The big book of customer service training games free

Help your employees to excel in dealing with the public with this stimulating, fun-filled collection of customer service training games. Designed not only to teach important skills but also to spark enthusiasm and a high level of involvement in the participants, these games utilize entertaining and instructive techniques such as role-playing, charades, brainstorming, and d Help your employees to excel in dealing with the public with this stimulating, fun-filled collection of customer service training games.

Designed not only to teach important skills but also to spark enthusiasm and a high level of involvement in the participants, these games utilize entertaining and instructive techniques such as role-playing, charades, brainstorming, and debate.

As a result of these exercises, employees will learn how to create a rapport with the customer, how to focus on the unique needs of individual customers, how to maintain a positive attitude, and more. Get A Copy. Paperback , pages. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 8. Friend Reviews.

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. How do i read this book online?? How can I download this book or read it online? Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list ». Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Mar 01, Crystal rated it really liked it. Had so many informative simple, task but things that make a huge difference in customer service..

This book is just as it purports to be - a book of "games" to assist in the training of Customer Service Representatives.

It's a fun book that fits perfectly into the training curriculum to help motivate people. Probably the most significant advantage I found this book to provide is one that is often difficult to achieve in a corporate training setting The "games" are perfect to break the ice and get your training class motivated and eager to learn while at the same time teaching them something pertinent to their jobs!

Help your employees to excel in dealing with the public with this stimulating, fun-filled collection of customer service training games. Designed not only to teach important skills but also to spark enthusiasm and a high level of involvement in the participants, these games utilize entertaining and instructive techniques such as role-playing, charades, brainstorming, and debate.

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Then there are biographies and true accounts bestsellers as well. These books are available in different formats like hardcover, paperback, and board book. You will need a flip-chart and markers. What to Do Divide the group into two teams of equal size. Tell them they will review a customer service scenario and will then hold a debate to determine what course of action should be taken by the customer service representative.

Give each team a copy of the handout and assign each team a position to defend. Give them a few minutes to discuss their position and to elect a spokesperson. Then hold the debate. The objective of this debate is not for one side to win but for the group to examine and discuss a diverse variety of customer service issues. Discussion Questions Q: What did you learn from the debate? Q: How many of you represented a position that you would not have taken if given a choice?

Q: How would a similar situation be resolved if it took place here at our organization? If You Have More Time Hold a second debate, this time focusing on a customer service situation that the participants might face in their own jobs. Your company is currently facing a widget shortage and has put a temporary limit on widget sales: widgets per customer per week. Team A: Your position is that the factory should make an exception for Mr. Zinger and agree to sell him widgets per week. Team B: Your position is that Mr.

Zinger should not receive more than the allotted quota of widgets. Rules for Debate 1. All members of your team should participate in the team discussion. Designate one spokesperson to argue your position. You will have five minutes to discuss your position and come up with a list of reasons to support it. This activity is best used after participants understand the meaning of customer service.

Blank paper. What to Do Put participants in groups of three or four. Tell groups to imagine that they made the rules regarding what could be done for your customers.

Ask them what measures— small or large—they might take to serve their customers better. After five minutes, ask each group to report on the results of their brainstorming. List answers on a flip-chart or white board.

Determine which ideas can be implemented right away and ask participants to put them into practice. Be sure to let participants know the outcome. The objective of the activity is for participants to learn that it is easy to customize service to customers. This activity is suitable for service employees at all levels.

One copy of the handout on page for each participant. What to Do Review the overhead. Explain that some people are more relationship-oriented and some people are more taskoriented; some people prefer to get to know people by socializing with them and others prefer to get to know people by working on a project with them. Ask participants to make a mental mark on the y axis as to where they fall in this continuum. Ask participants to make a mental mark on the x axis as to where they fall on this continuum.

Then have participants put themselves into one quadrant, based on their two marks. Ask them to consider someone they get along with very well and determine which quadrant that person belongs to; then have them do the same with someone they find difficult.

