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Parks & Rec Business
| Whose Line Is It Anyway? How to use role-playing (and other improv tricks) to improve your customer-service training program By Silvana Clark It happens on a regular basis. Your supervisor walks into the room and announces, “We need more training on customer service. Our clients are still complaining about staff who can’t answer questions or just don’t make them feel welcome.” If you’re faced with this issue, skip the 16-bullet point PowerPoint presentation imploring your staff to smile and be friendly around customers and, instead, show them what you really mean by getting them out of their chairs to pretend they’re in the popular TV show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” You’ll be amazed at the difference role-playing and creative-thinking activities will make in the “sticking power” of your training program. The “Yes” Principle The principles of improv comedy carry over to customer-service training. Those of you who took high school drama know that one of the main rules of improv is to always say, “Yes.” Look at the difference in these two scenes: Person A: “Hey, Jeff! Why don’t you come with us to the basketball game tonight?” Person B: “No thanks.” Person A: “Oh, come on, you need to get out of the house.” Person B: “I think I’ll stay home.” Pretty boring, right? Now try it when “yes” (or any affirmative response) is incorporated into the situation. Person A: “Hey, Jeff! Why don’t you come with us to the basketball game tonight?” Person B: “Who’s playing?” Person A: “It’s a challenge game between guys from the bowling alley and equipment rental.” Person B: “Sure. Are you leaving now?” Person A: “We’re ready if you are. Let’s grab something to eat first.” Now, that dialogue will never win any awards on Broadway, but it does show how saying “yes” stimulates conversation. In the same way, it’s important to get customers to talk to us when they’re upset. For a very simple improv/customer-service training activity, try this exercise. Yes! Yes! Yes! Get staff to be with a partner. Give each team a slip of paper that has a typical customer-service situation printed on it: · It’s your first day on the job, and a customer asks when the next sign-up is for flag football. You have no idea. · A mother complains about her son’s lack of playing time at soccer. She wants a refund. · A customer tells you the temperature of the water in the pool is too cold. She wants it heated right now! Have each team act out its situation, where at first “no” is said to the customer. It doesn’t have to be a direct “no,” but should convey there’s nothing the team can do. Now have each team re-do the same scene while saying “yes” to the customer. Pick one or two groups to come up front and perform their scenes for the entire group. Discuss which would make a customer feel better. Kick It Up A Notch! Ever watch Emeril on his cooking show? He always adds a few spices and then yells, “Now let’s kick it up a notch!” and tosses in another five tablespoonfuls of chili pepper. Here’s a chance to “Kick it up a notch!” at your training session. Pick two or three outgoing staff members to come before the entire group and act out a customer-service situation. Use some of the examples from the previous “Yes! Yes! Yes!” exercise. After they’ve acted out the situation, tell them, “Kick it up a notch!” Watch what happens as they play the scene over again, but this time being even more hospitable and professional. Smile! You’re on Candid Camera! Bring out the video camera and film staff role-playing situations. Set up scenarios such as a family member complaining about the food or location of the lockers in the gym. If possible, incorporate some costumes or props. Wearing a silly hat or holding three soccer balls while being filmed helps reduce anxiety. As staff members act out the scenes, tape them. Later, review the film and note positive points. Tactfully make suggestions on how to improve the situations. Often, staff members think they are smiling and helpful, but actually come across as abrupt. The tape helps staff see how improvements can be made. The Good, the Bad and the Rotten Discuss a recent customer-service situation that was brought to your attention. Ask the group for input on a “good” way to handle it. To add some humor, now ask for input on a “bad” way to deal with the problem. Of course you have to then get ideas for a “rotten” way to solve the customer-service dilemma. It isn’t all fun and games. Often, as you list bad and rotten ideas, “glimmers” of good ideas come through. This act of modified brainstorming often produces solutions to problems you never considered. ABCs of Customer Service Have 13 staff stand in front of the group. (If you don’t have this number of staff, simply adapt the exercise. Any number of people can participate.) Give the first person a card with the letter “A,” the second person the letter “B,” etc. Now, ask each person to share a customer-service tip, starting with the letter on the card. For example, “A” could be “Always make eye contact when walking by a customer.” Naturally, humor comes into play for the staff members holding ”Q,” “X” or “Z”! Continue until everyone has had a chance to participate. If you have a small group, give people two to three alphabet cards. Silvana Clark presents interactive keynotes and training programs to parks and recreation departments and other recreation-related groups. Visit her Web site at www.silvanaclark.com or e-mail her at silvanac@msn.com. |
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