A Billion People Are Watching

…and It’s Not All About The Soccer

There is no better time for companies to up their game when it comes to professionalism
and excellence in customer care. In a few months’ time, the world’s attention falls on
South Africa as it hosts the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and this is our opportunity to show off and
impress visitors. Pundits say that this will be the most watched television event in history.

Business in South Africa must make sure it is polished
enough to deal with the hundreds of thousands of expected
visitors. “How we host our new customers is very important.
Are we actively encouraging them to return to our country,
or are we disappointing them with our service?” says Clive
Price, Managing Director of The Peer Group, a local South
African training company that specialises in sales and frontline
customer service training.

First Impressions Count

Creating a positive first impression of your organisation is
an important part in how you sell and how much profit you
make. “Ask your company chairman to phone the company
switchboard. He would probably be shocked by the level of
service,” Price says.

What many forget, is that each and every member of staff
has a role in promoting a company’s brand image and securing
the sale. The Peer Group offers two courses that provide your
staff with these tools: Professional Frontline Skills and Brilliant
Customer Service. Price believes receptionists are the brand
representatives of a company and they should be superbly
trained, kept informed, motivated and incentivised to provide
great customer service.

The first point of call in frontline/receptionist training is
building self-image, followed by areas such as anger management
and conflict resolution. Dealing with difficult customers is also
a key focus area.

Any business that is serious about its bottom line will have
top-notch customer care and well-trained frontline staff. Your
company may sell a great product or service, but does your
business excel at making a good first impression?

Everyone Counts

Employees working in administration, production, finance,
dispatch and delivery are seldom the focus of customer care
training programs, but they often determine the customer’s
experience. Attention to detail is needed in every part of a
business’ processes, from the packaging of a product to sending
out accounts. Unfortunately, in many cases these staff members
are not included when sales or customer service training is
discussed – it’s usually the salespeople. This is where The Peer
Group steps in and reveals to other staff what a crucial part
they play in the overall delivery of the brand promise.

World Class Methods

The Peer Group makes use of the “mystery caller”
approach. Mystery calls assess how everyday calls are dealt
with and also identify a company’s strengths and weaknesses.
According to Price, this is one of the most effective ways to
research and measure what training is needed and, after the
fact, whether it worked.

As part of the mystery call research, a “first impressions
index” is compiled, rating the call on speed, care or friendliness,
clarity, efficiency, effectiveness, knowledge and attention to detail.
Moneypenny, the UK’s fastest growing telephone answering and
outsourced reception service, recently reported that mystery
caller tests showed very poor results. They found that only one
in four FTSE companies are rated as “excellent” on the phone,
and only half the receptionists at companies called knew their
boss’ name. Further research showed that businesses deliver
higher financial returns when there is a higher customer service
ethic. Having the right training yields real results.

Top Class Trainers

Price is justifiably proud of The Peer Group’s world class
trainers. “They are not just course facilitators, but have worked
in the field in these areas and match international standards in
all they do,” he says. The Peer Group uses more than a “text
book only” approach, with trainers using real business examples,
instead of hypothetical or theoretical case studies.

Long Term Thinking

Memory Muza, The Peer Group General Manager, explains
“We do not believe that training should be seen as a “quick fix”.
It is important to address internal communication weaknesses
in a company, before dealing with the external face of
the business.”
Long term results are not possible if a “training only”
approach is followed. There is a need to get to know the
company culture and understand its ethos before training.
“What sets us apart from the majority of training companies
is that we do significant pre-training work and research to
establish and corroborate the client’s expectations,” says Price.

Become a leader in 2010

Price believes that the best way to ensure the 2010 World
Cup is successful is to create what business strategist Clem
Sunter has termed “pockets of excellence”. Make sure your
company excels at everything it offers. And the way to do that
is to ensure that your Frontline and Customer Care staff offer
brilliant service. “More than one billion people are going to be
watching and judging us”, he concludes.

The Peer Group runs Open Courses throughout
South Africa on these and other topics. To book, visit our
website www.peergroup.co.za or contact The Peer Group:
Johannesburg Head Office on +27 11 7876781, CapeTown on
+27 21 913 0142 or email memory@peergroup.co.za