Discuss the results. Distribute the handout and give participants a few moments to review it. Explain that there is no right or wrong quadrant; each quadrant has its positive and negative aspects. Point out that the problem arises when a person from one quadrant enters a business transaction with a person from another quadrant, particularly if the people are in diametrically opposed quadrants.

For example, a Q1 customer may feel like a Q3 service representative is not listening and is abrupt and possibly rude—just because the Q3 representative gets right down to business and asks rapid-fire questions. Ask participants to think about five of their customers and decide how they might change the way they interact with those customers in order to offer more customized service. Each participant uses the letters of his or her name to inspire service-oriented actions.

Time 10 minutes. What to Do Tell each participant to write his or her name vertically along the center of a sheet of paper. Demonstrate by writing the following on a flip-chart or white board: M A R Y Tell participants that now their task is to use each letter of their name to come up with an action that they can take to offer great service to their customers. Actions can be phrased either positively or negatively.

For example: Be Motivated to serve. Respect their needs. Don't Yodel in the customer's presence. Encourage participants to have fun with this activity and to be as creative as possible. Almost anything goes! After seven or eight minutes, ask for some volunteers to share what they came up with.

Point out to participants that there are hundreds, even thousands of ways to give great service to their customers. If the participants like what they came up with, they can post it at their work station. This page intentionally left blank Bill of Rights In a Nutshell In this game, participants work together to brainstorm the special needs of upset and dissatisfied customers. The objective is to create a Bill of Rights for these customers. This game is suitable for all employees who deal with upset and dissatisfied customers.

Time 15 minutes. You'll need a flipchart or white board and markers. What to Do Remind participants that there are many reasons why a customer might be upset, but no matter what the reason, the attitude and skills of the employee are of paramount importance in turning around the situation. Studies have shown that if upset customers are treated fairly, they're likely to continue doing business with the company.

Customers who are unhappy with a service or product have the same needs as other customers—empathy, respect, courtesy, etc. Think of it as a Bill of Rights for dissatisfied customers. Divide participants into groups of two or three and ask them to discuss their own experiences with upset customers and brainstorm some ideas for the Bill of Rights. After about ten minutes, ask groups what ideas they came up with, and capture these on a flip-chart or white board.

They also practice using the correct phrasing to respond to customers in difficult situations. Each participant will need one red and one green card. Then ask for some examples of what they would say to acknowledge. Capture these phrases on a flip-chart or white board. I would be upset too. I understand your concern. Conventional wisdom says that you should apologize when you or your organization is at fault, but not when the customer is upset for some other reason.

Ask for some examples of how the participants would apologize to customers. Capture these on another page of the flip-chart. We were wrong. Red means apologize; green means acknowledge only. Mention to participants that usually an apology includes an acknowledgment. Read out each customer statement on page and tell the participants to raise their cards. After each statement, choose one participant to give an example of the acknowledging statement or apology she or he would use in this situation.

Note: There may be some disagreement as to what participants would do in some situations. This is natural; there are no absolutely right or wrong answers. If participants are divided, ask for an example of both an acknowledgment and an apology.

If You Have More Time Ask for some common customer complaints that the participants receive and have them come up with acknowledging statements and apologies, as appropriate. What can I do for you today? I just spoke to a young man who was very flip with me when I told him about my problem with the jeweled dog collar I ordered. Well, I just assumed your company had a money-back guarantee.

I apologize for the delay; I know it must be frustrating for you. Your prices are too high for me! I can sure appreciate your need to save money. My briefcase arrived with the wrong monogram! Oh no! I was only there for an hour! Medical costs are frequently quite high. I want to return this software. That must be disappointing. This game is suitable for all employees.

Using colored construction paper, cut out several red apples, yellow pears, and orange oranges. You'll also need masking tape. What to Do Divide participants into groups of three or four and give each group a few of each fruit. Ask them to discuss the various challenges they face as customer service employees and to select three challenges. They should then choose a fruit on which to describe each challenge.

Apples are for critical challenges, oranges are for significant challenges, and pears are for minor challenges. They can use whatever fruit they want, but they cannot describe more than three challenges. Give participants about five minutes to do this.

