Your customer service is a chance to show your users how much you care. But that doesn’t mean caring is all customer service takes; just as important is training.
While it never hurts to have an internal expert show your customer service staff the ropes, there’s a reason companies get external help. Because consultants tend to be costly, the better approach is simply to point your team toward online customer service courses.
Which customer service courses are the most valuable? These ten can turn your agents into customer service all-stars:
1. HubSpot Academy: Service Series
These days, online content is an important part of customer service. Content like FAQs can take the burden off your team and give them a do-it-yourself to brush up on company policies, ensuring consistency.
HubSpot’s customer service series stands out because it’s focused on the contact center experience. According to Five9, customers often feel annoyed and undervalued after receiving a call from a call center. An effective call center experience must be omnichannel, concise, and content-backed. Hubspot’s courses can teach your team how to do it.
2. Alison: Customer Service Training
Alison provides free online courses to over 17 million users worldwide. Its popular customer service course takes reps back to the basics, reminding them why strong service is important. Along the way, it hits foundational topics like phone manners and needs assessment.
This course takes no more than three hours to complete. This makes it a great starter course for new hires, ensuring everyone begins with the same base of skills.
3. Universal Class: Call Center Customer Service
For in-depth customer service training, Universal Class provides a ten-part program. The program focuses on customer-centrism by teaching attendees how to respond to customers, build relationships, and solve problems.
The course is $50, but if you want to receive a certification for taking the class, the cost jumps to $75. Each user has six months to complete all ten sections, though each takes only about six hours to complete. Users can learn at their own pace and at any time. It’s a great way to get your best service reps to take their skills and knowledge to the next level.
4. Lynda: Innovative Customer Service Techniques
This short, 45-minute course is led by customer service leader Jeff Toister. In it, he outlines some out-of-the-box tactics companies can use to provide great customer service. Toister’s personal stories make this class a standout.
Lynda’s courses are available through LinkedIn Learning, or you can sign up for a month-long free trial directly on its website. After the trial, access to Lynda’s content costs $29.99 per month, or $19.99 per month when billed annually.
5. Bonfire Training: Customer Service Advantage
While online courses are great for individuals, according to HRDailyAdvisor, there will be times when group training is more effective. Customer service teams rub shoulders day after day, so training them together can lift the group as a whole. Bonfire Training specializes in multi-person training sessions.
Think of this course as an event. You can plan a virtual meet-up with instructors, or have them meet you in-person. The price tag is much heftier, but personalized training is worth every penny.
6. Zoe Talent Solutions: Customer Service Courses
Not sure where to start with customer service training? Zoe Talent Solutions has a handy top 10 list, which runs the gamut from dealing with challenging people to telephone skills. Try one or two courses before assigning the whole series to your customer service team.
Zoe Talent Solutions’ courses are mostly offered in online classrooms, with a few physical classes in select locations. Due to Covid-19, Zoe Talent Solutions has offered a discount to all of its virtual training sessions. Prices are reduced to $850 per group, which are typically priced at $1,300 or more.
7. Udemy: Customer Service: Soft Skills Fundamentals
Udemy made a name for itself in tech training, but the platform hosts everything from music to design to marketing courses. If your team has time for just one Udemy customer service course, this is the one to take. Soft skills matter more for great customer service than any software application ever could.
Soft skills aren’t easy to teach. Traits such as patience and empathy need to be practiced again and again. This course can point your customer service staff in the right direction.
8. edX: Culture of Services: New Perspective on Customer Relations
This customer service course stands out for its partnership with Kyoto University in Japan. It takes a more academic approach to customer service by analyzing the social and cultural aspects of service settings. By better understanding customers’ cultural context, agents can serve them in more sensitive, impactful ways.
The course takes place over an eight-week period and requires between two and three hours of study per week. Think twice before enrolling new recruits in it. Because of its intensity and length, it’s best reserved for your customer service veterans.
9. WorkLifeBalance: A+ Customer Care
Excellent customer service reps can detect problems before customers outright say them. Nothing boosts customer lifetime value like service personnel who proactively understand and address their needs. According to Entrepreneur, great customer service can even elongate the life of a business.
WorkLifeBalance’s course is focused around problem-solving skills and empathy. The course can be conducted on-site or taken online.
10. The Training Bank: Customer Service: The Basics
This training is unique in that it’s not designed for corporate use. Tailored to individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford customer service training, the course is free. For team-wide options, leaders can reach out to The Training Bank.
What does this course cover? In 90 minutes, it hits everything from greetings, voicemail use, customer expectations, and customer loyalty. The course comes with a 38-page study guide, which makes a great reference guide for reps to keep at their desks.
No matter which course you choose, your customer service team will be better off for it. Good customer service is vital for any business. The better prepared your agents are, the better they’ll be able to provide that service.