the skills necessary to be able to adapt to different customer types and styles, with ease and confidence.

The business receives

Skilled, motivated, highly effective and adaptable customer facing staff who are able to identify different customer types and can then adjust their personal style and approach accordingly. Customer service will be delivered in a consistent and structured way, staff will feel more confident, they will be able to deal with a wider variety of different customer types and performance, productivity and profitability quality, compliance and customer satisfaction will increase.

STEP 4. Develop your skills and adapt
Ensure your customer facing staff understand and have the skills to be able to:

Effective communication skills and techniques
A range of different questioning and listening skills
How to identify and develop sales and service opportunities
How to adapt to different customer personality types
How to adapt to different customer communication styles
How to adapt to different customer behavioural styles
Summarising and ending a call in a positive way
The use of positive language

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To find out how we can make a positive impact in your business, please contact us in total confidence.