Then have them tape the fruits on the tree. Next, read the challenges out loud and use a blank piece of flip-chart paper to list the challenges in order of priority apples first, then oranges, then pears. If one challenge has been given different priorities, list it under the more critical ranking.

Note: The objective of this game is to identify challenges; the next step is to put together a plan for overcoming them. The objective is to move a figure down the staircase by addressing the challenges represented on each step. This game is helpful for anyone who regularly faces challenges—both simple and complex—in their interactions with customers. Using colored paper or cardstock, cut out the figure of a person and put the figure on the top step of the staircase. Use a piece of masking tape on the back so that the figure can easily be moved down the staircase.

What to Do Divide the participants into pairs or small groups and tell them the objective of this game is to quickly come up with solutions to common challenges in the customer service environment. If their answers are acceptable, the figure will move down to the next step. Begin the game by announcing the first challenge and asking participants what they would do to prevent the challenge from escalating. Give them a few moments to confer with their partners and then ask for answers.

This should be a fast-paced, lively game. Continue until participants have addressed all seven challenges. Reward participants with candy or another small treat. Following are the challenges that correspond to each step and some possible responses: 1. Apologize, if appropriate, and tell the customer what you can do. Your computer is moving slowly and the customer is getting impatient.

Tell the customer your computer is moving slowly; use transition statements to avoid long periods of silence. The customer has unreasonable expectations. Emphasize what you can do for the customer. The customer is angry for no apparent reason. The customer refuses to give you all the information you need. Explain why you need the information and then ask the customer to reconsider giving it to you. What to Do Hold a brief discussion about ways to overcome the stress that occurs when a customer service situation turns challenging.

Remind participants that simple, natural techniques such as visualization, deep breathing, and even smiling have been proven to have a calming and reenergizing effect on stressed individuals. Pass out the index cards and tell participants to write their own stress-busting techniques on the card.

They can write anything they like, and they may want to include three or four stress busters on the card. Following are a few suggestions: a favorite quote, a cherished mem- ory, the name of a loved one, a mantra or visualization, the punchline of a favorite joke, a description of a previous challenge he or she handled well.

Let participants choose some colored pens to illustrate their Stress Buster Cards however they wish. This page intentionally left blank Is There Anything Else? One blank sheet of paper per participant.

There are many other ways to uncover additional service opportunities. Give each group a blank piece of flip-chart paper and a marker pen and ask them to record their answers. After five minutes, ask each group to present their responses. The game is useful for anyone who needs to describe or sell a product or service to a customer. Blank flip-chart paper and marker pens. What to Do Using the overhead transparency, discuss the concepts of features and benefits. Remind participants that customers buy benefits, not features, and that pointing out benefits is particularly important when trying to cross-sell or substitute-sell.

Put participants into groups of three to five. Ask participants to list the features of their product and then to list the corresponding benefits. After presentations have been made, type up the feature and benefit information and distribute it for use on the job. This game reinforces creative thinking and the ability to establish relationships between diverse objects.

A hat, bag, or basket. Participants will also need paper and pens and may want a clipboard or other hard surface for writing. What to Do Cut the copy of the product list from page into pieces so that you have 16 slips of paper, each with the name of one product.

Put these in a hat or basket. The objective is to create as many partnerships as they can in the allotted time. For example, someone who sells oranges might be able to create a partnership with someone who sells apples because they both sell fruit. The same person could create a partnership with someone who sells balls because their respective products are both round. Participants should work with one another to establish relationships between their products, but they should not spend more than one or two minutes with each potential partner.

None of the participants will be able to establish partnerships with everyone they talk to. Each time they establish a partnership, they should record their partner and the product relationship on a piece of paper.

After about ten minutes, stop the game and ask for volunteers to share their results. Following are just a few: 1. Things people use at work telephone, books, paper, computer, cardboard boxes, eyeglasses 2. Things people like to receive as gifts flowers, clothing, chocolates, music tapes, and CDs 3. Things people put on their coffee table at home flowers, books 4. Things people use to communicate telephones, computers, pens, paper, musical instruments 5.

