Customer service representatives may baulk at the thought of selling. Bryan Edwards explains a workshop to help them understand the benefits of making customers aware of what's on offer.

I sometimes do a flip chart exercise in syndicate groups that starts off with the basic question: "What is our role?" and let customer service reps brainstorm first. We then put the flips together and review the other syndicate groups' work. When we get to selling, we debate whether, as customer service people, we are sellers. Delegates tend to baulk at this, but tend to agree that we 'add value' and 'look out for customers'. In the shoes of a customer, we would hate it if we find there was an add on product/service that the company provided that wasn't pointed out to them when we bought the main product. Most delegates seem to agree that this 'soft sell' approach is part of their role.

The next exercise is to get a breakdown from the Finance department on 'where the money goes' based on a typical product (e.g. a book company may break down the cost of a £10 book into printing = £3.50; Marketing = £0.50; customer services costs - inc their wages- £1 etc, etc). This tries to get across the message that to justify their wages, and help the company survive, keep shareholders happy, invest in new technology etc etc, then we do have a very commercial role to justify our existence.

I have no stats to prove this, but there seems to be a more enlightened view after the workshop fron customer service reps.

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