customer service charter presentation

How to Write a Customer Service Charter

In business, something worth doing well is worth documenting. That is why you want to fully communicate all aspects of what customer service means to your business, your employees and your customers. A customer service charter is a written policy that communicates your business's commitment to doing business with others.

Successful business leaders understand the importance of a service charter in building a loyal customer base. When writing a charter, you want to define the purpose, scope and standards of your business's commitment to customer service so that both your employees and customers know what to expect.

State Your Purpose

Good customer service is something you make, and what you make of it is your purpose. State it in clear and simple terms such as, "We make it right, every call, every time." Write your standards as customer service expectations, suggests Entrepreneur. When you are writing your charter come up with details and stories that demonstrate the purpose.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

More For You

Simple example of standard operating procedures, what are the key components of a code of ethics in business, employer code of conduct, how to do a policy outline, writing a document on a kindle fire.

While you probably won't publish these in the actual charter, it helps you and your employees to understand what the purpose of your customer service is. The details will help you craft an employee document and stories help new hires understand the policy in action before they meet the customers.

Define the Scope

A comprehensive customer experience charter defines your full range of customer interaction. For example, if you are a brick-and-mortar business, then you most likely deal with customers in person. However, customers call and email, too. Another type of interaction is less business related, but powerful nonetheless, and that is social media. When you write your charter, include how you will respond to customer interaction on Yelp or Facebook. Although you or your communications manager might be the only ones to respond online, it's still important to communicate your intended actions with all employees.

Spell Out Standards

Your standards are your commitments to doing business with each customer, including the level of care that you intend to provide. For instance, a service charter for hospitals might outline patients' rights to confidentiality, emergency medical treatment and non-discriminatory provision of healthcare services. Other standards in business include how customers are greeted in person or on the phone, how promptly a customer's concern is resolved or how a request is met.

A service charter's standards may also define sourcing of product. If you are a natural food grocer, for example, your charter may spell out that you only carry products free of preservatives 90 percent of the time. Be exact, but reasonable. You might want to source 100 percent organic, for example, but availability might make that impossible.

Implement the Charter

When you are drafting your customer service charter, keep in mind how you plan to implement it. Some charters are one to pages long and used internally, published in the employee handbook and taught to new hires during orientation. Other charters are a brief paragraph summarized on a company's website to communicate directly with customers.

Employee training comes first. Once the charter is drafted, implement training before posting it on your website or at customer service. You want to give your employees consistent training and feedback so that the customer service charter is upheld by all employees. TechTarget emphasizes the importance of holding employees accountable for abiding by the company's customer service charter.

• Entrepreneur: Customer Service
• TechTarget: Customer Service Charter

Charli Mills has covered the natural food industry since 2001 as a marketing communications manager for a highly successful retail cooperative. She built teams, brands and strategies. She is a writer and editor of "This is Living Naturally," a consultant for Carrot Ranch Communications and a Master Cooperative Communicator.

• Google Slides Presentation Design
• Pitch Deck Design
• Powerpoint Redesign
• Other Design Services

• Business Slides
• Design Tips

How to create an effective customer service presentation (+design tips)

Customer service is one of the most crucial elements of any business. You can have the best product or offer the lowest price, but if your customer service is subpar, it will be challenging to develop and thrive in a competitive landscape. On the other hand, excellent customer service can enhance your brand’s reputation, keep current clients happy, and help attract new ones through referrals.

This is where customer service training becomes a key strategy. And what better way to walk your team members through their responsibilities than with a customer service PowerPoint presentation? Let’s now break down the importance of this type of presentation and how it can help set your business up for success.

What’s a customer service training presentation?

Customer service PPT is a means of educating employees on the principles and best practices of effective customer service. It usually includes slides and visuals that explain how to handle difficult situations or client questions through calls, emails, or face-to-face interactions and explain the importance of good customer service.

Benefits of a customer experience presentation

A thorough understanding of client service expectations and guidelines can set your business up for success in various ways, including:

• More qualified customer support agents

The main purpose of customer service presentations is to train staff members who will be providing service to clients. When properly trained, your employees can complete their responsibilities to company standards and deliver exceptional service to your clients.

• Effective service for your clients

If a customer has a problem and needs someone to listen and help resolve it, but your support team lacks customer service training, it can lead to various issues, including losing them as a customer. On the contrary, when clients receive quality service from your employees across all channels, they feel valued and are more likely to come back or recommend your product or service to someone else.

• Improved brand reputation

Reviews from customers, whether on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Google, or sites like Sitejabber and Trustpilot, can have both a positive and a negative impact on your business. That’s why putting your customers first and providing excellent service to them can help build a strong reputation and establish your company as an industry leader.

What to put in your presentation on customer service

According to top experts at our PowerPoint design company , your slides have to touch upon the following topics:

• Conflict resolution best practices
• Product/service knowledge
• Communication styles
• Most common customer issues
• Reasons for customer complaints
• Understanding who has authority for specific tasks
• Approaches to building relationships with clients
• Ways to measure success

Here are some key components of a well-crafted PPT presentation on customer service:

• Introduction: An explanation of why customer service is important and how it affects the business.
• Company values & mission: How customer service connects with what the company believes in and aims to achieve.
• Customer service standards: Guidelines on how employees should act when interacting with customers.
• Communication skills: Tips and techniques for effective verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Customer experience: Ways to improve customer service quality and go beyond what they expect.
• Problem-solving: Top methods for resolving clients’ issues and dealing with common complaints.
• Role-playing scenarios: Examples and role-playing activities to help employees practice and get better at customer service.
• Performance metrics: Ways to measure customer service performance and why reacting to feedback is essential.
• Q&A session: An opportunity for employees to ask questions and discuss their concerns or uncertainties.

Now that you know the fundamentals, let’s move on to the top tips for creating an effective PowerPoint customer service presentation.

Expert tips to make your client service presentation more engaging

Creating an engaging presentation on customer services is not easy. If you want your employees to be interested and willing to do what you ask them to, you have to prepare your presentation very carefully and learn how to deliver it in the best way possible. The tips below will help you create slides that catch and hold your employees’ interest so they can engage with the material more effectively and retain the key information faster.

1. Start with a strong opening

This can be anything from a relevant story, statistic, question, or captivating anecdote. Remember, your goal is to hook the audience right from the start.

2. Keep your presentation simple and clear

Organize your thoughts logically, with an introduction, key points, and a solid conclusion. Avoid cluttered slides and complex jargon. Each slide should convey one main idea.

3. Select a consistent color palette and design structure

These should complement your message and branding, not compete with it. Ensure readability by harmonizing colors and employing suitable design elements to emphasize important content.

4. Keep your content concise

You can utilize bullet points, bold text, short phrases, or keywords to convey your message. However, avoid long paragraphs or any unnecessary data on slides.

5. Use visuals

Where appropriate, incorporate engaging images and informative charts to visually represent data and concepts. Remember, visual aids can make complex information more digestible and your presentation more interesting.

6. Include real-life examples

These can be case studies, customer stories, or any other examples your employees can relate to. This way, you’ll make your presentation easier to understand.

7. Engage your audience

Incorporate interactive elements like polls into your presentation. This way, you’ll encourage participation and keep your employees engaged.

8. End with a strong conclusion

Summarize the main points and give the audience a clear call to action. You can also add a memorable closing statement or a quote to reinforce your message.

9. Prepare handouts or resources

Provide handouts, cheat sheets, or additional resources for your employees to take away. This will offer reference material and help them further retain the information presented.

10. Polish your presentation

As the presentation day approaches, give your slides a final look. Review your talking points and make any final tweaks.

• Choose a sans-serif font, such as Helvetica or Arial. Fonts like Palatino and Times New Roman can be harder to read at times.
• Never use a font size of less than 24 points.
• All your headlines should have the same font.
• Use bold and different sizes of fonts for subheadings and captions.
• Every screen should have a clear label. For the title, choose a larger font (35–45 points) or a different color.
• Don’t use more than four fonts in your presentation.
• Choose larger fonts to indicate importance.
• Use different sizes, colors, and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.
• Don’t use too many punctuation marks.
• Avoid italicized fonts and long sentences.
• Refrain from using all caps (except for titles).
• Add a maximum of 6-8 words per line.
• Use the 6 x 6 Rule: one thought or 6 words per line and 6 lines per slide max.
• Either use light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background. However, light backgrounds are preferable.
• Put page numbers and other repeating elements in the same location on each slide.
• Don’t put too many colors on one screen.
• Use no more than four different colors on a single chart.
• Check colors on a projection screen before the presentation, as they can project differently than on your monitor.

Design and graphical elements

• Before designing your presentation, look for customer service presentation ideas online.
• Standardize styles, positions, and colors.
• Keep the details to a minimum and only include essential information.
• Use colors that complement and contrast.
• Keep the presentation background consistent.
• Use a single style for bullets throughout the slide.
• Use one or two large images instead of lots of small ones.
• Make all images the same size when appropriate.
• Arrange images horizontally or vertically.
• Use the same border for all slides.
• Keep the design uncluttered. Leave empty space around graphical images and text.
• Use quality clipart that relates to the slide’s topic.
• Use graphical images of the same style throughout the presentation.
• Use image repetition to reinforce the message.