Things almost everyone owns telephone, cars, books, shoes, televisions 6. Things you pay tax on everything 7. You sell paper. You sell telephones. You sell shoes. You sell computer equipment. You sell musical instruments. You sell pens and pencils. You sell cardboard boxes. You sell flowers.

You sell eyeglasses. You sell chocolates. You sell furniture. You sell clothing. You sell cars. You sell sporting goods. You sell televisions.

In a Nutshell Participants learn when and how to up-sell when talking with customers. This game is ideal for employees who have the opportunity to increase order value through using these techniques. One copy of page for every four participants. A hat, box, or basket. What to Do Distribute and review the handout on page Tell participants that they are going to work in pairs to practice up-selling.

Cut the copies of page into individual scenarios and place them in a hat, box, or basket. Arrange participants into pairs and have each pair draw one scenario. The pairs are to work together to develop an up-selling statement. Would that work for you? Offer candy or other small reward to each pair. If You Have More Time Have participants do the exercise again, this time with product scenarios from your own company that you have prepared in advance.

This is typically done when customers can obtain a price break or another perk if they purchase at a higher quantity. Up-selling sounds like this: Mr. Does that make sense for you? Would you like to do that? I saw you looking at that great travel mug. Can I show you some of our line? The steps for up-selling are as follows: 1. Explain how the customer can save money by increasing the order.

Be sure to include a benefit to the customer. Ask the customer to commit to a larger order. Scenario Two You work in a clothing shop. See if the customer would be interested in increasing the number of pairs in order to save money.

See if Jim is interested in this upgrade. Scenario Four You sell tickets at a movie theater. A customer that you see on a regular basis is in line. When the customer approaches the window, see if she would be interested in purchasing the ticket book. In a Nutshell Participants learn when and how to crosssell when talking with customers.

One copy of page for every eight participants. Tell participants that they are going to work in groups of two to practice cross-selling. The pairs are to work together to develop a cross-selling statement. See if the customer is also interested in gloves or a cane. Astaire, we also have some high-quality gloves and a very handsome cane that would look smashing with your top hat. Would you like me to tell you more about them? If You Have More Time Have participants play the game again, this time with product scenarios from your own company that you have prepared in advance.

When cross-selling, you should always point out a benefit to the customer. Do you use sixty-minute tapes? That shirt looks fantastic on you, Mr. Let me show you a tie that will look great with it. The nice thing about this tie is that it not only goes with this shirt, but you can also wear it with a blue or white shirt. Would you like to add it to your wardrobe? The steps for cross-selling are as follows: 1.

Make a statement to bridge from the product the customer has ordered to the product you want to cross-sell. Describe the product you want to cross-sell and point out its benefits. Ask the customer to buy it. You know he and his wife like to scuba dive. John, some of the most beautiful underwater scenery available in the Caribbean.

Scenario Two Ms. Pottsbough has just ordered a very expensive desk pad from your catalog of exclusive desk accessories. See if she is interested in the matching pen set and letter tray. The entire set just won the coveted Milano award for office furnishings and there are only sets available. You know that lawns look better and are less expensive to maintain over time if your patented Weed-and-Feed solution is applied quarterly.

Scenario Four Mossie Smart has been shopping in your store for drapery fabric. In a Nutshell This game is useful in helping participants recognize who their internal customers are. This is a solo game in which participants complete the handouts on their own and then share their results with the group. Then give participants ten minutes to complete their own handouts.

At the end of the activity, ask for volunteers to share their findings with the group. Offer an incentive for participants to come up with as many internal customers as they can in the allotted time. But she has internal customers as well. Task: Answer phones Customer: Everyone in the organization who receives outside phone calls Task: Collect and monitor in-house visitor sheets Customer: My boss, Terry, and the Security Department Take care of paying for lunch deliveries, and notify employees when their delivery has arrived Customer: Different people every day—whoever orders a lunch delivery Task: Now take some time to define your own internal customers.

