Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course

$268 AUD per person

New course for 2024!

Supercharge your Retail Sales and Customer Service!

The Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course is a short-duration (3-hour) training course designed to provide employees working in face-to-face retail roles with fundamental customer service and sales skills.

The training goes way beyond traditional customer service training clichés such as ‘always smile’ or ‘ask the customer how their day has been’.

Rather, your employees will benefit from decades of experience to learn the most critical and impactful behaviours needed to drive successful customer experiences in any retail context.

The course teaches the fundamental skills for retail interactions that will enable employees to greet customers effectively, proactively identify needs and deliver solutions, communicate with energy & empathy, and farewell in a warm, appreciative manner.

They will also learn and practice a simple but powerful two-step method for dealing with customer concerns or issues, as well as learn the critical techniques for when dealing with more aggressive or irate customers.

Perfect for new employees to embed great service habits right from the start, a ‘refresher’ course for existing employees who are a little stale, or for employees who learnt ‘on the job’ but have never received any professional training, this course is a great way to gain an immediate increase in happier customers and revenue!

Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials Course

Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course Fast Facts

  • 1 x 3-hour training session to fast-track learning and minimise the impact to your operations.
  • Learn premium customer service & sales methodologies that can be applied in any retail setting.
  • Suitable for any customer service role with direct customer interaction in a face-to-face setting.
  • Public and private training options available.
  • Delivered LIVE (not self-paced or watching a video) by Australia’s top Customer Service trainer, Simon Blair!

Other training courses suitable for retail employees include:

Built specifically for online/virtual training!

At just 3 hours long, this course is specifically designed for online training to keep the costs low and enable your employees to acquire new skills in a short burst of interactive and highly engaging training.

So whether it’s a stand-alone refresher course for your employees or as part of an induction program, your employees will gain some new skills they can use immediately!

The course is typically delivered via Zoom, which is easily accessible to anyone who has an internet browser.

This course can also be delivered onsite for private bookings and larger groups.

Online General Customer Service Skills short course

Who should do this course?

Retail customer service training course

The skills we teach are applicable to all industries, products and services and are suitable for any employee who interacts with customers in a face-to-face environment in a retail or face-to-face setting.

It’s perfect for new employees whom you want to equip with the right skills from the start, for existing employees who have become a little stale and need a boost, or for existing employees who have never received any formal customer service training and need to polish up their skills or learn some fresh ideas.

Typical roles suitable for the Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course include:

  • Retail employees
  • Hospitality staff
  • Front-of-house staff
  • Office/administration employees
  • Receptionists/personal assistants
  • Medical/Dental/Veterinary practices
  • Warehouse/logistics employees

If you are looking for our more comprehensive customer service programs, check out our Retail Sales & Service PRO or the Retail and Hospitality Sales and Service Foundations course (both longer versions of this course with additional modules and more time to role-play/practice).

If your employees also have to handle phone calls and emails, you may also be interested in the Reception Essentials or Reception PRO courses which teaches in-person, phone and email customer service skills.

Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials Course Modules

Over a 3-hour live facilitated online training session, the Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials Course will teach your employees the critical skills for dealing with customers that the most successful retail staff use to deliver superior customer experiences.

Centred on body language, conversation skills, listening, proactivity, energy & empathy, participants will learn how to be more confident, efficient and effective with every customer interaction they have.

The training consists of powerful demonstrations and practice in the essential behaviours with five key modules that are outlined below.

If you’d like to customise the course to spend more/less time on a particular module or include some other skills, please refer to our private course options further down the page.

Retail Sales Training Course

1. How to Engage

How to create a strong first impression and impact at the start of any retail interaction by using a warm & welcoming greeting, showing a clear desire to assist, and using effective body language to build trust and confidence in the customer.

2. Discover & Educate

Participants learn how to initiate open conversations to identify customer needs, listen effectively and then to proactively educate customers with tailored, personalised information.

3. Body Language & Voice Projection

Participants will explore and practice the use of good posture, breathing, vocal delivery and body language to enable strong face-to-face communication that builds confidence and trust in customers.

4. How to Close

How to create a lasting final impression and confident finish to any customer conversation through a simple method of showing gratitude and thanks in a warm farewell and how to avoid those often awkward, clunky finishes.

5. Dealing with Difficult Customers

Participants will explore and practice a simple two-step method for dealing with customer concerns and issues and learn critical techniques when confronted with more aggressive or irate customers.

About your Trainer, Simon Blair

The strength of any training course is dependent on the skills and experience of the trainer, and the Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course is facilitated by Simon Blair, one of Australia’s top Customer Service Trainers.

