25+ Free Customer Service Training Ideas and Activities

Free customer service training ideas to empower your team

With so many different options, it can be difficult to separate good free customer service training ideas from bad ones. But don’t worry, we have done the work for you!

Customer service training is essential for all businesses. Without it, your employees will not be able to provide the best customer experience possible. In this blog post, we will share 25 free customer service training ideas and activities that you can use in your business.

We broke them up into categories based on what you’re looking for and what industry you work in.

These ideas are fun, interactive, and will help your employees learn how to provide great customer service. We have also included a customer service training program sample, so you can get started quickly!

Now let’s break each of these down into specific ideas and activities that you can use in your next customer service training!

Interactive customer service training ideas

Sitting in a training can be boring and employees are likely to doze off or not fully engage. But customer service training doesn’t have to be like this!

Here are some fun and interactive free customer service training ideas that will keep your team engaged and excited to serve your customers:

1. Role-playing: This is a great way to get employees to think on their feet and practice customer service scenarios. You can role-play common customer service interactions, such as handling a customer complaint or dealing with an angry customer.
2. Call your competitor: This customer service training activity is a great way to learn from your competition. Have your employees call a competitor and pretend to be a customer. They will then compare and contrast the experience.
3. Create a customer service skit: This is another interesting way to get employees thinking on their feet. Have employees create a short skit that demonstrates good customer service. Then have the rest of the team vote on the best skit. The winning team gets a prize!
4. Live call review: Get employees to listen and analyze customer service calls to learn from them. You can review a call together as a team and discuss what went well and what could be improved.

These are just a few customer service training ideas that will help your team be more engaged and excited to serve your customers.

Customer service training games

Games are another great way to get employees more engaged in training. Games are not only fun, but also help employees remember what they learned. Here are some great customer service training games to try:

1. Customer service maze: This game is designed to teach employees how to handle difficult customer service situations. Create a maze with different customer service scenarios, such as a customer who is angry or a customer who is asking for a refund. Employees must navigate their way through the maze, making sure to handle each customer service situation correctly.
2. Customer service scavenger hunt: This is a fun way to get employees to explore your company’s products or services. Hide clues around the office or store, and have employees search for them. The first person to find all the clues wins a prize!
3. Never say “never”: This customer service training game is all about customer service phrases that should never be used. Come up with a list of customer service no-no’s, such as “that’s not my department” or “I don’t know.” Employees must then avoid using these phrases during the game. Whoever uses the most customer service no-no’s at the end of the game loses.
4. Telephone: This one is a classic. In this customer service game, employees must take turns repeating a phrase in a whisper to the next person. Then, once everyone has passed along the message, the beginning and end messages are revealed. The goal is to see how things can change as they are passed from person to person, including to customers!
5. Customer service charades: This customer service training game is just like the classic game of charades, but with a customer service twist. Act out customer service scenarios, such as handling an angry customer or dealing with a difficult request. Instead of getting points for others guessing though, you get points for handling the situation well!

Using these games can liven up any customer service training. Not only will employees be more engaged, but they’ll also have fun and learn customer service skills at the same time.

Fun and free customer service training ideas to upskill your team

Games are fun, but there are other ways to add some enjoyment to customer service training. Here are our 5 unique and (totally free!) customer service training ideas:

1. Personality tests: This gives employees a way to learn not just about their coworkers but also themselves. Find one that is helpful for the work environment. The most popular one by far is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), but feel free to branch out and give your employees something new!
2. Customer service simulations: Another fun way to give employees some hands-on experience, customer service simulations can be done in person or online. There are many different customer service scenarios to choose from, so employees can get a feel for the different types of customer service challenges they may face.
3. Funny videos: This may seem like a waste of time, but customer service can be stressful and watching funny videos can help employees relax. Just make sure the videos are appropriate for work!
4. Memes and comics: Memes and comics are a fun way to connect with employees on a more personal level. Customer service can be stressful, so showing some light-hearted memes can help employees relax and de-stress. You can find some work-appropriate memes in our post on Customer Service Memes. [link]
5. Make it a potluck: This is a great way for employees to get to know each other outside of work. Bringing in food can be a fun way for employees to showcase their personalities and values. Plus, it’s a great way to build team morale!

