Employee Service Training Program - Example

New Employee Service Training Program Plan New Employee Service Training Program Plan Introduction Todays business setting is more competitive than ever before. Besides the competition from local firms, globalization and the associated liberalization of markets have opened up local markets to overseas companies, thereby intensifying competition. In this kind of environment, the company that ultimately succeeds is the one that that retains their customers by exceeding their expectations. For this to happen, employees of a company need to possess essential customer care skills(Kim & McLean, 2007). This paper outlines a plan for the training of the new employees of Taylor & Marks, a small retail company, in customer care skills. This program seeks to equip new staff with essential customer care skills that will help in retaining customers while increasing job satisfaction for employees. Training NeedsAssessment (TNA) The purpose of this training needs assessment is to identify the desired performance and the necessary knowledge and skills to realize that performance(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). An effective TNA will help the company direct resources where they are most needed. In the case of Taylor & Marks, the assessment identifies the resources needed to equip new employees with the necessary skills to bring about customer satisfaction. It has come to the realization of the management of the company that while most employees have considerable experience in handling customers, they lack knowledge of foundational principles of customer care. This training program seeks to fill this gap. Organizational Assessment Taylor & Marks is a small retail company. In recent years, the company has had to contend with stiff completion from large retailers. By virtue of their size and financial capabilities, the large retailers are able to buy their stock in bulk directly from manufacturers, thereby enjoying considerable trade discounts. They pass this benefit to their customers in the form of lower product prices. In addition, they stock a much wider variety of products and this feature also attracts shoppers. However, Taylor & Marks has come to the realization that most of these large retailers are not keen on customer satisfaction. Consequently, the company has decided to capitalize on satisfying their customers in order to win their loyalty and remain competitive. However, for this to happen, Taylor & Marks will have to train their staff, especially the new ones, in customer care skills(Lucia, 2008). Employee Assessment At Taylor & Marks, we believe that customer care is not just a front office activity. Rather, it is a culture that permeates every aspect of the company(Kim & McLean, 2007). Consequently, every employee of the company is a customer care representative. However, it has come to the realization of the management of the company that while most of our older employees have acquired some practical skills in customer care, they lack the basic principles of effective customer service. The situation is even worse for new employees. We believe that both the theoretical framework and practical skills are necessary for meaningful customer service. Hence the need for this training program. Goals of the Program Enhance customer satisfaction: A majority of the employees feel that they are inadequately skilled to handle the simplest of customer complaints. Besides, most of them do not know when to forward the complaint to their seniors for resolution. This scenario has affected negatively customer satisfaction(Kim & McLean, 2007). Establish a Uniform Policy for Customer Service: While new employees receive a briefingon the company’s philosophy on customer service, there is not a written document on the same that they can consult when the need arises. This program, in the longer term, aims to document the philosophy. Develop a Procedure to Resolve Customer Complaints: Currently, there are no guidelines employees can use to determine when a complaint raised by a customer is beyond their ability to resolve and, therefore, forward them to their immediate supervisors(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). This program aims to set these guidelines. Implementation Plan and Training Methods Plan Implementation This training program is envisioned to be an on-going process as opposed to a once-off event(Jerrie & Llewellyn, 2011). To begin with, both new and existing employees will be trained so as to equip them with the necessary skills to serve customers effectively so as to win their loyalty to the company. The training will take place at all the branches of the store and is expected to last two hours a day for one week. It will be facilitated by the middle-level managers who will themselves be trained by a human resource consulting firm hired by Taylor & Marks. In years to come, the training program will be repeated as often as there will be new employees joining the company. In the longer term, the program will seek to accomplish two things. First, it will develop a standard policy on a customer service. At present, the company does not have a documented policy on customer care, a situation that impacts negatively on customer satisfaction. Secondly, in line with the policy, the program aims at establishing a formal procedure of addressing customer dissatisfaction(Jerrie & Llewellyn, 2011). Among other things, the procedure will stipulate who will handle what type of customer complaints. These two instruments, I believe, will go a long way toward enhancing customer satisfaction. Training Methods The program will employ two principal methods of training: lectures and demonstrations and games and role play. These two methods, I believe, will offer the greatest possibility of knowledge retention and acquisition of practical skills(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). First-line supervisors will also apply on-the-job training during and after the training. Each training session will incorporate the two methods. Lecture and Demonstration The TNA revealed that the majority of staff have the knowledge of customer service they have obtained from experience, but lack the fundamental principles of customer care(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). The lecture will equip the employees with the