The Trainee becoming the Trainer
As a young adult who has only had a couple of jobs in my life, I am no stranger to training. I have been trained on anything from how to make a latte to how to blow out a gas station parking lot. Something that I haven’t had the pleasure to do is actually TRAIN someone else. I’ve always been the trainee! Here at Big Jeff Audio I have been given a chance to do something completely new that I haven’t had a lot of confidence with in the past, and that’s teaching others. I worry that I may be too brief with explanations or that I come off in a way that deters people from openly asking questions.
But so far, it’s been great! Training for a new hire comes down to understanding the core programs and protocols that we follow. First thing is to train them on the software we use, Gorgias. Gorgias is where we respond to any emails and messages sent to us from Facebook, Instagram, eBay, etc. Gorgias has made it 100x easier to train on how to respond to customers. It also has the integration to take calls and send texts! Next is our protocol, we train all new hires in the CSR department how to handle specific situations; whether this be a lost package, a customer dispute, a defective item, etc. We make sure they know how to properly respond to these rather stressful situations and handle it in a way that keeps out customers pleased. Finally, they must learn how ask questions and for help. This is the most important.
We train our trainees in the CSR department to find enjoyment in what they do and to not fear reaching out for help if they need it. We always extend assistance to the customer and then forget when we need it ourselves. We teach them to ask for help because there ARE random situations, there ARE tech questions we don’t know, there ARE customers we don’t know how to help, and we want our trainees to know that it is okay and normal to ask questions and to seek out help if necessary.
Overall, I have enjoyed training greatly. While I haven’t enjoyed being away from my customers, it’s been nice to hand the wheel over to someone else and watch them flourish under the pressure.