Remember, a great customer service presentation comprises relevant information, product knowledge, and company-specific employee guidelines, so plan carefully.

If you require professional assistance with your customer service slides, the certified design experts at SlidePeak are here to help. Our dedicated team can tailor a fully editable customer service PowerPoint template for your company and employees so you can easily customize and update it as needed. Google Slides design experts are also available!

All initial consultations are free of charge and confidential, with no obligation to continue. Call now or fill out our online form, and we’ll get back to you in under 15 minutes!

#ezw_tco-2 .ez-toc-widget-container ul.ez-toc-list li.active::before { background-color: #ededed; } Table of contents

• Presenting techniques
• 50 tips on how to improve PowerPoint presentations in 2022-2023 [Updated]
• Present financial information visually in PowerPoint to drive results
• How to present a research paper in PPT: best practices
• Keynote VS PowerPoint

• Guide & How to's

How to prepare and write valid progress report for project?

How to create and give a great presentation at a job interview?

How to create a business plan presentation?

• Customer experience management

customer service charter

• Scott Sachs, SJS Solutions

What is a customer service charter?

A customer service charter is a document that outlines how an organization promises to work with its customers along with providing insights into how an organization operates. It includes the rules by which an organization interacts with its external customers, including policies, procedures and service-level agreements ( SLAs ).

Additionally, a charter may also relate to the culture and values of an organization such as mentioning support of volunteer work or employee training.

How a customer service charter works

Customer service charters help organizations manage customer expectations regarding the delivery of products and services, standards of quality and conflict resolution.

A customer service charter begins with an overview of the company and its mission, which includes organizational goals and how they relate to the customer. It then goes into more detail surrounding specific customer service practices. For example, it may document a framework for how to handle customer returns or refunds.

A customer service charter is a valuable tool for instilling confidence in customers, demonstrating a competitive edge and promoting a commitment to healthy relationships. However, a customer service charter can become a negative burden if the organization does not deliver on the established expectations.

Principles of a customer service charter

Successful customer service charters typically implement the following principles:

• Explicit identification of the organization's business goals and target audience.
• Identifying channels of communication and contact.
• Proper handling of customer service standards, customer rights and responsibilities.
• Taking past customer feedback and complaints into consideration.
• Making sure that formatting and style are uniform.
• Formulating a response plan to customer concerns.
• Consistently monitoring, reviewing and updating as necessary.
• Holding staff accountable.

Editor's note: This article was written by Scott Sachs in 2019. TechTarget editors revised it in 2023 to improve the reader experience.

Continue Reading About customer service charter

• 9 steps to create a customer service plan
• What does a customer service manager do?
• 10 customer success KPIs and metrics to track
• Ultimate guide to customer service for businesses

Related Terms

Dig deeper on customer experience management.

The importance of ethics in information management

project charter

Project portfolio risk management: Learn the key tenets

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

These enterprise content management certifications can help business and IT professionals advance their careers and get more out ...

Copilot -- Microsoft's AI chatbot tool -- works in several other apps, including SharePoint. Together, Copilot and SharePoint can...

Organizations often neglect information governance in favor of more revenue-generating initiatives. This leads to challenges with...

Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI assistant, offers several promising features. Find out how to configure Copilot with Teams workflows...

With its AI capabilities, Microsoft Copilot provides several enhancements to Microsoft Teams functionality, including meeting ...

Organizations have ramped up their use of communications platform as a service and APIs to expand communication channels between ...

Data governance isn't plug and play: Organizations must select which data governance framework best fits their business goals and...

Updates to HeatWave and Database 23ai, along with the introduction of Intelligent Data Lake, are all aimed at better enabling ...

With more employees of organizations now using artificial intelligence tools to inform business decisions, guidelines that ensure...

The new platform runs Llama 3.1 405B and, with the vendor's full-stack approach, helps enterprises build agentic applications. It...

The offering provides RAG capabilities for customers that use Oracle databases. Use cases include legal research, finance and ...

While no one language is perfect for AI and machine learning, considering factors like efficiency, readability and community ...

Certinia bolsters its professional services software platform with the release of CS Cloud for customer success management ...

Supply chain leaders should consider using several reverse logistics KPIs to measure their company's performance. Learn how these...

ERP implementations are complicated processes that can easily go awry. Learn about some of the most common issues and ways to ...

What Is a Customer Service Charter?

by Anam Ahmed

Published on 2 Aug 2019

When it comes to customer service, expectations are key. It’s important to clearly outline what kind of service your customers can expect. It’s also vital to let employees know what kind of behavior you expect from them when dealing with customers. A customer service charter can help your business establish these standards and communicate them to all stakeholders.

A customer service charter is a set of standards that your company promises to uphold when dealing with customers.

Understanding the Goal of a Customer Charter

When creating a customer charter, it’s important to establish the main objectives you want to achieve by outlining your customer service standards. The goals of a customer charter should align with the overall goals of your business. For example, if one of the goals of your business is to build trust with new prospects and turn them into loyal customers, then your customer charter should work to advance that goal.

Building a loyal customer base requires giving customers an incentive to return to your business. Your customer charter should outline the superior level of service you provide. Be specific about wait times for shipping and delivery or email responses. When your customers know what kind of level of service they can expect at every visit , they will be more inclined to return to your business.

Stating Customer Rights

A customer service charter outlines what kinds of rights the customer has in relation to the business. These may include:

• Returning the product for a full refund if they are not satisfied
• Expecting delivery within a certain time period
• Not having to wait on the phone for longer than three minutes to speak with a representative
• Receiving an email response within 24 hours
• Ensuring their contact information is not shared outside of the organization

This helps customers to see how much your company values their business . In some organizations, the service charter outlines what customers can do if they don’t receive the level of service the business promises. This may include escalating their issue to speak with management about the problems they have experienced with the product or service. This is a way to build trust with customers, showing them that you stand by your commitment to keeping them satisfied.

Outlining Company Promises and Standards

The customer service charter defines the standards that the company promises to uphold. Not only is this important for customers to know, but it’s also vital for employees to be familiar with. Customer-facing employees should be well-versed in the standards presented in the customer charter so that they can follow them when speaking with customers.

Company standards and promises may include always producing high-quality products without any defects, using the best source materials available and keeping customer conversations confidential. Other promises may include the company’s focus on customer feedback and incorporating it into their business practices wherever possible.

Sharing with Employees and Customers

A customer service charter is a valuable business tool. Not only does it help the business to establish rules and guidelines around customer service, it’s a useful way of communicating these standards to employees and customers.

Make it a point to share the customer service promise with all employees. Include it in the new employee training so every member of your team is familiar with it from the beginning. Use it in company meetings where issues around customer service are being discussed. It can help the staff to determine how best to rectify service issues.

Make the customer service charter readily available to customers. Post it on your website where it is easy for customers to find. When a new customer purchases their first product or signs up to your email list, send a link to the charter along with your thank you email. This way, you can set up expectations right away.

How to Create an Omnichannel Customer Service Charter

Customer service has entered a new omnichannel era, with customers using a range of channels to connect. Hence, the customer service charter needs a rewrite.

Salesforce Staff

Share article.

Customers may not always know what they’re entitled to when they reach out to a company with a service issue, but they rarely settle for anything less than the best the organisation can offer. Call it the implied customer service charter behind every brand promise.

A real customer service charter spells out these areas clearly and comprehensively. For example, a customer service charter gets more specific than, “We’ll do our best to help you”. That’s the bare minimum in the customer’s mind. In fact, depending on the company and industry, there may be a certain threshold customers expect their suppliers to meet or even exceed in order to hang onto their business.

The best customer service charters go well beyond the initial training a team might receive before they’re sent off to assist with real-world problems. The charter represents the standard everyone is trying to meet, and becomes a big part of the business’s culture.

While customer service charters have been around for years, it’s probably safe to say that most of them were initially drafted when the primary ways for asking a question or making a complaint were restricted to a phone call to a contact centre or walking into a company’s store or office in person.

That’s changed, of course. Service is now omnichannel, and customers have access to a range of options with which to reach out — email, live chat, social media, etc — and they may use a blend of these different service channels.

Service is now omnichannel, and customers have access to a range of options with which to reach out.

Consequently, service teams have had to think more holistically about how they handle customer requests. You’ve likely invested in technology to successfully manage all the data necessary to optimise processes. But does your customer service charter reflect an omnichannel era?

We look at four of the most common components of a customer service charter and where omnichannel elements fit in:

1. A clearly defined overview

Much like the ‘About Us’ section on a website, a lot of customer service charters recap the company’s vision, values and overall mission. Everything that happens in a service experience should tie back to these pillars. For instance, if you’re an organisation that prides itself on being flexible, being able to deal with service issues regardless of how they’re reported reinforces your credibility.