general basics of quality customer care and a fundamental understanding of the expectations of the customer. As the trainees already possess some basic knowledge of customer service, the lectures will aim at adding to what they already know, mainly through interactive discussions. In addition, the use of audio-visual material will be encouraged throughout the program. Role play and scripts will be used to prepare scenarios similar to those observed in the audio-visual presentations. Games and role plays will also simulate actual staff-customer interactions(Van Eerde, Tang,& Talbot, 2008). Some trainees will assume the role of the customer while others will assume the role of the employee. Trainers will facilitate this element of the training to ensure that the principles previously learned in the lecture are put to practice. The trainees assuming the role of the customer will be required to display the temperaments associated with an unsatisfied or frustrated customer such as anger and sarcasm. The trainees assuming the role of the employee will be deemed to have no prior knowledge of the type of customer they are going to encounter. They will be required to address the customer’s concerns without letting the customer’s temperament affect the quality of service. Each participant will receive immediate feedback from their classmates. Employee Motivation For the first session of training, this program stipulates the time, duration, location and methods of training. In the years to come, however, in a bid to motivate those employees who may show little or no interest in the training program, the company will inject a healthy dose of flexibility into the program(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). First, target employees will be allowed to identify the time of the day that suits them for the training. This provision is born out of the realization that besides work, employees have several other commitments that compete for their time. For the married, for instance, after work in the evening, they may need to help their children with their schoolwork. Allowing such employees the flexibility to choose when to attend training classes, I believe, should motivate them to take up the training. On the methods of training, in the future, employees will be allowed the flexibility to determine how they wish to undergo the training. For example, those employees with reliable access to the Internet could be allowed to take the training online. Whichever method will be chosen, it will have to be complemented by on-the-job training administered by immediate supervisors. This, there will be some assurance that the theory learned is being translated into practice. In addition, the employee who requests to take the training outside their place of work may be required to demonstrate some level of discipline to finish the training in a reasonable time(Lucia, 2008). Collecting Feedback Several tools will be employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. They Include: Reaction Two questionnaires will be provided to the employees; one on the first day of training and the other on the last day(Kim & McLean, 2007). The first questionnaires will make it possible to determine how the employees view training and whether or not they welcome it. The second questionnaire will estimate their overall satisfaction with the content of the training program and its relevance to their daily work environment. The second questionnaire will also enable the company to determine whether the program was well tailored to meet the unique organizational needs. Learning The TNA revealed that most employees of Taylor & Marks lack the prerequisite skills for customer care. A pre-testing at the beginning of the training will be used to determine the level of knowledge, skills and perceptions of employees(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). A comprehensive written test will be administered on the last day of training estimate how much knowledge the trainees retained. Job Behavior During the games and role play activities, employees will be given instant feedback. After the training, they will be evaluated as they go about their daily job routines(Kim & McLean, 2007). A formal checklist will be employed to the degree to which the learning objectives are translated to the workstation. Organizational Results Taylor & Marks will administer a survey to customers immediately before the training program kicks off and another one thirty days after the program. The first survey will measure the perceptions of customers on the level of customer service prior to the training and second after training. Positive feedback in the second survey will indicate that the program was effective and vice versa(Van Eerde, Tang, & Talbot, 2008). Conclusion The retail industry has become very competitive in recent years. In order to remain, competitive, Taylor & Marks is going to pursue exemplary customers service geared towards securing the loyalty of the company’s customers(Jerrie & Llewellyn, 2011). The training program presented in this plan will contribute to the realization of this goal. The training program is intended to be an on-going process as opposed to a once-off event. For the first round off training, two methods have been proposed: games and role play and lectures and demonstration. In the future, however, trainees will be allowed some flexibility in the timing and method of training. The flexibility, I believe, will motivate those employees who may show little or no interest in the program. References Jerrie, B., & Llewellyn, S. (2011). The Customer Comes First: Implementing a Customer Service Program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Libraries. Journal of Access Services, 8(4)157-189. Kim, N., & McLean, G. (2007). Customer Service Behaviors in Korea and Implications for Training: Lessons from an Exploratory Critical Incidents Study of Customer and Employee Service Encounters. Asia Pacific Business Review, 13(1)1-20. Lucia, K. (2008). A Consultative Training Program: Collateral Effect of a Needs Assessment. Communication Education, 57(4)482-489. Van Eerde, W., Tang, S., & Talbot, G. (2008). The mediating role of training utility in the relationship between training needs assessment and organizational effectiveness. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(1)63-73. Read More