It also reinforces the idea that problem-solving can often be accomplished simply and quickly—just by taking the bull by the horns. Participants will need pen and paper.

What to Do Cover up all but the first question on the overhead or flipchart. Before the game, ask participants to get up and stretch and take a few deep breaths to prepare themselves for some fast, energetic thinking.

Remind the participants about the concept of internal customer service, and let them know that that is the focus of this activity. They should read the statement and quickly come up with at least one answer. The only rule is that they have to come up with at least one answer to each question. Each successive question relates to the answer they gave in the previous question. Begin the activity by revealing the first question. Read the question to the class and give them the time allotted to complete their answers.

I could serve my internal customers better if Allow 45 seconds 2. Circle one of your answers from the previous question. Allow 10 seconds 3. How can you accomplish this? Allow 45 seconds 4. Allow 10 seconds 5. What are you willing to do to see that this gets accomplished? Allow 60 seconds 6. When will you do this? Allow 30 seconds 7. Congratulate them for finding a solution in record time. If You Have More Time Play a second or even a third round to come up with more action plans for improving their internal customer service.

They benefit from the creative thinking of their peers and from the freeflowing, brainstorming tone of the game. This game works well for participants who have a number of internal customers to serve. Time 20 minutes longer if there are more than twelve participants.

A fun but optional prop for this activity is a bell or chime. What to Do Arrange two rows of chairs facing one another. The two rows should be close enough to allow conversation, but each chair should be separated from the ones on either side by a couple of feet. The clients sit in one row of chairs and the consultants in the other. During the activity, the consultants always stay seated, but the clients move down their row of chairs once every minute when you ring the bell or tell them to move.

Each client will have one minute to ask the consultant for advice on how to delight his or her internal customer. At the end of a minute, the client moves down the row and picks the brain of the next consultant. Once every client has spoken with every consultant, tell them to switch roles and repeat the activity.

Consultants should be encouraged to think freely and offer as many ideas—no matter how outrageous—as they can to each client. This is meant to be a fun, energetic activity. The client should glean ideas from each consultant and then decide upon one course of action that will delight the internal customer. At the end of the activity, ask for volunteers to share their plans for delighting their internal customers.

In a Nutshell This game is a great reminder that customer service skills can and should be applied to interactions with internal customers. Before the session, create the flash cards by writing one skill on each flash card. Friendly Efficient Knowledgeable Attentive Empathetic Honest and fair Solution-oriented Quick Eager to please Optimistic Creatively helpful Upbeat Diligent You may want to have candy or other small treats on hand for the winners or for all participants.

As the game progresses, you can keep score on a white board or flip-chart. Teams get one point if they're the first to come up with an acceptable answer. Flash the cards one at a time and make sure all the teams can read the cards.

Start out by allowing the first team with an answer to respond to each card. If, however, one team becomes overly dominant in the game, you may want to have the teams take turns responding to the flash cards. Discussion Questions Q: Why is it more difficult to apply these skills to internal customer service? Q: Is it important to provide the same level of service to our internal customers as we do to our external customers?

This game is ideal for anyone who uses voice mail. One copy of the handout on page for each group of two or three participants. What to Do Set up the activity by briefly discussing the use of voice mail. I Identification Identify yourself. I Information Give the information your co-worker needs from you in order to carry out the task. G Goodbye A courteous close to any message. Now read out the following message two times.

The first time, the group should just listen; the second time, they should identify each element of GIFTING as it appears in the message. She owns some stables up in Kentucky and is thinking of carrying some equipment and supplies for people who board their horses there. N Thanks, Abe. G Divide the participants into groups of two or three and give each group a copy of the handout.

Keep the overhead in view. After about ten minutes, ask to hear some of the rewritten messages. If You Have More Time Have participants create their own voice mail messages based on some information they might pass along to a co-worker. Hi Ron. Three books. So can you give him a call? Joseph, hi. I wanted to know if I could get from you some new info sheets on two products: the Victory and the Quiet Storm. Maybe you can just e-mail them to me. By the way, this is Eric in customer service.

So if you can do all this, give me a call to let me know.