Referencing the fact that you know the majority of service interactions come through via social, for example, will make customers feel like they’re dealing with an organisation that understands their preferred ways of engagement.

2. Managing customer issues

If a customer isn’t satisfied, how quickly should they expect to hear back from you if a customer service team member isn’t immediately available? If there’s a dispute, what are the policies for working out conflicts over costs, repairs and so on? If a service issue arises months or years after a purchase, does anything change?

If a question can’t be answered after hours via a chatbot, when will a human being connect and how?

Some of these questions might have been straightforward years ago. But, now, if there’s a difference in how quickly you’ll deal with a service request by phone vs text, for example, that needs to be mentioned. Same for outreach via social media or email. If a question can’t be answered after hours via a chatbot, when will a human being connect and how? The more customers know what a typical service experience entails, the more reasonable they’re likely to be.

3. Outlining the team

Who will customers be dealing with when they’re contacting a service channel? In some cases, businesses have developed deep expertise in their staff, or have ensured members of their team have achieved accreditation or certifications to handle unique kinds of challenges.

A good customer service charter highlights relevant training and how employees are accountable for the results of a service interaction. If it’s typical to escalate tougher challenges as the need arises, this may boost the customer’s overall confidence in buying from you.

There are a growing number of customers who prefer managing service issues on their own first. If you offer self-service capabilities through a portal or chatbot, your charter should articulate why it’s an important strategy and how the tools are available across various channels.

4. Receiving feedback

Even with the best-written customer service charters, things won’t always run smoothly. If that’s the case, customers should not have to use a separate channel — or one they’d rather not use — to raise the matter to a higher-level contact.

Look at how text, social media, email and other mechanisms can be used to quickly get in touch with the appropriate party, or even just to convey constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement.

Customers should not have to use a separate channel to raise the matter to a higher-level contact.

5. Review your charter

Once you’ve finalised your charter and made it public, revisit it periodically as part of your review process. Have new channels emerged that need to be considered?  Have you incorporated new innovation into your service experience?  Has the average time to respond or repair gotten any shorter?

Make your customer service charter a living, breathing document, and watch your customer satisfaction metrics reach heights you never thought possible.

Customer expectations have hit new levels. Learn more trends from our latest State of Service report .

Just For You

The Future of AI is at World Tour Essentials Melbourne

Competitor Analysis: What is it, and how do you conduct one?

Explore related content by topic

• Customer Service
• Customer Relationships

The 360 Blog from Salesforce teaches readers how to improve work outcomes and professional relationships. Our content explores the mindset shifts, organisational hurdles, and people behind business evolution. We also cover the tactics, ethics, products, and thought leadership that make growth a ... Read More meaningful and positive experience.

Get the latest articles in your inbox.

36 Customer Service Statistics To Move Your Business Forward

5 Small Business Marketing Tools To Generate More Leads

5 Customer Service Trends You Need to Watch

7 Best Practices to Take Customer Support From Good to Great

3 Ways to Take Your Self-Service Customer Service From ‘Meh’ to Marvelous — Quickly

AI Makes Field Service Better for Your Customers and Mobile Workers

How You Can Write a Good Knowledge Base Article

How You Can Manage Field Service More Efficiently With AI

New to Salesforce?

• Why Salesforce
• What is CRM
• Explore all products
• Customer success
• Product pricing

About Salesforce

• Security & Performance
• Salesforce.org
• Best CRM Software
• Sustainability
• Give us your Feedback

Popular Links

• New Release Features
• Salesforce Mobile App
• Business App Store
• CRM Software
• Salesforce Live
• Salesforce for startups
• América Latina (Español)
• Brasil (Português)
• Canada (English)
• Canada (Français)
• United States (English)

Europe, Middle East, and Africa

• España (Español)
• Deutschland (Deutsch)
• France (Français)
• Italia (Italiano)
• Nederland (Nederlands)
• Sverige (Svenska)
• United Kingdom (English)
• All other countries (English)

Asia Pacific

• Australia (English)
• India (English)
• Malaysia (English)
• ประเทศไทย (ไทย)

© Copyright 2024 Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved . Various trademarks held by their respective owners. SFDC Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 91 109 182 989. Salesforce Tower 180 George St Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia

• My presentations

Auth with social network:

Download presentation

We think you have liked this presentation. If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Share buttons are a little bit lower. Thank you!

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTER

Published by Archibald Skinner Modified over 6 years ago

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTER"— Presentation transcript:

TYPES OF BANK ACCOUNTS.

Copyright, 1996 © Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc. BANK ON IT Money Smart Course Indiana Department of Financial Institutions.

Draft DDB Service Charter Our Vision Every person affected by an occupational dust disease receives timely, accurate and effective services delivered with.

Banking. Agenda Start time: ____ Break time: ____ (10 minutes) End time: ____ Please set phones to silent ring and answer outside of the room.

1 Paying it Safe everything you need to know about making the billing and payment process efficient and painless Kimberley A. Kercheval Executive Associate.

Jan McAdam Nikolina Kilibarda. Swinburne 2015 Vision  Entrepreneurial in their work  International in their outlook  Intersectoral in their approach.

Bank On It Personal Finance Unit. Why Learn About Banking?

Bank On It.

Banking products and operations. withdrawal A withdrawal in a bank / withdraw money = to take money out of a bank account.

INTERNET BANKING SERVICES IN PAKISTAN BANKING SECTOR Presented by Kamran Alam MAF University of Lahore.

Chapter © 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning Checking Accounts and Banking Services Banking Services and Fees 9.

What are your current sources of income? Income SourcesExamples money received as a result of personal effort, time, or other personal resources money.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Correspondent Products & Services April 2012.

UNS-SACCO PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WELL COME TO THE UNS-SACCO ANNUAL MEMBER BASED TRAINING ONE A MEMBER ALWAYS A MEMBER.

ICT in Banking.

Chapter 10 Banking.

Managing Your Money Chapter 23.

Speed Round Rethinking Job Descriptions: How to Manage Expectations Up Front Rethinking Job Descriptions: How to Manage Expectations Up Front.

GOALS BUSINESS MATH© Thomson/South-WesternLesson 3.2Slide 1 3.2Electronic Banking Record electronic banking transactions Find account balance when banking.

Investing and Banking FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL LITERACY AND DEFAULT PREVENTION FACILITATED BY JAMES “VINNY” VINCENT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL.

About project

© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc. All rights reserved.

'Customer charter' presentation slideshows

Customer charter - powerpoint ppt presentation.

AN INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCES CUSTOMER CHARTER

AN INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCES CUSTOMER CHARTER. Seymour Fortescue 12 September 2008 Chair, UK Remittances Task Force Vienna. UK REMITTANCES TASK FORCE. Funded by Department for International Development Membership from private sector Aims:

277 views • 16 slides

Newry & Mourne District Council

239 views • 15 slides

View Customer charter PowerPoint (PPT) presentations online in SlideServe. SlideServe has a very huge collection of Customer charter PowerPoint presentations. You can view or download Customer charter presentations for your school assignment or business presentation. Browse for the presentations on every topic that you want.

• Product Management
• Prioritization frameworks

Six product prioritization frameworks and how to pick the right one

Browse topics.

Prioritization is crucial during the product development process because it’s impossible to execute every idea in any given sprint. This makes it important to choose the concepts that will have the most impact on the business and customers.

A prioritization framework simplifies a product team’s decision-making process when choosing which opportunities to pursue. This guide examines six prioritization frameworks and explains how to select one that will help a product manager make better, more informed decisions. This, in turn, will make product roadmaps stronger.

What is a prioritization framework?

A product prioritization framework is a methodology that helps teams weigh their opportunities against various constraints, such as business goals, customer value, product requirements , and available resources. It provides a set of consistent principles and strategies that help teams decide what to work on next. 

By removing guesswork from the product management decision-making process, a product manager can make informed decisions instead of instinctive ones. Prioritized decisions balance customer needs with long-term business objectives.

Why are prioritization frameworks important?

Prioritization frameworks are an effective tool for product managers. They help align teams and resources during the product development process. Some benefits include: 

• Better resource management : Using a framework helps determine the best use of available resources. 
• Alignment with stakeholders : Prioritization ensures that roadmapping stays true to business goals and objectives.

Enhanced customer value : Frameworks keep the team focused on tasks that satisfy customer needs.

Common product prioritization frameworks

Out of dozens of frameworks available, here are six of the most popular options, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. All of these frameworks have their merits, but the one you use should depend on your team and project needs. Let’s dive in.

RICE framework

Reach, impact, confidence, and effort (RICE) are the four factors used to evaluate a product idea: 

• Reach : Identify the number of people or events over time, such as transactions per quarter or conversions per month.
• Impact : Determine whether an idea achieves business goals or meets customer needs. 
• Confidence : Measure the team’s confidence level in executing ideas with a percentage scale of high (100%), medium (80%), and low (50%).

Effort : Calculate the time it will take the team to execute the idea.

