I would say with some confidence that for most modern businesses customer experience is of critical importance. With TrustPilot, Yelp, Google Reviews and the power of social media poor service can be massively detrimental to any organisation (and have a lasting negative impact) and great customer service can be a gateway to growth and success. Remarkable customer experience will not only distinguish your brand but also nurtures a loyal customer base. That's why it's so important to invest in training your teams to excel in delivering exemplary customer experiences, and by using experiential training techniques, develop skills that transfer into day to day operations.
The power of image based training materials
While traditional didactic training methods have their merits, they often lack the depth required to deeply engage employees. Adult learners need to be motivated to learn and ideally have immediate applications for workplace-based learning. This is where experiential learning techniques shine. By offering hands-on, practical experiences, they ensure that training outcomes are seamlessly integrated into daily tasks.
Our solution to this challenge (when considering customer experience training) is the "Images of Customer Experience" activity. This set of metaphorical cards captures a spectrum of emotions and scenarios tied to customer experiences, creating a dynamic and interactive platform for exploring the nuances of customer experiences from the delegate's perspectives.
We've found this image deck is highly effective at helping training session facilitators with:
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Engagement: Image-based training materials are adept at seizing attention and fostering discussions. They infuse training sessions with a dynamic element, making them more engaging and memorable.
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Cultivating Empathy: Utilising images allows trainees to visualize customer emotions vividly, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy towards customer needs and expectations.
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Encouraging Diverse Perspectives: The interpretative nature of the images encourages a plethora of perspectives, enriching the discussion and expanding viewpoints.
The activity is adaptable and can be used as an ice breaker, as part of a larger programme of customer experience training, or as the main discussion driver amongst a team.
Anticipated Outcomes
Workplace training sessions should always be aimed at improving identified aspects of performance. It's vital to always have a clear vision for how your training activities or learning programme design will improve the required performance objectives.
For customer experience training, performance outcomes could potentially include improving customer experiences in order to increase repeat business and average customer value. Your training programme may therefore seek to:
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Heighten Customer Empathy: Participants develop a nuanced understanding of their workplace's relationship with customers, individually and collectively identifying workplace strengths and areas for ensuring specific improved customer experiences.
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Enhanced Team Dynamics: Teams become more receptive to the pivotal role collaboration, fostering improved communication and mutual support during customer experience challenges.
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Strategic Customer Service Management: Armed with a deeper comprehension of customer emotions and needs, teams can devise more effective strategies to address concerns and elevate the overall customer experience.
How do we achieve this with remote teams?
Post pandemic remote work is the norm for many businesses- or if you operate across many sites, your business is 'remote' by default. How can we efficiently conduct customer experience training?
Online tools, such as Images of Customer Experience, combined with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, offer a solution that is affordable and with a low barrier to entry. With these tools there is no need for travel, it's easier to find space in crowded diaries, and there is no need to book or hire out a training room.
Conclusion
Elevating customer experience transcends the boundaries of new technologies or marketing strategies; it hinges on the profound understanding and value attributed to each customer interaction by every team member. Through tools like "Images of Customer Experience", businesses can empower their teams with the necessary insights and skills to consistently deliver stellar customer experiences.
Investing in training is tantamount to investing in your customers and, by extension, the future of your business. Equip your teams with the right tools, and witness a surge in customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Images of Customer Experience is included in all our subscription plans. Subscribe now for instant access for less than £34 per month. Or to book a demo of Images of Customer Experience - you can book a demo session at a time that suits you through our
demo booking page or
get in touch with to discuss your needs.
