Red faces all round? [BT broadband office]

Red faces all round?

Posted 8 January 2008 at 9:41AM by Hannah Gilchrist in Doing business online

Training your staff to deal with customers can be a daunting task, but mention the word role-play and many employees will run back to their desks in fear. But now you can save the red faces and days in hotel conference facilities in favour of performance simulation.

Designed by Caspian Learning to offer contextual learning from your PC, the new computer games allow your colleagues to test their skills without looking like a complete idiot in front of the MD.

But can these simulations ever do justice to the real life dilemmas of real customers? And no matter how much practice it takes, surely there is never any safe failure in business? If you can't handle customers virtually, what chance have you got when they come knocking on your office door?

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Tags: bt, bt broadbandoffice, caspian learning, educate, training

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Comments

1. At January 8, 2008 4:57 PM, ian jenkins wrote:

I recently completed a Mediator Practitioner course in Nottingham, where Role Play was a Major part of the core Training, I'd just like to encourage everyone to do the walk, package away your nerves and get involved, whether virtually or face to face, Role Play exposes assumptions and misunderstandings like no other Therapy - Yes I said Therapy!

2. At January 9, 2008 12:40 PM, Carl Lotter wrote:

As soon as people here the infamous "role play" they do get the shivers up their spines.
I have learned to call it "scenario based training". Its amusing when they start the practises and then realise what they are really doing.

3. At January 10, 2008 10:00 AM, Ian Betteridge wrote:

Carl, that's a great tip! :)

4. At January 10, 2008 12:51 PM, Steve descher wrote:

Customer service/care call it waht you like is some very important, we in the UK could learn alot from the USA (not over the top customer service) but areas of treating the customer with respect, so training in role play is very important - on-line simulation is OK when used with real role play but not on its own - dealing with customers is a personal thing and we should remember that, role play also generates confidence,provides motivation and helps develop inter-personel skills - so please keep it and don't replace it www.activitygroup.co.uk

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