Customer service training software

What is customer service training software?

The goal of customer service training is to equip agents with the necessary skills, knowledge and resources to improve support and customer satisfaction levels. Training in customer service includes a wide variety of topics including product knowledge, technology fundamentals, soft skills and company-wide processes. A good customer service training programme includes a thorough onboarding process that equips new agents with the fundamental skills and knowledge they need to interact with customers. After onboarding, agents need ongoing customer service training and coaching for continuous improvement and growth.

The importance of customer service training

Great customer service is a competitive advantage for any business. The most impactful way to figure out how to improve customer service lies with those who are interacting with customers on a daily basis – your agents. However, nearly half of all call centre agents say they don’t have access to the information or tools they need to best serve their customers. Great customer service training provides the right tools, knowledge and skills agents need to support customers and set your business apart from your competition. So, if you want to keep your agents and customers happy, customer service should be your top priority. Here are just a few more reasons why this is the case: 

• Companies that invest in customer service training have more engaged employees and see 24% higher profits than those that don’t.
• Over 46% of customers say they’d go to a competitor due to an agent’s lack of knowledge during an interaction. 

The benefits of using customer service training tools

Customer service teams can deliver training in a number of ways, ranging from instructor-led training sessions to agent shadowing and in-person training seminars. Customer service training software is the most effective training method because it frees up valuable resources that can be used to better serve existing customers, grow your customer base and improve operations across your support team. Let’s take a closer look at a few advantages of using customer service training tools. 

Onboard new agents quickly

The average turnover rate for customer service agents in call centres is 45%. With high turnover rates, companies must hire new agents and get them up to speed quickly without skipping essential onboarding. Instead of asking new agents to complete a few days worth of onboarding that provides too much information at once, online training tools streamline the onboarding process and deliver essential training to agents over time so they’re more likely to comprehend training materials.

Train teammates consistently and efficiently

Online training also provides agents with a consistent learning experience across the team. This is key for great customer service as it ensures that your agents all have the same understanding and knowledge in order to provide customers with the same level of service across the organisation. Pulling agents off the floor for group training sessions is a costly process. Since customer service training software provides agents with training right from their computer, they can easily complete training lessons in-between customer interactions or during scheduled idle time. This is an efficient way to ensure that agents still receive the training they need while being available to assist customers as the business needs.

Provide on-demand access

Agents need to know and understand a lot of information regarding your company’s products, services, policies, and more. Because it’s nearly impossible to remember everything after training is completed, it’s important to give agents ongoing access to training materials. By giving agents access to a central training platform, they can quickly search for critical information and answers they need, right when they need them, in order to deliver fast, accurate service.

How to improve training with customer service training software

Companies that leverage customer service training software have the opportunity to create dynamic, engaging and effective training like never before. Here are some strategies to keep in mind in order to create the best customer service training programmes possible.

Focus on one skill at a time

Often, trainers are working under a time crunch and feel the need to combine multiple pieces of information or focus on multiple skills in one training session. When it comes to creating the best customer service courses for agents, remember to keep things short and simple. Great online training lessons should only focus on one topic or skill at a time and take about 20 minutes for agents to complete. This structure makes it easier for agents to comprehend new knowledge and complete training in one instance.

Look for better ways to engage agents

Practical training is more than handing agents a customer service training manual full of jargon and lengthy text. Look for a customer service training tool that supports elements like text, images, videos, PDFs, and more. Remember, everyone has different learning styles, so look for ways to incorporate various materials into your courses in order to encourage engagement.

Practice and hone essential skills

The best customer service training programmes also allow agents to practice skills through role-playing scenarios. Customer service training software gives agents the chance to walk through common customer scenarios and practice responses before actually interacting with customers. This is also a great way to review an agent’s progress and provide coaching and feedback on any skill gaps. This will boost their confidence and ensure that they’re ready to interact with customers on a daily basis. 

Track training progress and comprehension

A traditional classroom training session makes it difficult to know if your agents comprehend and can apply what they are learning. Customer service training software tracks critical training information, like completion rates, quiz scores and satisfaction scores, so trainers can collect valuable data on your training programme over time.

Provide ongoing training opportunities

The best customer service training programmes provide ongoing training opportunities so agents can improve skills, stay up to date with product information and company changes, and re-visit customer service training modules as needed.

Customer service training ideas

Now that you understand what customer service training software is and how it can take your training programmes to the next level, here are a few customer service training ideas that are a great place to start.

• What is customer service? It’s crucial that every agent on your support team understands your company’s definition of customer service. By understanding the level of service your company expects, your agents will be more likely to provide the type of experience that they’re expected to deliver.
• Product and service knowledge: In order to adequately address customer issues, agents need to be knowledgeable about the products and services your company provides. The more they know about your company’s offering, the better positioned they’ll be to accurately answer any question or issue that comes up. 
• Customer service policies and procedures: How should agents handle upset customers? When do they escalate an issue to a manager? When can they offer a refund or exchange? Agents need to understand your company’s policies and procedures in order to deliver consistent levels of support across the business. 
• Customer service certifications: Certifications are great for teams with tiered customer support agents who require varied skill sets or expertise depending on their role. This allows agents to complete ongoing training courses and earn a customer service certification online. Managers and trainers can also track these certifications to ensure agents meet the required learning paths or levels of training for their current or future roles. 
• Customer service skills: Soft skills such as effective communication, active listening, emotional intelligence and problem-solving are essential for every agent to have. While some of these skills may come more naturally than others, it’s best to provide training and practice opportunities to keep these skills sharp. 

Deliver the best online customer service training with Seismic

Ready to take your company’s customer service from good to great? With Seismic, customer service teams can quickly ramp up new agents, provide continuous learning, practice and hone essential skills, and measure training’s impact on customer satisfaction. Read how one customer decreases new agent ramp time by 80% and earns an average CSAT score of 94% with online training and coaching powered by Seismic. Or, jump into a free lesson and we’ll show you what your customer service training courses can look like.