Earn Your Retail Customer Service Certificate

Customer service professionals are in constant demand. Every organization in the retail sector needs highly qualified, efficient, and enthusiastic team members who create its customers' experience. This 100% online course will help you gain valuable strategies and practices for creating excellent customer service. Key topics include the fundamentals of the customer experience, working in retail teams, handling customer complaints, and the principles of customer service management. Successful completion of the course results in a Retail Customer Skills Certificate.

Job Outlook for Retail Customer Service Associates

Customer service training can provide the foundation for nearly unlimited opportunities in the retail sector. According to HelpScout.com, US businesses lose $62 billion per year due to poor customer service. It is not surprising, then, to learn that CareerTrend.com expects 10% growth in customer service positions between now and 2024.

The rise of social media has contributed directly to the importance of customer service in retail organizations. In 2017, an American Express survey reported that 35% of customers had used social media to reach out to companies regarding their customer experience. This number doubled between 2014 and 2017 and can be expected to grow.

Online customer service represents an emerging challenge and opportunity that demands highly-trained, engaged customer service professionals.

Retail Customer Service Training FAQs

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB?
In an increasingly technical retail environment, customer service professionals use a variety of technology-enabled tools to perform classic functions that create and maintain a positive customer experience. Customer service functions may include:

• Listening to customers’ questions and concerns, and providing answers, responses, or direction
• Providing information about products and services, ranging from use cases and applications to safety warnings and user precautions
• Taking customer orders, calculating charges, and processing billing or payments
• Reviewing or making changes to customer accounts
• Handling returns or complaints
• Recording notes and details of customer contacts and the actions taken in response to them
• Reviewing and selecting standardizing responses for answers or solutions, especially for online customer knowledgebases
• Escalating customer issues to supervisors or more experienced employees for resolution

WHAT DOES RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING INVOLVE?
A strong customer service training course provides the knowledge and skills required to create, maintain and expand a retail organization's customer experience. It integrates the fundamental factors that build customer loyalty, manage interactions with various customer types, communicate effectively and positively with customers, team members and an organization's leaders, as well as self-management skills that signal professionalism and high personal expectations.

WHAT KIND OF JOB TITLES ARE RELATED TO RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING?
Customer service job titles can vary across retail organizations. However, as the customer service function grows across organizational departments, the customer service professional's role and titles can be expected to reflect this change. TheJobNetwork.com lists the following customer-service related job titles and their anticipated wage levels:

• Customer Experience Associate ($19 per hour, on average)
• Customer Engagement Representative ($19 per hour, on average)
• Customer Service Advisor ($18 per hour, on average)
• Customer Service Representative ($17 per hour, on average)
• Retail Customer Service Representative ($16 per hour, on average)
• Customer Service Sales Associate ($16 per hour, on average)
• Customer Service Professional ($14 per hour, on average)
• Bilingual Customer Service Representative ($14 per hour, on average)

WHY GET RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING?
Customer service, especially with regard to its role in creating a positive customer experience, is an emerging role within the retail ecosystem. As retail organizations develop their social, online, and in-person customer service systems, they require highly-trained, professional customer service specialists.

Course Objectives

Learn to provide an excellent customer experience

Build customer loyalty

Deal with difficult customers

Build skills to communicate effectively and positively with a variety of people

Develop skills in self-management and the leadership of others

Identify retail workplace challenges and opportunities

Become able to efficiently work independently as well as with a team

Develop quality communication and time management skills

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to taking this course.

Curriculum

PERSONAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Learn how to manage stress, deal with difficult people, and how to handle sexual harassment in the workplace. Understand the fundamentals of time management.

LIFE SKILLS
Explore the best means of communication, self-management, how to strike a work-life balance, and build relationships.

CAREER SKILLS
Understand what to expect from a workplace environment, how to work in a team, and the tools needed for workplace innovation.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Build customer loyalty, understand your customer, know service standards, resolve problems, and know how to define quality service.

MANAGING YOURSELF
Communicate with power, and master budgeting and saving techniques.

MANAGING OTHERS
Learn how to set expectations as they pertain to change, motivation, management skills, and legal issues.

Instructor

Darlene Lawrence
Darlene Lawrence is an academic coach and childcare and education instructor with five years of experience. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in teaching.

Registration and Enrollment
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.