R each x I mpact x C onfidence

You can use the RICE method in Jira Product Discovery , a prioritization and roadmapping tool for your product team. As a project manager, you’ll be able to assess the impact of your projects with ease.

Pros of the RICE framework

The RICE framework enables product managers to gauge whether items are feasible. Data gathered from this calculation helps justify decisions to stakeholders.

Drawbacks of the RICE framework

RICE can be time-consuming and cumbersome to apply, particularly if multiple items require data and validation from multiple sources. Methods for determining each evaluation factor can change, making this method subjective, inconsistent, and potentially misleading. 

The Kano Model is a customer satisfaction-based prioritization framework. Researcher Noraki Kano developed the model to help product managers prioritize features and updates based on customer needs. It has three parts:  

• Basic features : Customers expect these essential functions in your product’s performance, such as the ability to share a post on a social network. 
• Performance features : These features increase customer satisfaction and make your product more enjoyable to use, like faster load times.

Delighters : Unexpected features make customers happy. Examples of delighters include whimsical in-app messaging or the ability to use GIFs in posts.

Pros of the Kano model

The Kano model prevents a team from building features that won’t appeal to customers. It also identifies areas where the product may need improvement. Increased customer engagement and satisfaction is the most significant advantage of this method because it puts customer needs first.

Drawbacks of the Kano model

The model is highly quantitative and potentially time-consuming, requiring heavy data research and analysis. It can also be a very manual process with the use of surveys. Tools such as Jira Product Discovery can help you aggregate, process, and manage the required data.

MoSCoW method

The MosCow Method is a four-step process for prioritizing product requirements around their return on investment (ROI). It stands for “must haves,” “should haves,” “could haves,” and “will not haves.” Apply this method company-wide to help frame discussions around what will increase revenue.

Here’s a breakdown of the model: 

• Must Have (M) : These are the requirements needed for the project's success.
• Should Have (S) : These are important requirements for the project but not necessary.
• Could Have (C ) :  These requirements are “nice to have.” But don’t have as much impact as the others. 

Will Not Have (W): These requirements aren’t a priority for the project .

Pros of the MoSCoW method

MoSCoW is easy to implement and practice. Project managers can use it to help resolve disputes with stakeholders. This method also ensures that the team builds a minimum viable product (MVP). It can help you prioritize your product roadmap as well (start with this product roadmap template ). 

Drawbacks of the MoSCoW method

The lack of clarity in the “will not have” requirements is a flaw in the method, especially around whether they should be part of the backlog. Criteria for a “must have” or a “should have” can also be hard to determine. If there is no consensus among stakeholders, then prioritization becomes ineffective and subjective.

Value vs. effect

Value vs. effect, or the value vs. effort matrix, prioritizes features based on their probable value and the effort necessary to implement them. A 2x2 matrix, measuring value on one axis and effort on the other, helps with the decision-making process. 

To determine value, consider how it affects users and impacts the bottom line. Effort is the complexity of implementation. Jira Product Discovery keeps track of customer pain points and product ideas, which the team can use to create a value vs. effort matrix. You can use effort ratings to determine how much labor an idea requires. 

You can use a prioritization matrix where the vertical axis measures value (low to high). The horizontal axis measures effort (low to high). It’s then divided into four quadrants: 

• Do first (upper right quadrant) : This is high value, low effort, and a guaranteed quick win. 
• Do second (upper left quadrant) : High value, high effort. 
• Do last (lower right quadrant) : This is low value, low effort. It’s best to wait until the value increases before tackling this. 

Avoid (lower left quadrant) : Low value, high effort. It’s not worth your team’s time.

Pros of the value vs. effect framework

This framework involves no complicated calculations, which makes decisions easier. The framework is clear and lets the team focus on customer value tasks. Because it’s visual, the team can quickly see which tasks bring high value for the lowest effort.

Drawbacks of the value vs. effect framework

Values can be imprecise with this method, which primarily uses instinct. The same goes for estimates, where a team might think they have more resources than they do. Another drawback is effort-sizing, which will vary from team to team. That makes planning more difficult with cross-functional teams that have different resources.

Opportunity scoring

Opportunity scoring identifies features that are important to customers but underperform. Customers rate both a feature's importance and their satisfaction.

Use the opportunity algorithm to calculate the score on a five or ten-point scale. This equation goes beyond normal gap analysis , giving twice as much weight to importance scores as satisfaction scores.

Here’s the weighted equation: 

Importance + Max (Importance - Satisfaction, 0) = Opportunity 

Here is the opportunity algorithm formula, where customers use a 1-to-10 to quantify the importance and satisfaction of an outcome:  

Importance + (Importance - Satisfaction) = Opportunity 

Features with high importance but low satisfaction are an opportunity for improvement. Opportunity scoring is great for backlog grooming , which you can do in Jira Software . Bonus : Jira Software has native integration with Jira Product Discovery, so everyone can work within the same platform throughout the entire process.

Pros of the opportunity scoring framework

The ROI outweighs the development costs. This allows a project manager to identify accessible opportunities regarding customer satisfaction, helping teams be more strategic with resource allocation.

Drawbacks of the opportunity scoring framework

Scoring models aren’t perfect. They don’t always work for every situation because they only provide a limited view of each idea’s scope. Scoring can be rigid, especially when quantifying an abstract concept. But mostly, scoring can't forecast how the market will respond to any changes in the product.

Cost of delay

Cost of delay is another calculation that prioritizes projects based on their economic value. This method determines the ongoing costs that result from postponing items on the backlog. 

To calculate: 

• Estimate a new project’s ROI in revenue per unit of time (monthly recurring revenue, for example).
• Estimate the time it will take to implement the project.

Divide the profit number by the time estimate.

The final number is the cost to the company for not pursuing the project. 

Pros of the cost of delay approach

Using the cost of delay method results in more accurate value and cost estimates. This is because it doesn’t focus on negative reasons for postponement. Knowing what has better ROI also eases the burden of resource allocation.

Drawbacks of the cost of delay approach

If a project manager underestimates the project size, the calculations could be inaccurate. Estimated time requirements may be incorrect as well.

How to choose the right prioritization framework

Choosing the proper prioritization framework for a team depends on several factors. Consider the project’s goals, the complexity of the product, the team’s expertise, and the available data. 

For instance, if the project aims to improve customer satisfaction, opportunity scoring may work well. But if the team is relatively new and still building their skills, value vs. effort might be a better choice.

Use Jira Product Discovery for effective product prioritization

Whatever framework you choose, Jira Product Discovery can help with project prioritization and presenting project roadmaps . It can help you gather and organize your product ideas, opportunities, features, and solutions in one centralized tool. There’s even a product roadmap template and product requirements template to get you started.  

With Jira Product Discovery, you’ll bring structure to your product management. And that’ll keep your team and stakeholders aligned on strategic goals. You can also seamlessly connect your ideas to epics in Jira Software , which makes it easier to provide project context and visibility from discovery to delivery.

Prioritization framework: Frequently asked questions

What are the steps involved in using a prioritization framework.

Prioritization frameworks help you and your team determine what to work on next. To do that, you need to follow a few general steps: 

• Identify tasks : Identify and prioritize tasks based on a few criteria, such as customer value and business needs. 
• Define criteria : These criteria will help you determine which tasks are feasible to pursue. 
• Assign scores : Scoring uncovers features that are underperforming but necessary for customers. 

Rank items : Ranking lets you order tasks based on urgency and highest impact. 

All these make it easier to decide which tasks your team should tackle.

How often should you review your prioritization framework?

Your team should review its priorities regularly. The cadence of that review depends on your team’s needs. You should also re-evaluate your prioritization framework if business objectives change. A different framework might work better than the one you’ve been using.

Can a prioritization framework improve team collaboration?

Prioritization frameworks are great to get everyone on the same page. You and your team can work with stakeholders to clarify goals. You can also use prioritization frameworks to make more informed decisions on which tasks to prioritize.

Product Development: Understanding the Stages

Discover the essentials of product development: from ideation to launch. Learn strategies, stages, and best practices for successful execution.

Agile Requirement Documents: Your Product Blueprint

Turn visions into reality with requirement documents: Your PRD for clear direction and teamwork.

Newly Launched - AI Presentation Maker

AI PPT Maker

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

Customer charter with feedback and client friendly service

Advise and guide with our Customer Charter With Feedback And Client Friendly Service. Get ambition to grow in their fertile minds.

• Add a user to your subscription for free

You must be logged in to download this presentation.

PowerPoint presentation slides

Presenting this set of slides with name - Customer Charter With Feedback And Client Friendly Service. This is a twelve stage process. The stages in this process are Customer Charter, Client Charter, Consumer Charter.

People who downloaded this PowerPoint presentation also viewed the following :

• Diagrams , Shapes , Management , Business Slides , Flat Designs , Visuals and Illustrations , Customer Service
• Customer Charter ,
• Client Charter ,
• Consumer Charter

Customer charter with feedback and client friendly service with all 5 slides:

Put out the data on our Customer Charter With Feedback And Client Friendly Service. Substantiateyour ideas with the facts.

