NRCC News

Six-part customer service series begins this month

Feb 14 2018

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Feb 14 2018 and was archived on Feb 15 2019. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

A six-part seminar series that goes beyond the basics of customer service, and instead provides opportunities to develop new skills and build on the strengths inside a team or company. The seminar series, sponsored by New River Community College’s Office of Workforce Development, will be held in the coming weeks.

The seminars, led by Dr. Robert Kenney, will be held on Wednesdays at NRCC’s New River Valley Mall site in Christiansburg from 1 to 5 p.m. Registration is currently in progress for the sessions. Each session is $125. For online registration, visit www.nr.edu/workforce, Classes & Programs, Non Credit Course Offerings and then search for the class ID number.

The series schedule follows:

Positive Attitudes Work: How to Keep It, Even When...: Wednesday, February 28, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9018)

Workplace success and exceptional customer service begin with a state of mind. People typically behave in ways that align with their attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, assumptions and expectations. What people are thinking and feeling about work can play a significant role in both individual and team accomplishments, including a person’s ability to meet the demands of customers. Negativity can spread quickly through a team or organization, resulting in higher staff turnover, absenteeism, low morale, distrust, decreased productivity and resistance to new ideas or to change.

Building Trust with Customers and Coworkers: Wednesday, March 14, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9019)

Trust provides a sense of safety and when customers trust a business, customers feel a greater sense of loyalty and see that business as a valued resource. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to open up and share more ideas with each other, take appropriate risks, innovate, collaborate, produce and provide better customer service.

The Power of Influence: Making a Difference, Part 1: Wednesday, April 4, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9020)

Whether working with coworkers or customers, anyone’s success at work is affected by getting others’ attention, convincing people to seriously consider suggestions and influencing people to accept recommendations or requirements. This workshop provides the foundation for powerful influence, by highlighting how to plan to win over coworkers’ and customers’ opinions, regardless of participants’ formal authority.

The Power of Influence: Making a Difference, Part 2: Wednesday, April 25, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9021)

This workshop takes influence to the next level by addressing how to deal with resistance and how to use communication to win over coworkers’ and customers’ opinions, regardless of participants’ formal authority.

Creative Problem Solving with Customers, Part 1: Wednesday, May 9, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9022)

Whether solving a customer’s problem, an internal work-related problem, or a personal problem, one specific step-by-step approach tends to lead to a solution. This workshop provides the foundation for identifying how to fix what could be better.

Creative Problem Solving with Customers, Part 2: Wednesday, May 23, 1 to 5 p.m., room 148 (Class #9023)

Whether solving a customer’s problem, an internal work-related problem, or a personal problem, one specific step-by-step approach tends to lead to a solution. This workshop addresses how to encourage creativity and identify a solution.