When he’s not training, Simon is the General Manager of Quality Insights for the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) so he lives and breathes what it takes to deliver great customer experiences all across Australia.

Simon is a father of 4 and lives in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. His twin girls keep him busy running around following their footy careers (one is an AFLW footballer with Collingwood) and he has a great love of music.

He does land the odd corporate or private gig around town as an acoustic guitarist and singer belting out rock and pop classics.

He has great adventures with his partner Ines, loves the North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team and every now and then escapes into other worlds when playing Dungeon & Dragons with his mates. He likes to call himself a ‘cool nerd’.

Simon Blair Course trainer for Retail Sales and Service Essentials course
Simon Blair, one of Australia's leading customer service & sales trainers!

Customer Testimonials for your Trainer, Simon Blair

About CX Skills

CX Skills is a specialist training business that only delivers customer service, customer experience (CX), contact centre, workforce optimisation (WFM/WFO) and workplace wellness courses designed and facilitated exclusively by industry professionals.

We're the official training partner of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA), and we are proudly Australian-owned and operated.

We’re grateful to have been trusted by hundreds of customers, and we’re proud of the amazing customer testimonials we’ve received, so you can rest assured that when you book a training course with CX Skills, your training is in good hands.

CX Skills Australia Training Courses
CX Skills
Excellent
5.0
Based on 33 reviews
Did the introduction to contact center manager course with Justin, it was a fantastic experienceYou could clearly see the passion and joy Justin had for what he was teaching and it was clear to see his experienceI really enjoyed some of the storytelling and practical examples Justin provided, it really helped tie everything togetherStrongly recommend
Response from the owner: Thanks Jim, so glad to hear you enjoyed the course with Justin and yes, he's definately very passionate about the industry! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙏
Just finished the introduction to contact centre management course, i really enjoyed it Justin was excellent as facilitator. Some fantastic content. This course is great for a variety or people in different positions. Team leaders looking to progress would get a lot of benefit but even Contact Centre managers like me who have done the role for a while.It provided some great insights to customer experience and how to help your team leaders to have a greater impact on their people & customers. I'm armed with quite a few practical take aways.
Response from the owner: Thanks Daniel, appreciate the kind words and really glad to hear you enjoyed the course and got some practical takeaways!
I recently had the privilege of attending Daniel Ord's workshop on "Managing Difficult Situations" hosted by Omni Touch, and it was nothing short of outstanding. Daniel's expertise and passion for the subject matter truly shine through in his teaching style, making it a transformative experience for all participants.From the moment the workshop began, Daniel's enthusiasm was infectious. He has an exceptional ability to convey complex concepts in an understandable and relatable way. I left the workshop with a profound understanding of how to navigate challenging scenarios, both in my professional and personal life.What truly sets Daniel apart is his commitment to engagement. Throughout the session, he encouraged active participation and created an inclusive atmosphere where questions and discussions were not just welcome but encouraged. It's evident that he genuinely cares about each participant's learning journey.The real-world examples and practical strategies shared during the workshop were invaluable. Daniel's ability to connect theory to practical application made the content highly relevant and actionable.The workshop was impeccably organized, and Daniel's presentation skills were top-notch. He kept the audience engaged and motivated throughout, making the entire experience enjoyable and enlightening.In conclusion, I cannot recommend Daniel Ord's workshops enough. If you're looking to enhance your skills in managing difficult situations, he is the go-to expert. Thank you, Daniel, for an enriching and eye-opening workshop. I eagerly look forward to attending more of your sessions in the future.If you're considering attending one of Daniel's workshops, don't hesitate – you won't be disappointed!
Response from the owner: Thanks so much for the lovely review Trisha! We're thrilled that you enjoyed the Managing Difficult Customers course and we are very lucky to have Daniel as one of our trainers - as you've articulated, we truly think he's the best in the business and testimonials such as yours certainly help confirm we are not alone in that thinking! For anyone reading this and considering the course, you'll find more information here: https://cxskills.com.au/managing-difficult-customers-course/
I highly recommend this training for anyone interested in a Customer Service role or wanting to improve their skills. Simon has a great understanding of what is required to achieve a high standard of Customer Service. I really enjoyed this training which was also delivered with a great sense of humour!
Response from the owner: Thanks Angela, Simon certainly has a great way of making learning fun! So glad you enjoyed the course and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
The best course I have taken in 4 decades of customer service.