Ratings and Reviews

by Daryl Silva

July 21, 2021

by Chung Bennett

Prioritization Techniques for the Product Owner

• Website for Mary Iqbal
• Contact Mary Iqbal
• Twitter for Mary Iqbal
• LinkedIn for Mary Iqbal
• Facebook for Mary Iqbal

As a Product Owner , one of your most critical responsibilities is deciding how to order Product Backlog items in the Product Backlog. With limited resources and ever-evolving customer demands, mastering the art of feature prioritization is essential to creating a successful and user-centric product. In this article, we will explore some complimentary practices which the Product Owner might use to as an input when deciding how to order the Product Backlog. These tools should be seen as optional practices that the Product Owner might use when making their day-to-day decisions about the content and ordering of the Product Backlog.

Understanding the Importance of Prioritization

Ordering Product Backlog items in the Product Backlog isn't simply about arranging them in a list. It's about making informed decisions that align with your product's vision, your business goals, and most importantly, your customers' needs. By carefully choosing which features to deliver first, the Product Owner can maximize the value that your product delivers while minimizing the risk of investing resources in features that may not resonate with your audience. The complimentary practices below can help bring clarity to your thought process and can be used to potentially involve stakeholders in the process as well.

The MoSCoW Method: Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Won't-Have

I had the opportunity to collaborate with a team on the re-platforming of a major consumer website. When we embarked on this initiative, we faced uncertainty about where to initiate our efforts. Determining the most crucial features and establishing a starting point from a technical perspective presented challenges. To gain insights from our stakeholders, we opted to employ the MoSCoW prioritization technique.

We began by compiling an exhaustive backlog of all potential features for the final product. This comprehensive list was then presented to stakeholders for feedback. Stakeholders were asked to categorize each feature according to the MoSCoW framework: "Must Have," "Should Have," "Could Have," and "Won't Have." Through productive stakeholder discussions, we gained a deeper understanding of their perspectives on feature importance.

The outcomes of the MOSCOW session proved invaluable to the Product Owner's process of ordering the Product Backlog.

Here's how it works:

This technique provides a systematic approach to categorize features into four distinct categories, denoted as follows. Engage stakeholders either remotely or in person and guide them through each feature within the Product Backlog. For each feature, prompt stakeholders to assign it to one of the following categories:

Must-Have (M): Encompassing essential features crucial for the core functionality and immediate usability of the product. These features are pivotal to fulfilling the primary purpose of the product.

Should-Have (S): Pertaining to features that, while important, aren't critical for the initial release. They enhance the user experience and contribute value, but the product can operate effectively without them.

Could-Have (C): Referring to features that provide added benefits to specific user segments. These are considered as "nice-to-haves" and can be included in subsequent releases if resource availability allows.

Won't-Have (W): Designating features that have been intentionally deprioritized. These features might not align with current objectives or could demand disproportionate resources in relation to their value.

The MoSCoW method, while a valuable tool, remains a strategic hypothesis. It's essential to recognize that the true importance to the customer only becomes clear upon product release.

Additionally, regardless of the outomes of the MoSCoW exercise, the Product Owner always remains the final decision maker on the content and ordering of the Product Backlog. The Product Owner may choose to order their Product Backlog to reduce risk, consider technical or business dependencies or may decide that certain features are more important to the customer than stakeholders believed. Whatever the Product Owner's decision, the organization should respect their decision.

The Kano Model: Customer Satisfaction and Delight

The Kano model provides a little more emphasis on how the organization hypothesizes that customers will feel about the different features which could be build for the Product. Rather than "Must Have", "Should Have", etc., the Kano Model focuses on the relationship between features and customer satisfaction.

Using, the Kano model, the Product Owner and stakeholders should review items from the Product Backlog and classify them into five categories as shown below.

Basic Needs: These are the fundamental features that customers expect. They don't necessarily impress customers, but their absence leads to dissatisfaction.

Performance Needs: These features directly correlate with customer satisfaction. The better their performance, the more satisfied customers are.

Excitement Needs: These unexpected features delight customers and can set your product apart from competitors. They aren't crucial, but they generate excitement and positive sentiment.

Indifferent Needs: These features neither significantly impact satisfaction nor cause dissatisfaction. They're often best minimized to avoid unnecessary complexity.

Reverse Needs: These features, if present, can actually lead to dissatisfaction for some users. Understanding and avoiding them is crucial.

As with all prioritization techniques, the outcome should serve as input into the Product Owner's decision-making process. The Product Owner may need to consider additional aspects such as technical dependencies or risk when they make their decisions about the content and ordering of the Product Backlog.

The RICE Method: Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort

The RICE method is a data-driven approach that helps you quantify and compare different feature ideas. This method is particularly useful for Marketing teams who need to prioritize their efforts according to what will have the greatest impact for the largest number of people.

Many marketing teams - especially internal teams serving a larger organization - receive far more requests than they can actually fulfill. How does the Product Owner decide between the needs of the various stakeholders requesting time from the Marketing organization? The RICE method can help. RICE takes into account Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort and can help the Product Owner make more thoughtful decisions about the content and ordering of their Product Backlog.

The Product Owner or their delegate should review requests for inclusion in the Product Backlog through the lens of Reach (how many users are impacted), Impact (how positive of an impact the feature will have), Confidence (how confident estimates are), and Effort (how much effort will it take to deliver each feature)." By considering these four elements, the Product Owner can make more educated decisions about the content and ordering of the Product Backlog.

Reach: Evaluate how many users a feature will impact. This could be a percentage of your user base or a specific customer segment.

Impact: Measure the potential impact of the feature on user satisfaction, engagement, revenue, or any other relevant metric.

Confidence: Assess how confident you are in your estimates for reach and impact. More uncertain features should have lower confidence scores.

Effort: Estimate the resources (time, money, manpower) required to develop the feature.

By calculating the RICE score (Reach × Impact × Confidence / Effort), you can prioritize features that offer the highest value relative to their cost.

Prioritizing features is an ongoing process that requires a deep understanding of your product's purpose and your users' needs. The MoSCoW, Kano, and RICE methods offer distinct yet complementary approaches to feature prioritization. Depending on your product, combining elements from these frameworks can provide a well-rounded strategy for making informed decisions.

Remember that context matters. Your product's stage, market conditions, and user feedback should all influence your prioritization decisions. Regularly revisit and refine your priorities to ensure your product roadmap remains aligned with your vision and responsive to changing dynamics.

By mastering the art of feature prioritization, you can steer your product towards success, delivering value to your users and achieving your business goals in a strategic and impactful way.

To learn more about the Product Owner accountability in Scrum, signup for Rebel Scrum’s Professional Scrum Product Owner course.

Expand your horizons and learn from thought leaders in Scrum and Kanban at this year’s Scrum Day conference in Madison, Wisconsin.  This conference has something for everyone from our groundbreaking keynotes to break-out sessions for Scrum Masters, Executives, Product Owners, Developers and those who are just curious about Scrum.

And while you are in town, don’t miss the Badger game at Camp Randall Stadium on September 16!

What did you think about this post?

Share with your network.

• Share this page via email
• Share this page on Facebook
• Share this page on Twitter
• Share this page on LinkedIn

View the discussion thread.

The Top 27 Customer Service Certifications & Courses You Need to Take

Updated: June 14, 2024

Published: September 26, 2022

In my earliest service jobs, I remember having to enroll in customer service training courses to enhance my skills and better serve customers. Despite feeling confident in my ability to serve customers from my very first one, I soon learned that each job is unique and specific depending on your industry.

I realized that continued training in communication and technical skills could further sharpen my ability to better anticipate and analyze customer interactions. It not only benefited me, but also allowed me to pass down valuable tips to newer teammates.

Companies looking to provide reps with customer service training or reps looking to enhance their skill set on their own time can easily find options to do so and, in this post, we’ve also compiled a list of the most effective training certifications and programs that will take your career to the next level.

Table of Contents

Why is customer service training important.

• Why do you need customer service certification?
• Types of Customer Service Certifications

Best Customer Service and Support Training Programs

Customer service training courses.

Customer service training is essential because it helps your business retain and satisfy what keeps your business running — your customers. If support reps couldn’t communicate with customers, answer questions, find solutions, and be there for general support, customers would go to a business that met their needs and expectations. 

When applying for customer service jobs, a great way to demonstrate your expertise in customer service and solving for the customer is with a customer service certification.

Free Customer Support Training Template

Train and onboard your new customer support hires with this downloadable template.

• Training Timeline
• People to Meet
• 100 Day Goals

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Why do you need a customer service certification?

A customer service certification gives employers confidence that whoever they hire has a higher-than-average ability to do the job. And a certificate from a reputable organization demonstrates competency in customer service that a non-certified rep wouldn’t be expected to deliver. 

Certifications aren’t a one-time commitment as they usually require ongoing training to stay up to date with the latest best practices and trends, and consistent training shows teammates and leaders that you’re committed to your work and improving on your abilities. 

