From training to education

Let’s talk about customer service and let me give you a list of some awful and funny customer service stories:

Boss: “I saw you arguing with that customer. Don't you know that our policy is “The customer is always right?”

Employee: “Yes I do, but he insisted that he was wrong!”

Customer: “Hello, I have a problem. My name is Gerry Gonzales.”

Tech Support: “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that problem.”

Here is another one: A travel agent said to his customer, “I can get you three days and two nights in Rome for two thousand pesos.” “How come it’s so cheap?” replied the customer. The travel agent replied, “The days are July 11, 12 and 13. The nights are July 21 and 22.”

Have you ever entered a restaurant, a hotel lobby or a retail store and then one of the staff mutters: “Good morning Sir,” or “Good Afternoon Mam?” And when you are on your way out either the same person or someone else (perhaps the security guards) mutter something like, “Thank you, come back again?”

Now here is the rub, here is the punch line; here is what disturbs me. The person who mutters words or murmurs some greetings would not even smile or worst, would not even lock eyes with you?

I have been so tempted to go back to the person and say, “Ah… excuse me… were you talking to me? Would you look at me please if you do?”

And then in our disappointment and sometimes disgust; we mutter too and say, “These people lack training!” But this is where I present my argument. They do not lack training, they actually have the training and that would explain the reason why they mutter all those senseless greetings without even looking at you.

So where is the problem then? The problem here is that the staff has been trained to act, some are even trained to up-sell but they have never been educated as to the reason why they should.

The staff may have been trained to say those lines but they have never been educated in the area of customer interaction. They have not been taught to listen to their customers and determine their needs in order to help them with it.

This is where you see the difference between education and training.

The word education comes from the Latin word “educo,” which means to change from within. Training provides an external skill. Education changes the inner person. Training deals only with the doing level. Education teaches people how to think.

Once our people think, then they feel and when encouraged properly to act on their feelings then amazing things begin to happen and then real and meaningful change is initiated.

Now I need to be clear. I am not saying that we should not train people. Training is essential when a specific skill must be learned or a specific procedure must be followed but training should be a part of the educational process.

In the course of doing things we have not specifically zero in on this crucial aspect of developing our people. Notice the fact that companies have “Trainers” but few have “Educators?”

Tons of people have told me they get inspired after listening to me and most especially after going through my two-day extensive leadership program. It is a compliment I relish and enjoy but for the grace of God here is where the difference lies.

I have never intended to “train” participants but I have always endeavored to “educate” people, spur them to think, listen to their ideas and in the process learn from them as well.

Training may equip our people the “How-to,” but education leads them to know the “Why Do.” And when received and accepted, you will begin to see a certain depth and longevity in the increased ability to render customer service or exercise meaningful leadership skills in the workplace.

Training and education is not an “Either-Or” proposition; it is a “Both-And” deal. Technology can also provide training but education involves human interaction; an infusion of different worldviews and a sharing of personal experiences and narratives.

Train your people and they will know how to do things. Educate them and they will know why they need to do things because now they begin to think. Education is important as a main component of training.

One last piece of argument: this is why I didn’t just train my kids but I made sure I educate them and now that they are doing well in their own fields of accomplishments, it’s payback time for everyone.

(Send your leaders and high-potential people to learn leadership skills, to be inspired and to grow your business by attending Francis Kong’s Level Up Leadership this July 5-6 at Makati, Shangri-La Hotel.  For registration or inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798.)