Response from the owner: Oh wow, thank you Alison! We really think Daniel Ord is the best customer service trainer in the world and we are very lucky to have him! We might be a little bias but we really think everyone who deals with customers should complete the Managing Difficult Customers course! Especially theses days with so much angst in the world with price increases, staff shortages, stock shortages etc! Thanks again for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Great Contact Centre Management course. The trainer, Daniel well explained how contact centres works and this is exactly what I needed for my role. It was also great to learn practices and experiences from other trainees as well. Daniel, thank you for the wonderful training. I really enjoyed the 4 days!
Response from the owner: Thanks Kyoko, Contact Centre Management really is a skill that can be learnt with some fundamentals that apply to all centres. Good luck with your contact centre management journey, it's a great job when armed with the right skills which you've now got!
Great company to work with. Excellent training course with trainers that really bring the content to life!
Response from the owner: Thanks Joyi, it was a pleasure to have you on our Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course, your enthusiasm and passion is infectious!
Fantastic virtual environment. Daniel who hosted our course was well articulated and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this CX course and feel ready to apply the skills I gained.
Response from the owner: Thanks Eloise, thrilled you enjoyed the course and put the skills learnt into action! We look forward to hearing about your future successes 🙂
Highly Recommended!
I've participated in several courses with CX Skills now, specifically with Daniel Ord as the instructor. Daniel has a wealth of knowledge around customer experience and his history in customer service is top notch. CX Skills has become my go to for my teams customer service and customer experience development.
Response from the owner: Thanks Todd, it was great to have you personally attend another one of our courses. You're right, we love working with Daniel as he's the best in the business with his experience, training style and passion a great combination. Thanks for the review and I look forward to seeing you on a course again in the near future when we train some of your frontline employees - Justin
Training with CX Skills is always engaging and worth every cent. The team are helpful and the lessons are practical and easy to translate into the workplace.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sheree for taking the time to leave us a review and glad you enjoyed the course!
Attended the Introduction to Contact Centre Management course – found it extremely informative and left with a much better understanding of the world I'm about to step into! The course was well structured and Justin was a great teacher. His wealth of knowledge (and passion) absolutely shone through. Am keen to learn more!
Response from the owner: Thanks Keira, was great to meet you on the course and I wish you all the best with the new adventure and hearing about your progress! - Justin
I did the management of contact centres four day workshop, it was fantastic! The facilitator was really engaging and explained everything from WFM to forecasting in a easy to understand manner. Highly recommend to anyone working in a contact centre environment!
Response from the owner: Awesome Jamie, thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Daniel is certainly very knowledgeable and passionate about contact centres so thrilled to hear you got a lot out of the course. We really do believe if there was one course any call centre Team Leader or Manager should attend in their career this would be it!
I had a fantastic learning experience with the half day Journey Mapping course. Shane was our trainer and explained things thoroughly, used great practical examples and helped through the exercise when needed. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. The group size was not too big so everyone was able to contribute online. I feel confident to 'give a journey map a go' now, thank you. Helen
Response from the owner: Thanks Helen, so great to hear. Journey Maps can often feel a bit daunting but when they are explained well and supported with some great examples it does give people the confidence they need to get cracking!
The Introduction to Contact Centre Management is an excellent course for those looking to understand contact centres from a helicopter view and benchmark their operations. From the fundamental pillars to critical KPIs and performance metrics that underpin almost every contact centre globally, Justin is personable and professional and speaks with authority on a topic he knows intimately.
Response from the owner: Thanks Jim for taking the time to provide a wonderful review. It was a pleasure having you and the team on the course. You've got a great team behind you so I look forward to hearing about your successes in the future as you roll out some of the new initiatives. - Justin
Justin offers such a wealth of knowledge and skills that can be applied to leaders in any business. Thank you Justin!
Response from the owner: Thanks Sam, was great to meet you on the Introduction to Contact Centre Managers course! Looking forward to staying connected and hearing about future successes with your career.
Response from the owner: Thanks Dirk for attending the Introduction to Contact Centre Managers course. Good luck with your new business venture!
We have done a few training courses now through Justin and the CX Group.In these sessions the facilitator has been Dan Ord and Dans knowledge of the Contact Centre world is second to none. This was great for us as we attended as a team to ensure that the training that we received was able to be applied across my entire management team and also allowed me to drive the right outcomes based on Dan, Marcus and Justins advice and guidance.The best thing about this is that this was not one of those courses that you attend and then nothing more is said or done with this. . . Dan/Justin offer their email address so if you come up with additional questions later that you want guidance on you can ask and they are more than willing to assist.Dan, Marcus and Justin thanks for facilitating this training and we will sure be intouch for other training courses that we would like to run through the CX Group.Bec Goss
