Leadership Albany’s CustomerCentric training program will offer two courses on September 23 aimed at providing businesses with the resources to deliver stellar customer service, with the goal of increasing customer and brand loyalty, and polishing the community’s image as a first-class service center. 

CustomerCentric will offer basics course, Part I, and a phone course, and Part II. Part I, an encore of the sold-out April 2014 session, is a fast-paced course that delivers the basics of customer service that every business should practice. Part II is a stimulating course that focuses on the core skills needed to work with customers over the phone. These skills include how to greet customers, active listening, telephone courtesy and problem solving skills, as well as e-mail etiquette. Both of these sessions will help you and your employees avoid embarrassing, and costly, mistakes.

“First impressions often determine if a relationship between a business and a customer will develop, yet too often customer service training is either a small component of the work force training or not provided at all,” said Mary Ligon, director of Leadership Albany, which has retained Rita Suiter to deliver CustomerCentric. “Increasingly, a customer’s first interaction with a business is over phone or through an e-mail, and it’s critical that businesses are able to engage with customers in a positive way over those mediums. CustomerCentric teaches participants how to do that. 

Suiter, of Five Star Customer Service Strategies, focuses on helping her clients create and sustain a polished, professional and seamless customer experience. Suiter assists her clients in improving their service culture and enhancing their service delivery. She is graduate of the Institute of Organization Management and an alumnus of the Disney Institute and a Certified Customer Service Specialist.

Part I is from 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and Part II from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Training will be held at Merry Acres Inn & Event Center in Albany. 

CustomerCentric is $49 per person. Pre-registration is required through www.leadershipalbany.org. Click on “CustomerCentric” on the menu bar and click “register.”

Event sponsors are Leadership Albany, the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission, the Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau, Albany Honda and Merry Acres Inn & Event Center.

For questions or more details, call (229) 435-4466.