Aside from the professional competence associated with certifications, many employers and hiring managers also place a monetary value on them. If you’re looking for a raise at your current place of work, or seeking new opportunities, certifications can be a tool that you can leverage to negotiate pay, benefits, and higher responsibilities.

7 Types of Customer Service Certifications

• Customer Service Certification
• Help Desk Certification
• Call Center Certification
• Client Services Certification
• Client Services Manager Certification
• Customer Experience Certification
• Customer Service Leadership Certification

These certifications may seem similar, but each comes with must-have qualifications for different customer service positions. Depending on your focus, aim to find a certification that matches your areas of interest or where you’re looking to advance your skill set. 

1. Customer Service Certification

Whether you’re new to customer service or an experienced rep, a customer service certification offers a real world environment to hone your skills. Many certifications are offered online or in-person with instructor-led classes tailored to your organization's specific goals. This certification helps you become a better problem solver and communicator through role-playing exercises and group discussions about concepts you’ll rely on to serve customers. 

Earn your support services certification from:

• Service Strategies

2. Help Desk Certification

When choosing a help desk certification , prioritize options offered by your help desk software provider. It’s a tactical certification with immediate return on investment as you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned fairly quickly and spread that knowledge among your team. 

Once you’ve mastered your help desk software , you can take advanced courses like HDI-CSR which explains the strategy behind using customer service tools to enhance soft skills in communication.

Earn your help desk certification from:

3. call center certification.

Many customer service professionals begin their careers working in call centers, and a call center certification validates the technical, communication, and service skills of reps working with inbound and outbound calls. 

To earn this certification, you’ll establish a baseline assessment of your skillset, improve your performance, and substantiate your skills with an assessment. Companies like Microsoft use this certification to manage call center metrics, implement best practices, and increase performance within their teams.

Earn your call center certification from:

• Management and Strategy Institute
• The Call Center School

4. Client Services Certification

The client service specialist certification (CCSS) is ideal for entry-level professionals as it provides a foundational understanding of the customer service industry. To earn this certification, you’ll need to demonstrate the right blend of knowledge and skills in both customer service and sales functions, and it will mold you into a well-rounded and key player on your team. 

Earn your client services certification from:

5. client service manager certification.

The client service manager certification is offered from a leadership point of view. If you’re a customer service rep, you can forge a path to a leadership position with this certification. It certifies your skills in applying best practices for customer service, sales, coaching, and leading.

Earn your client service leader certification from:

• Service Institute
• Business Training Institute

6. Customer Experience Certification

The customer experience transcends any one function and is often the responsibility of every team, but customer service reps champion that experience by becoming certified customer experience professionals. When a company can craft processes and responses that make the customer feel valued, seen, and appreciated the entire business benefits. With this certification, you can help lead a key function within your organization.

Earn your customer experience certification from:

7. customer service leadership certification.

A customer service manager certification is worthwhile for any service rep working towards senior leadership positions. In these certifications, you’ll learn strategy, technical skills, and practical ways to apply your knowledge of customer service. You can use this type of certification to leverage a promotion, transition into a new role, or boost your resume if you’re considering a career in consulting .

Earn your customer service leadership certification from:

• American Public Power Association
• HubSpot Academy
• Customer Service Training by Alison
• Support Professional Training by Service Strategies
• Call Center Customer Service by Universal Class
• Customer Service Advantage by Bonfire Training
• Customer Service Refresher Training by Business Training Works
• 7 Essentials to Excellent Customer Service by GoSkills
• Free Customer Service Training by LiveChat
• CSM Certification Program by The Success League
• ITIL® Training and Certification by Skill Soft
• Culture of Services: New Perspective on Customer Relations by edX
• Communication by SkillPath
• Attitudes for Service by Dale Carnegie
• A+ Customer Care by WorkLifeBalance

Customer service and support training programs come in a variety of formats. Some can be extremely extensive and provide in-depth coverage of a topic, while others discuss general knowledge of customer service fundamentals. 

This list features a diverse group of options that are helpful for any customer service team. 

1. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy offers courses that provide useful customer service lessons, like the Inbound Certification course that features recent updates to the Inbound Methodology .

Other courses include the " Customer Success & Account Health Check " course that covers the steps to nurturing and delighting customers over time, or There's also a " Managing Your Sales to Customer Success Handoff " course that helps Sales and Customer Success teams work better together.

HubSpot Academy also offers training specific to HubSpot's users. For example, its "Service Hub" course explains how to use Service Hub tools throughout the reps daily workflow, like setting up a knowledge base and connecting your support inbox to the conversations tool. 

2. Customer Service Training by Alison

Alison’s customer service training program is for all stages of customer service careers. It introduces the basic concepts of customer service through an online course, and the goal is to teach reps how to handle difficult customer interactions while understanding why they occur in the first place. 

The course also dives into creating a customer-focused approach, handling inquiries and complaints, and reading stressful situations to determine the best outcome. The skills and fundamentals obtained from this training program are essential for delivering consistent customer satisfaction . 

3. Support Professional Training by Service Strategies

Service Strategies helps technical support reps provide high-quality customer service by training effective communication techniques when providing technical solutions. Sometimes technical concepts can be challenging to explain and understand, so it’s important to know how to communicate these solutions clearly. 

Service Strategies offers three ways to attend the training: on-site, public, or online. For on-site training, Service Strategies sends an instructor to the company to administer the course, while public training occurs at various locations in groups of 15 attendees. Its online course is self-paced and available for 60 days after registration.

4. Call Center Customer Service by Universal Class

Universal Class offers a notable course called "Call Center Customer Service" that covers the different responsibilities of a customer service rep, as well as the skills needed to succeed when working in a call center . It also discusses common call center etiquette and the roadblocks that a service or support rep can expect to experience in a customer service position.

The course is taken online for six months and concludes with a cumulative final exam.

5. Customer Service Advantage by Bonfire Training

Bonfire offers team training that "uniquely personalizes[s] the development experience for each person." Its "Customer Service Advantage" course helps customer service teams come up with an action plan for addressing tricky customer interactions with the goal of motivating reps to find effective solutions instead of offering apologetic explanations. 

Bonfire’s courses are consistently updated and can get attention in-person, 90-minute real-time virtual training sessions with an instructor, or an online course with unlimited access over a 60-day period.

6. Customer Service Refresher Training by Business Training Works

The "Customer Service Refresher Training" by Business Training Works aims to re-energize depleted customer service and support workers by explaining how customer service is changing over time, and discussing evolving customer expectations. 

The training program is a three-hour session on-site at a business or in a virtual classroom, and the topics covered range from best practices for routine interactions to problem-solving. 

7. 7 Essentials to Excellent Customer Service by GoSkills

GoSkills offers a variety of online career development programs. This one covers the fundamentals for providing excellent customer service and is great for people who don't have much experience in the customer service field.

This course is 90 minutes long and has 22 practice tutorials. It reviews concepts like creating positive interactions and engaging with customers by focusing on verbal and nonverbal cues. At the end of the program, participants are given a certification for completing the course.

8. Free Customer Service Training by LiveChat

If you're looking for very simple and straightforward training, this is an excellent option for your team. LiveChat's "Free Customer Service Training" is a five-part email course that you sign up for through its website. This makes it a perfect option for busy teams who don't have as much time to train their reps.

This course covers how to retain customers and keep them happy over time. It also discusses how to handle customer complaints and prevent them from becoming escalation issues. The course wraps up by offering some additional customer service tools to assist your team.

9. CSM Certification Program by The Success League

For most customer service reps, becoming a customer service or customer success manager is a logical next step in their career. So, if you're looking to build the skills you'll need for professional development, this comprehensive course can provide you with everything you need to land your next job.

This 15-class course takes a deep dive into the fundamentals of becoming a customer success manager. Classes are one hour long and cover an extensive range of customer service and business management lessons. This includes topics like driving customer advocacy, creating long- and short-term customer goals, and preventing customer churn .

10. ITIL® Training and Certification by Skill Soft

If you're a part of an internal customer support team, like an IT team, you may be interested in completing your ITIL certification. This is a widely-recognized, entry-level qualification that most reps earn before or during their IT careers.

Skill Soft offers an approved ITIL training program that's recognized by Axelos. Participants learn about the link between IT and business strategy and how to improve their service skills to provide the best output for the company.

11. Culture of Services: New Perspective on Customer Relations by edX

edX's customer relations training program uses videos of real-life service interactions to teach attendants customer service skills . The videos are from businesses in retail, food service, and hospitality industries, and using these recordings as a visual aide teaches viewers how to properly analyze customer interactions as well as critique the services in their own businesses.

This training program is an eight-week course that requires an estimated 2-3 hours to complete. Upon passing the course, you have the option to purchase a certificate that confirms their course completion status.

12. Communication by SkillPath

SkillPath's Communication courses provide valuable lessons about communication skills that are imperative to customer service, with courses for things like active listening , negotiation, and technical writing. It also covers essential business skills such as professional presentation and "developing a professional presence."

