John Clark thought this would be of interest to you:

Youthful Workforce Article - Therightanswer.com

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Posted by Jill of Trades on May 26, 2001 at 00:51:43:

Hi everyone: Thought you might enjoy this article - could start a string of conversation or something.
By the way, a young lady with long fushia hair told me she liked my look and that I was flamboyant:

Teaching a new CSR tried and true service tricks

According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Labor,
58 percent of 16 year olds worked for an employer sometime
during the 1997-98 school year. We won't hazard a guess at
how many worked in customer service, but odds are good that
most of those teens functioned in some kind of service
role. And if you've tried training young people today
for customer service, you probably have the bald spots to
prove it. Short attention spans, little patience, no
manners, and plain old apathy can make it very difficult
to reach these "new to the workplace" individuals. If this
is our future labor pool, how are we ever going to train
them?

Well, you can start by teaching new CSRs some old but tried
and true tricks. Lead by example, create a fun and
entertaining atmosphere to get your point across.
Show how successful a smile can be, how you can earn
respect and control of a bad situation by using a little
psychology and diplomacy.

Simple customer service training should cover the basics:
how to deal with customers in person or on the phone, how
to work as a team, how to behave in a business or
professional environment. But to reach young people, you
may find your training more effective if you follow it up
with your own actions. Show your new CSRs how to handle
the challenges of customer service *by example*, and then
watch as they incorporate your leadership into their work.
Notice the strengths that each individual brings to the
job, and encourage each to build on these assets. Don't
be afraid to communicate your confidence and high
expectations for them -- give young CSRs a good challenge
and see if they don't rise to the occasion. You may be
pleasantly surprised at the results.

Remember what Confucius say, "I hear and I forget, I see
and I remember, I do and I understand." Teach young
people by example, observe and gently correct them as
they're learning, and you'll help create a new breed of
service-smart professionals.





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