For any business to flourish or even have a chance at success, it needs customers on side to buy their products or utilise their services. So, it’s not hard to see the value in making sure every customer interaction is supportive and seamless.
There is a direct correlation between good customer experiences, sales and returning customers. If you provide a customer with everything they could possibly need, through a process that is both pleasant and memorable, why would they go anywhere else for that product or service?
The best way you can ensure your customers have the best experience with your brand is to train your team how to care for customers effectively. This goes beyond customer service, customer relations and other fairly one-dimensional approaches to growing and retaining a customer base.
This is because customer care encompasses everything from handling customer complaints to actively exploring the customers’ needs and finding the best ways to match them. Find out more about the concept of customer care and how you can develop the skillset required to connect with your customers on an emotional level.
What is Customer Care?
The concept of customer care relates to the manner in which customers are treated when interacting with a brand. Rather than some aspects of customer service that only focus on one point in the customer journey, customer care focuses on each interaction a person has with the business and its employees, from pre to mid and post-purchase.
Rather than worrying about metrics and return on investment, customer care puts all thought into helping customers achieve their goals and satisfying their needs. This is because notions like loyalty, sales growth and positive brand reputation are a direct result of effective customer care.
If your customers are emotionally invested in your company, everything else comes with time. This is why customer care differs from other customer-related functions like customer service and customer relations.
- Customer Experience – Despite both customer experience and customer care taking into consideration the entire customer journey (pre, mid and post-purchase), customer care strives to build a relationship with a physical business employee, where customer experience doesn’t always involve human contact.
- Customer Relations – Both functions endeavour to build long terms relationships, though, customer care solely has the agenda of becoming a trusted resource as opposed to quantifying results and measuring advocacy.
- Customer Service – Where customer service provides customers with the required advice and business support, customer care aims to connect emotionally and go above and beyond to meet the needs of the customer.
- Customer Success – Customer success takes a technical approach to solving problems and learning from customer experiences, where customer care is about establishing the emotional connection.
Why Study a Customer Care Course?
If you want to elevate your business to success and have customers singing your praises, it’s time you invested in customer care training. When customer care is added as a vital focus in the customer service function, you can mitigate issues and improve service function, all the while promoting positive relationships and delivering meaningful experiences.
This really is imperative to the success of your business, as studies have shown 85% of consumers admit just one bad experience with a brand is enough to make them go elsewhere. Thankfully, you are in a strong position to get a hold of this situation with the right training.
It’s estimated around 70% of interactions a customer has with a company are via the customer care team. These interactions can be:
- On-site visits
- In-branch
- Over the phone
- Over email
- On social media
- On live chat platforms
- Automated chatbots
- User forums
- Self-service portals
- FAQs or help pages
If you and your team complete customer care courses to learn how to make every interaction count, you can harness these opportunities to gain insight, adapt your approach and uncover experience gaps that can negatively impact success.
Online Customer Care Short Courses
Stonebridge Associated Colleges is a distance learning provider that is not only driven by making education available for all, but also encouraging the adoption of an effective customer care strategy.
This is why they provide a range of online customer care short courses, so you learn the best way to go above and beyond for your customers.
These include:
Customer Relations
This customer care certificate course is set at Level 2 and has been specifically designed to help individuals and businesses develop their customer relation strategies. The customer care course outline consists of three separate units, these include:
- Customer care – why your firm needs customer care
- Customer care on the telephone
- Reception skills
Through these units, you will come to understand and appreciate the principles and practices of customer care and relations. You will also be in an educated position to identify strengths and weaknesses in any current customer-related approaches, as well as identify and implement methods of improving standards.
You will also have effective strategies in your arsenal to deal with anger, aggression and complaints.
Positive Customer Care
This customer care training course outline consists of seven online modules that are all about enhancing the emotional relationship your business has with its customers.
These include:
- How to make customers feel appreciated
- How to understand your own organisation
- Why you need to present a consistent professional image
- Communication techniques when you have to say, 'No'
- What you need to know to solve customers' problems
- Interpersonal skills to help you deal with difficult customers
- Assertiveness techniques which help you retain your self-esteem
Upon completion of these modules, you will be well equipped to offer positive customer care on behalf of any business. You will know how to deal with customers effectively, maximise their potential, and exceed their expectations.
NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Customer Service
If you are looking for more extensive customer care courses, UK learners should consider completing this online NCFE CACHE Level 3 certificate. As a nationally recognised qualification, it evidences your knowledge and customer care abilities to employers all over the country, helping you get set up for a successful career in the customer service function.
This online customer care course content consists of the following units:
Unit 1: Understand the customer service environment
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand the concepts and practices underpinning customer service delivery
- Understand the relationship between customer service and a brand
- Understand the structure of customer service
- Understand the implications of legislation on customer service delivery
- Understand how to organise customer service delivery
Unit 2: Principles of business
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand business markets
- Understand business innovation and growth
- Understand financial management
- Understand business budgeting
- Understand sales and marketing
Unit 3: Understand how to resolve customers’ problems or complaints
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand the monitoring and resolution of customers’ problems
- Understand the monitoring and resolution of customers’ complaints
Unit 4: Understand customers and customer retention
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Understand customer retention
Unit 5: Understand how to monitor customer service interactions and feedback
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand how to monitor the quality of customer service interactions
- Understand how to gather, analyse and interpret customer feedback
Unit 6: Understand equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand the organisational aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
- Understand the personal aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Unit 7: Understand how to manage incidents and collaborate with other departments in a contact centre
On completion of this unit you will:
- Understand how to manage incidents reported to a contact centre
- Understand how to collaborate with other departments
These modules are designed to teach you how to effectively communicate with customers outside the business and internal business personnel, to elevate customer care and service.
You will explore the underlying principles of business, complaint resolution, customer retention and how to monitor the overall level of customer service provided. It will teach you how to deliver customer care service effectively in different sectors, the importance of equality in the workplace and how to collaborate effectively with other departments.
Throughout, the course is geared towards identifying the steps you can take to improve your customer's experience and view of your company.
Study Customer Care with Stonebridge!
If you are keen to enhance your customer-related skills, then online customer care short courses are an excellent place to start! Stonebridge Associated Colleges are a leading distance learning provider, with a number of online courses focusing on the customer service realm, and specifically, customer care.
When you enrol on courses in customer care with us, you can take advantage of:
- Online learning – Study your customer care short courses from the comfort of home, without the restrictions that come with classroom learning
- Study around your schedule – Log on and learn when it suits you. No need to change your work pattern or find a babysitter
- 24/7 access – Get complete access to your online course materials when you enrol, so you can move through them as quickly as you please
- Student portal – Have everything you need to complete your course in one place. Extra care and attention have been paid to make sure our innovative online learning platform provides a captivating education experience
Enrol Today
Our online customer care short courses will get you closer to achieving your customer-related career goals. Find out more today by calling our Course Executives on 0121 392 8288 or by contacting us online!