These are just a few customer service training ideas that can help make training more fun for your employees.

Team collaboration ideas

Many customer service training options only involve employees sitting in a room staring at a screen – whether in person or virtually. However, getting to interact with other coworkers can help build team morale and customer service skills. Here are some customer service training ideas that involve team collaboration:

1. Team brainstorming: You can do this by the table, or if you are virtual, by setting up individual chat rooms. Give customer service problems or scenarios to your team and have them brainstorm solutions. This can help customer service reps learn from each other as well as get some new ideas for problem-solving.
2. Team role-playing: This is a customer service training classic for a reason – it works! In-person or online, you can set up customer service scenarios and have team members take turns role-playing as the customer and customer service rep. This can help customer service reps learn to handle difficult customer service interactions.
3. Customer service case studies: Another way to learn from others is to go over customer service case studies together as a team. You can discuss what went well in the interaction, what could have been improved, and what the customer service rep could have done differently.
4. Switching roles: Break your employees into groups that each have different roles. Then hand out slips of paper that randomly assign roles to each. Have employees try to solve a problem as if they were in the new role. This can help team members understand each other’s perspectives and learn to empathize with them.
5. Peer review: Have customer service reps take turns reviewing each other and giving feedback. This can help customer service reps learn from each other and improve their customer service skills. Make sure the rubric is clear, though, to keep it constructive.

These are just a few customer service training ideas that involve team collaboration. By getting your team to work together, you can build morale and help customer service reps learn from each other.

Customer service activities examples

If you are looking for some examples of customer service activities in action, head over to our customer service training page. You can sign up for a free demo and get some ideas. If you want more, purchase the course or program and use it for your next customer service training event!

Internal free customer service training ideas

Internal customer service training is important for several reasons. This type of training helps customer service reps better understand your company’s products or services, develop the skills needed to provide outstanding customer service, and learn how to use customer service tools.

However, finding the right customer service training ideas can be a challenge. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best internal customer service training ideas and activities.

1. Product/service flashcards: Customer service reps need to be experts on your company’s products or services. One way to ensure they have this knowledge is to create product flashcards. customer service reps can use these flashcards to quiz themselves or each other on product features, benefits, and uses.
2. Company Jeopardy: Employees will have a blast with this customer service training activity. To play, create Jeopardy-style questions about your company, products, services, or customer service policies. customer service reps can then compete against each other to see who knows the most about your business.
3. Company policy scavenger hunt: This can be done in-person or virtually. Customer service reps will need to search for customer service policies hidden around the office or on your company’s intranet. The first person to find all of the policies wins.
4. Brainstorm a do’s and don’t list: Customer service reps need to know how to properly handle customer complaints and questions. To help them out, brainstorm a list of dos and don’ts for customer service interactions. It will get employees thinking and analyzing behaviors. Customer service reps can then use this list as a reference when they’re on the job.
5. Write your own script: This customer service training idea is best for new customer service reps. Give them a scenario, such as a customer complaint, and have them write out how they would handle it. After they’re done, have another customer service rep read the script and provide feedback.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Customer service training is essential for ensuring your customer service reps are providing the best possible experience to your customers. By investing in customer service training, you’re making a commitment to excellence.

Free resources to give you some customer service training ideas

At CustomersFirst Academy, our goal is to make high-quality customer service training as accessible as possible. That’s why we offer some free resources to get you started. Check out the Communication Skills or Leadership And Teamwork guides and tips!

Need some more ideas?

We’ve given you our top 25 best customer service training ideas and activities. But if you need more tips, tricks, and ideas – check out a free demo of our Customer Service Training Program. If these ideas sound like a lot to handle, we’ve got you covered! You can sign up your whole team for our Customer Service Training Program for Teams. We will give you everything you need to get started.