Learning about these skills is great for employees who may lack professional experience, and courses are offered both online and on-site at varying prices and duration.

13. Attitudes for Service by Dale Carnegie

Most customer service training programs focus on technical skills and high-level communication concepts. These are great for introducing people to the basics of customer service, but they don't teach them how to put these practices to best use.

Dale Carnegie's "Attitudes for Service" course focuses on attitude over aptitude. The idea is that it's more important for reps to be personable and friendly than it is to be technically savvy. This three-hour course teaches reps how to increase their self-awareness and how to ask questions that will return meaningful responses. That way, they'll find the information they're looking for, while still generating a delightful customer experience.

14. A+ Customer Care by WorkLifeBalance

This training program is designed to help reps identify customer needs and resolve service problems in a timely manner. It's built around five customer-centric steps that are focused on sharpening internal and external customer service skills. This makes it an excellent choice for training both customer-facing and internal support teams.

WorkLifeBalance offers its courses both on-site and online. It also provides options to signup for courses as individuals or as a sponsored group.

Validate Your Customer Service Skills With a Certification

Customer service has many facets that make it the complex, yet rewarding field that it is. From conflict resolution to problem-solving to automation best practices, customer service reps, managers, and senior leaders are dedicated to crafting a customer experience that turns people in need of help into brand loyal advocates.

Validating your skills with a certification can prove that you’ve mastered a high level of competency in the realm of customer service. By using what you’ve learned from any of these certifications and courses, you’ll have a unique opportunity to impact your organization and your customers in a way that makes a positive impact within the business.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

The Chief Customer Officer: Responsibilities and How to Become One

Customer Service Managers — What Do They Do?

CXO: The Customer Service Leader You Probably Haven't Hired Yet (Including Insights from Experts)

Call Center Resume Examples & The Skills to Include [+Templates]

Lunch and Learns: How to Host One That Your Team Will Want to Attend

25 Email Management Tips To Claim Back Your Time

There’s a Customer Service Career Path for Every Personality, See Yours [+Expert Insights]

Best Customer Service Resume: How to Make Yours Stand Out [with Examples]

How to Write a Customer Service Job Description to Attract the Best Candidates [Template]

The Comprehensive Guide to Customer Support and Service Salaries

Service Hub provides everything you need to delight and retain customers while supporting the success of your whole front office

• Product overview
• All features
• Latest feature release
• App integrations
• project icon Project management
• Project views
• Custom fields
• Status updates
• goal icon Goals and reporting
• Reporting dashboards
• asana-intelligence icon Asana AI
• workflow icon Workflows and automation
• portfolio icon Resource management
• Capacity planning
• Time tracking
• my-task icon Admin and security
• Admin console
• Permissions
• list icon Personal
• premium icon Starter
• briefcase icon Advanced
• Goal management
• Organizational planning
• Project intake
• Resource planning
• Product launches
• View all uses arrow-right icon

• Work management resources Discover best practices, watch webinars, get insights
• Customer stories See how the world's best organizations drive work innovation with Asana
• Help Center Get lots of tips, tricks, and advice to get the most from Asana
• Asana Academy Sign up for interactive courses and webinars to learn Asana
• Developers Learn more about building apps on the Asana platform
• Community programs Connect with and learn from Asana customers around the world
• Events Find out about upcoming events near you
• Partners Learn more about our partner programs
• Asana for nonprofits Get more information on our nonprofit discount program, and apply.
• Project plans
• Team goals & objectives
• Team continuity
• Meeting agenda
• View all templates arrow-right icon
• Project management |

SWOT analysis: Examples and templates

A SWOT analysis helps you identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a specific project or your overall business plan. It’s used for strategic planning and to stay ahead of market trends. Below, we describe each part of the SWOT framework and show you how to conduct your own.

Whether you’re looking for external opportunities or internal strengths, we’ll walk you through how to perform your own SWOT analysis, with helpful examples along the way. 

What is a SWOT analysis?

A SWOT analysis is a technique used to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for your business or even a specific project. It’s most widely used by organizations—from small businesses and non-profits to large enterprises—but a SWOT analysis can be used for personal purposes as well. 

While simple, a SWOT analysis is a powerful tool for helping you identify competitive opportunities for improvement. It helps you improve your team and business while staying ahead of market trends.

What does SWOT stand for?

SWOT is an acronym that stands for: 

Opportunities

When analyzed together, the SWOT framework can paint a larger picture of where you are and how to get to the next step. Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these terms and how they can help identify areas of improvement. 

Strengths in SWOT refer to internal initiatives that are performing well. Examining these areas helps you understand what’s already working. You can then use the techniques that you know work—your strengths—in other areas that might need additional support, like improving your team’s efficiency . 

When looking into the strengths of your organization, ask yourself the following questions:

What do we do well? Or, even better: What do we do best?

What’s unique about our organization?

What does our target audience like about our organization?

Which categories or features beat out our competitors?

 Example SWOT strength:

Customer service: Our world-class customer service has an NPS score of 90 as compared to our competitors, who average an NPS score of 70.

Weaknesses in SWOT refer to internal initiatives that are underperforming. It’s a good idea to analyze your strengths before your weaknesses in order to create a baseline for success and failure. Identifying internal weaknesses provides a starting point for improving those projects.

Identify the company’s weaknesses by asking:

Which initiatives are underperforming and why?

What can be improved?

What resources could improve our performance?

How do we rank against our competitors?

Example SWOT weakness:

E-commerce visibility: Our website visibility is low because of a lack of marketing budget , leading to a decrease in mobile app transactions.

Opportunities in SWOT result from your existing strengths and weaknesses, along with any external initiatives that will put you in a stronger competitive position. These could be anything from weaknesses that you’d like to improve or areas that weren’t identified in the first two phases of your analysis. 

Since there are multiple ways to come up with opportunities, it’s helpful to consider these questions before getting started:

What resources can we use to improve weaknesses?

Are there market gaps in our services?

What are our business goals for the year?

What do your competitors offer?

Example SWOT opportunities:

Marketing campaign: To improve brand visibility, we’ll run ad campaigns on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Threats in SWOT are areas with the potential to cause problems. Different from weaknesses, threats are external and ‌out of your control. This can include anything from a global pandemic to a change in the competitive landscape. 

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to identify external threats:

What changes in the industry are cause for concern?

What new market trends are on the horizon?

Where are our competitors outperforming us?

Example SWOT threats:

New competitor: With a new e-commerce competitor set to launch within the next month, we could see a decline in customers.

SWOT analysis example

One of the most popular ways to create a SWOT analysis is through a SWOT matrix—a visual representation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The matrix comprises four separate squares that create one larger square. 

A SWOT matrix is great for collecting information and documenting the questions and decision-making process . Not only will it be handy to reference later on, but it’s also great for visualizing any patterns that arise. 

Check out the SWOT matrix below for a simple example. As you can see, each of the quadrants lists out the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

When used correctly and effectively, your matrix can be a great toolkit for evaluating your organization’s strengths and weaknesses. 

How to do a SWOT analysis, with examples 

A SWOT analysis can be conducted in a variety of ways. Some teams like to meet and throw ideas on a whiteboard, while others prefer the structure of a SWOT matrix. However you choose to make your SWOT analysis, getting creative with your planning process allows new ideas to flow and results in more unique solutions. 

There are a few ways to ensure that your SWOT analysis is thorough and done correctly. Let’s take a closer look at some tips to help you get started.

Tip 1: Consider internal factors 

Often, strengths and weaknesses stem from internal processes. These tend to be easier to solve since you have more control over the outcome. When you come across internal factors, you can start implementing improvements in a couple of different ways.

Meet with department stakeholders to form a business plan around how to improve your current situation.

Research and implement new tools, such as a project management tool , that can help streamline these processes for you. 

Take immediate action on anything that can be changed in 24 hours or less. If you don’t have the capacity, consider delegating these items to others with deadlines. 

The way you go about solving internal factors will depend on the type of problem. If it’s more complex, you might need to use a combination of the above or a more thorough problem management process.

Tip 2: Evaluate external factors

External factors stem from processes outside of your control. This includes competitors, market trends, and anything else that’s affecting your organization from the outside in. 

External factors are trickier to solve, as you can’t directly control the outcome. What you can do is pivot your own processes in a way that mitigates negative external factors. 

You can work to solve these issues by:

Competing with market trends

Forecasting market trends before they happen

Improving adaptability to improve your reaction time

Track competitors using reporting tools that automatically update you as soon as changes occur 

While you won’t be able to control an external environment, you can control how your organization reacts to it. 

Let’s say, for instance, that you’re looking to compete with a market trend. For example, a competitor introduced a new product to the market that’s outperforming your own. While you can’t take that product away, you can work to launch an even better product or marketing campaign to mitigate any decline in sales. 

Tip 3: Hold a brainstorming session

Brainstorming new and innovative ideas can help to spur creativity and inspire action. To host a high impact brainstorming session, you’ll want to: 

Invite team members from various departments. That way, ideas from each part of the company are represented. 

