Customer service comparative ratings.

Recommendation

No winner rises head and shoulders above the pack of products we have reviewed. This is reassuring because even basic customer service has very different segments these days. Of the top four programs, all videos, three deal primarily with retail (What Do you Say?, The Guest, Secret Service Awards, and Smile!), one deals with call centers (Glad I Could Help), one deals only with motivation (Smile!), and one has a message that cuts across most of these segments (Remember Me). Is it any wonder that Remember Me is in a third edition and contributing quite nicely to the bottom line of a quality video house?

Match up your particular need with the higher rated programs in this review, and you will be off to a good start. Do not forget to note reviewer comments about the support packages. Good packages can not only save time but also result in better training results.

And what about online providers? If you want a customer service curriculum that can be independently studied, they make sense. For the skills that really matter in your organization, you are going to have to do more than assign online courses--probably much more--to reach the level you want. But they can provide a readily accessible foundation of knowledge and an ongoing reference. Explore MindLeaders as a first choice.

Customer Service Comparative Ratings

Title                  Medium/Audience     Pros

Glad I Could Help      Video               Focused yet flexible
                       Call centers        Relevant, concise
                                           content
Remember Me,           Video               Simple message
third edition          General             Brief
                                           Production values
Secret Service Awards  Video               Vignettes
                       Retail              Intelligent
                                           Price
Smile!                 Video               Story
                       Motivation          Support materials
What Do You Say?       Video               Focused message
                       Retail              Relevant content
Customer Service       Online              Content
                       General             Value
DialogCoach            Software            Use of technology
                       Call centers        Voice capability
The First Mile         Video               Humor
                       General             Price
                                           Support materials
Give 'em the Pickle    Video               Content
                       Retail              Production values
The Other Side         Video               Support materials
of the Window          Government          Content
Serve!                 Video               Tom Peters
                       Meeting opener      Fits purpose (meeting
                       for managers        opener)Price
Linguistic Profiling   Video               Neglected topic
                       Call centers        Price
The Jukebox            Video               Music
Journey Series:        Meeting opener      Quick-hit training
Jukebox with Vibes
It's Show Time         Video               Content
                       Retail,
                       motivation
PrimeCustomerCare      Online              Support materials
                       General
The Truth About        Video
Customer Service       General, frontline
                       employees

Title                  Cons                            Overall Rating

Glad I Could Help      Price                           Very good
                       Limited audience
                       (inbound call centers)
Remember Me,           Price                           Very good
third edition
Secret Service Awards  Lapses in tone                  Very good
                       Limited audience
                       (entry level)
Smile!                 Content                         Very good
                       Deals only with motivation,
                       not skills
What Do You Say?       Limited audience                Very good
                       Limited context
Customer Service       Lack of focus                   Good
                       Limited interactivity
DialogCoach            Implementation effort           Good
                       Limited audience
                       (scripted call centers)
The First Mile         Production values               Good
Give 'em the Pickle    Limited audience                Good
                       (managers)
The Other Side         Lacks energy                    Good
of the Window          Limited audience
                       (government)
Serve!                 Tom Peters                      Good
                       Limited use and audience
                       (meeting opener for managers)
Linguistic Profiling   Limited topic                   Above average
                       Fit with training
The Jukebox            Superficial                     Average
Journey Series:        Makes rock and roll didactic
Jukebox with Vibes
It's Show Time         Deals only with motivation,     Average
                       not skills
PrimeCustomerCare      Price                           Average
                       Conventional content
The Truth About        Limited use (meeting opener)    Average
Customer Service       Content (too many points)