Customer service is a company’s opportunity to connect with customers, solve problems, and show they care. And when customer service is executed well, it can resonate with customers for years to come. That’s why training your customer support team is just as important (if not more) as training your marketing or sales teams. Service experiences are what stick with your customers and inspire reviews and word-of-mouth advertising. Customer support shouldn’t be an afterthought. Happy customers come from excellent service and are your best advocates – even better than your most talented marketers.
Why is customer service training important?
It’s no longer possible to push customer service to the side and expect customers to be happy. People are more connected than ever, and that means they’re constantly sharing their experiences, including particularly bad support interactions. These days it’s important to focus on developing a strong customer service department with well-trained, dedicated agents who have the tools they need to do the job well. Providing top-notch support is directly related to customer retention and loyalty, as well as increasing overall customer satisfaction. Delighted customers are a great way to guarantee ongoing revenue from them, as well as for bringing in new customers.
Considering that, it’s crucial to realize another factor: customer service training is how you make it all work. Hiring the right people is excellent, but it’s not the only step. It’s the first step to a long journey of being the best. No matter how talented an individual is, there will always be more to learn and skills to develop. Training for customer support includes not only understanding the product and how to use it well but also how to work on a team together and the best ways to work with your particular set of customers.
How to use virtual reality to improve your customer service training
Virtual Reality (VR) is like watching a 3D movie on IMAX, but much better. This technology creates a completely computer-generated artificial world around a person, putting them right in the middle of it. It’s like being inside a movie or a video game, quite literally. That virtual world is a simulation of the real-world environment or something completely different. The possibilities this technology is throwing up in the training space is hugely promising. Through VR headsets, we are able to simulate another person’s experience. While in a VR program, you can see what another person sees, helping you better understand, appreciate, and empathize with them.
Imagine what could be achieved when applying similar experiences to customer-service training. A VR program can help retail store associates view a specific experience, say, Black Friday frenzy, from the customer’s point of view. Such a perspective can give new employees a realistic sense of situations customers face, so they can have more empathetic interactions with customers.
VR training can maximize learning in the shortest time possible. This can have a profound impact in the field of sales, as the technology can quickly and effectively upgrade the performance of retail employees. VR training can also help all sales employees get better at their job, not just those with the best sales instincts.
Virtual reality is opening new possibilities in employee training
VR training can go a long way in preparing and enhancing the performance of employees. It can prepare them for faster reaction times and better decision-making. VR also enables safer environments for high-risk tasks and friendlier, faster onboarding processes. Customer service is only one area of interest for the L&D professionals around the world. Viar360 can help you get started with VR training. Start your trial today.