Be intentional about the number of team members you invite, since too many participants could lead to a lack of focus or participation. The sweet spot for a productive brainstorming session is around 10 teammates. 

Use different brainstorming techniques that appeal to different work types.

Set a clear intention for the session.

Tip 4: Get creative

In order to generate creative ideas, you have to first invite them. That means creating fun ways to come up with opportunities. Try randomly selecting anonymous ideas, talking through obviously bad examples, or playing team building games to psych up the team.

Tip 5: Prioritize opportunities

Now, rank the opportunities. This can be done as a team or with a smaller group of leaders. Talk through each idea and rank it on a scale of one through 10. Once you’ve agreed on your top ideas based on team capabilities, competencies, and overall impact, it’s easier to implement them.

Tip 6: Take action

It’s all too easy to feel finished at this stage —but the actual work is just beginning. After your SWOT analysis, you’ll have a list of prioritized opportunities. Now is the time to turn them into strengths. Use a structured system such as a business case , project plan, or implementation plan to outline what needs to get done—and how you plan to do it.

SWOT analysis template

A SWOT analysis template is often presented in a grid format, divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant represents one of the four elements. 

Use this free SWOT analysis template to jump-start your team’s strategic planning.

Identify the strengths that contribute to achieving your objectives. These are internal characteristics that give you an advantage. Some examples could be a strong brand reputation, an innovative culture, or an experienced management team.

Next, focus on weaknesses. These are internal factors that could serve as obstacles to achieving your objectives. Common examples might include a lack of financial resources, high operational costs, or outdated technology. 

Move on to the opportunities. These are external conditions that could be helpful in achieving your goals. For example, you might be looking at emerging markets, increased demand, or favorable shifts in regulations.

Lastly, let's address threats. These are external conditions that could negatively impact your objectives. Examples include increased competition or potential economic downturns.

Why is a SWOT analysis important?

A SWOT analysis can help you improve processes and plan for growth. While similar to a competitive analysis , it differs because it evaluates both internal and external factors. Analyzing key areas around these opportunities and threats will equip you with the insights needed to set your team up for success.

A SWOT analysis isn’t only useful for organizations. With a personal SWOT analysis, you can examine areas of your life that could benefit from improvement, from your leadership style to your communication skills. These are the benefits of using a SWOT analysis in any scenario. 

1. Identifies areas of opportunity

One of the biggest benefits of conducting an analysis is to determine opportunities for growth. It’s a great starting point for startups and teams that know they want to improve but aren’t exactly sure how to get started. 

Opportunities can come from many different avenues, like external factors such as diversifying your products for competitive advantage or internal factors like improving your team’s workflow . Either way, capitalizing on opportunities is an excellent way to grow as a team.

2. Identifies areas that could be improved

Identifying weaknesses and threats during a SWOT analysis can pave the way for a better business strategy.

Ultimately, learning from your mistakes is the best way to excel. Once you find areas to streamline, you can work with team members to brainstorm an action plan . This will let you use what you already know works and build on your company’s strengths.

3. Identifies areas that could be at risk

Whether you have a risk register in place or not, it’s always crucial to identify risks before they become a cause for concern. A SWOT analysis can help you stay on top of actionable items that may play a part in your risk decision-making process. 

It may be beneficial to pair your SWOT analysis with a PEST analysis, which examines external solutions such as political, economic, social, and technological factors—all of which can help you identify and plan for project risks .

When should you use a SWOT analysis?

You won’t always need an in-depth SWOT analysis. It’s most useful for large, general overviews of situations, scenarios, or your business.

A SWOT analysis is most helpful:

Before you implement a large change—including as part of a larger change management plan

When you launch a new company initiative

If you’d like to identify opportunities for growth and improvement

Any time you want a full overview of your business performance

If you need to identify business performance from different perspectives

SWOT analyses are general for a reason—so they can be applied to almost any scenario, project, or business. 

SWOT analysis: Pros and cons

Although SWOT is a useful strategic planning tool for businesses and individuals alike, it does have limitations. Here’s what you can expect.

The simplicity of SWOT analysis makes it a go-to tool for many. Because it is simple, it takes the mystery out of strategic planning and lets people think critically about their situations without feeling overwhelmed. 

For instance, a small bakery looking to expand its operations can use SWOT analysis to easily understand its current standing. Identifying strengths like a loyal customer base, weaknesses such as limited seating space, opportunities like a rising trend in artisanal baked goods, and threats from larger chain bakeries nearby can all be accomplished without any specialized knowledge or technical expertise.

Versatility

Its versatile nature allows SWOT analysis to be used across various domains. Whether it’s a business strategizing for the future or an individual planning their career path, SWOT analysis lends itself well. 

For example, a tech start-up in the competitive Silicon Valley landscape could employ SWOT to navigate its pathway to profitability. Strengths might include a highly skilled development team; weaknesses could be a lack of brand recognition; opportunities might lie in emerging markets; and threats could include established tech giants. 

Meaningful analysis

SWOT excels in identifying external factors that could impact performance. It nudges organizations to look beyond the present and anticipate potential future scenarios. 

A retail company, for example, could use SWOT analysis to identify opportunities in e-commerce and threats from changing consumer behavior or new competitors entering the market. By doing so, the company can strategize on how to leverage online platforms to boost sales and counteract threats by enhancing the customer experience or adopting new technologies.

Subjectivity and bias

The subjective nature of SWOT analysis may lead to biases. It relies heavily on individual perceptions, which can sometimes overlook crucial data or misinterpret information, leading to skewed conclusions. 

For example, a manufacturing company might undervalue the threat of new entrants in the market due to an overconfidence bias among the management. This subjectivity might lead to a lack of preparation for competitive pricing strategies, ultimately affecting the company's market share.

Lack of prioritization

SWOT analysis lays out issues but falls short on prioritizing them. Organizations might struggle to identify which elements deserve immediate attention and resources. 

For instance, a healthcare provider identifying numerous opportunities for expansion into new services may become overwhelmed with the choices. Without a clear way to rank these opportunities, resources could be spread too thinly or given to projects that do not have as much of an impact, leading to less-than-ideal outcomes.

Static analysis

Since SWOT analysis captures a snapshot at a particular moment, it may miss the evolving nature of challenges and opportunities, possibly leading to outdated strategies. An example could be a traditional retail business that performs a SWOT analysis and decides to focus on expanding physical stores, overlooking the growing trend of e-commerce. As online shopping continues to evolve and gain popularity, the static analysis might lead to investment in areas with diminishing returns while missing out on the booming e-commerce market trend.

SWOT analysis FAQ

What are the five elements of swot analysis.

Traditionally, SWOT stands for its four main elements: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. However, a fifth essential element often overlooked is "actionable strategies." Originally developed by Albert Humphrey, SWOT is more than just a list—it's a planning tool designed to generate actionable strategies for making informed business decisions. This fifth element serves to tie the other four together, enabling departments like human resources and marketing to turn analysis into actionable plans.

What should a SWOT analysis include?

A comprehensive SWOT analysis should focus on the internal and external factors that affect your organization. Internally, consider your strong brand and product line as your strengths, and maybe your supply chain weaknesses. Externally, you'll want to look at market share, partnerships, and new technologies that could either pose opportunities or threats. You should also account for demographics, as it helps in market targeting and segmentation.

How do you write a good SWOT analysis?

Writing an effective SWOT analysis begins with research. Start by identifying your strengths, like a strong brand, and your weaknesses, like a small human resources department. Following that, look outward to find opportunities, possibly in technological advancement, and threats, like fluctuations in market share. Many businesses find it helpful to use a free SWOT analysis template to structure this information. A good SWOT analysis doesn't just list these elements; it integrates them to provide a clear roadmap for making business decisions.

What are four examples of threats in SWOT analysis?

New technologies: Rapid technological advancement can make your product or service obsolete.

Supply chain disruptions: Whether due to natural disasters or geopolitical tensions, an unstable supply chain can seriously jeopardize your operations.

Emerging competitors: New players entering the market can erode your market share and offer alternative solutions to your customer base.

Regulatory changes: New laws or regulations can add costs and complexity to your business, affecting your competitiveness.

How do you use a SWOT analysis?

Once you've completed a SWOT analysis, use the results as a decision-making aid. It can help prioritize actions, develop strategic plans that play to your strengths, improve weaknesses, seize opportunities, and counteract threats. It’s a useful tool for setting objectives and creating a roadmap for achieving them.

Plan for growth with a SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis can be an effective technique for identifying key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Understanding where you are now can be the most impactful way to determine where you want to go next. 

Don’t forget, a bit of creativity and collaboration can go a long way. Encourage your team to think outside of the box with 100+ team motivational quotes .

Related resources

Everything you need to know about requirements management

Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Adaptive Project Management and Reporting

How Asana drives impactful product launches in 3 steps

Waterfall, Agile, Kanban, and Scrum: What’s the difference?