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The Impact of Complaint Handling Training on Service Delivery

In my research and practice I have found that most customer service professionals complete at least 50 hours of training before they speak to customers. Much of this training is technical – software, phone systems hardware, product, policy, etc. – and in many cases no attention is paid to the nuts and bolts skills in complaint response and problem solving.

Recent research has examined the impact of conflict management training on customer service delivery. In this fiercely focused study two groups of CSRs in the “treatment” group working in the utility industry participated in one four-hour complaint management training session. Two other groups of CSRs working in the same company received no training.

The conflict management training included anger and problem solving techniques, listening/communication skills, stress management, and a captivating exploration of the bottom line impact of CSRs and customer service.

The study concluded that the complaint management training resulted in reduced job tension, improved communication skills, improved job satisfaction and increased customer satisfaction.

AND specifically, the conflict management training

• Decreased the length of High Bill Complaints calls by 22.3 seconds, resulting in a savings of approximately $335,000 per year.

• Improved customer satisfaction 7%

• Reduced CSRs job tension and stress

When companies equip customer service representatives with essential skills for diffusing anger, resolving problems and combine that with communicating the revenue generating impact of the employees’ work on the organization, the results are astounding and measurable.