Response from the owner: Wow, thanks Bec! It's been great to spend some time with the Digicall Assist team and it's been our pleasure in helping you to continue your focus on upping the game for your customers!
This course is absolutely fundamental to anyone dealing with customer experience, the customer journey and also customer service departments. The course is packed with real life examples illustrating the 6 pillars of customer experience! Dan shares all his knowledge and expertise freely and with great love and enthusiasm for the subject matter!
Response from the owner: Thanks Marianne, was lovely to have your input and experience in the group. Dan is certainly very passionate about CX (and also with contact centres like you!) and I think you're spot on, the examples Daniel uses really does bring the course to life and make the learnings stick!
The CX Management Fundamentals course was exceptional, a balanced blend of best in-class examples and theory . Daniel was the utmost professional, sharing his wealth of knowledge in customer experience and contact centre management. Content was relevant and covered an array of business examples. A course that exemplifies two-way participation (no death by PowerPoint). The diverse group of attendees had the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge, which was priceless. I highly recommend this course for anyone in the customer experience realm, even beginners like me.
Response from the owner: Thanks Rachael for your lovely review and for your input throughout the course. You're right, the combination of Daniel's training and learning from others is a great way to learn and build your network - you've now got some new CX friends from the UK, Malaysia, Germany, Budapest and the USA!
I learnt a lot about CX and the course gave me clarity on the 6 main competencies. The training was fun, enjoyable, I can recommend to anyone who is passionate about the "Customer" subject. Daniel is very knowledgeable and experienced, he used real life business examples to understand both the strategic and tactical elements of CX. He also involved us which generated even more credibility.
Response from the owner: Thanks Eva for your review and recommendation! We are thrilled you enjoyed the class (even though the time zones made it a bit more challenging for you in Budapest) and we are here to help when you take the next step and sit for the CCXP exam 🙂
I could not recommend this Company highly enough, I have now done two courses with the Fantastic Dan & Marcus and have taken so much away. I want to thank everybody involved with CX Skills.
Response from the owner: Thanks Rory, appreciate you taking the time to send us in a review!
Game-changing training and insight. Highly recommend CX Skills training program.
Response from the owner: Thanks so much Lee, your marketing insights also added a lot of value to the group and wish you all the best in implementing your new Quality program into the contact centre.
An absolutely fun and engaging learning session presented by Daniel. Would definitely recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks Vanessa, so glad you could join us on the How to Design a QA program for contact centres and best of luck with the implementation!
Another great course put together by Justin presented by their partners at Omnitouch, Daniel and Marcus.The "How to Design a Quality Assurance Program for Contact Centres" was extremely fitting for our organisation as we transition to a new telephony system.The course was not one of those courses where they give you the answer and a few templates sending you on your way. Daniel and Marcus take you through why an appropriate framework should take into consideration the Organisations, Mission Statement, Values and Customer Service Charter.As the session was run via Zoom, it enabled and encouraged networking opportunities not only across Australia but also with International attendees. This was a fantastic benefit as it allowed us to draw on each others lived experiences.I really encourage you all to check out the courses and information that CX Skills has to offer as they are the best place to not only continue but to also start your learning and development!
Response from the owner: Thanks Adrian, really appreciate your detailed review. Having already completed our Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course a couple of months ago it was great to have you back for this course! The QA course is certainly one of our favourites as having the right framework in place really drives everything you do in your contact centre. And as you have pointed out, just handing out a scorecard and saying 'use this' rarely works. Defining what quality is to your business is the key, and then having the right frameworks in place to ensure you drive it delivers sustainable results so we look forward to hearing your progress as you implement your program!
Justin and the team at CX Skills have gone over and above the call of duty to deliver great Customer Service training to our entire Service Centre team. The training has been high quality, delivered remotely, and Justin has been extremely flexible with necessary changes to attendees due to operational requirements. I highly recommend CX Skills to assist with your training needs.
Response from the owner: Thanks Monica for the wonderful review. It's been a pleasure working with yourself, Todd and all of your wonderful staff in delivering our Managing Difficult Customers course to your entire team.
The training provided manages to take complex sales strategies and make them easy to understand and implicate in a sales call. It provides a structure that isn’t stifled by wordy scripts and pitches, and guides consultants towards a successful outcome for both the customer and consultant.This training took efficient, tried and tested sales concepts and expand on them to not only generate higher conversion, but a more positive customer experience.Aside from the training, which was amazing, Simon - the trainer - was a pleasure to work with. He was attentive and showed a real passion and desire to enhance the trainee’s sales expertise.I would recommend CX Group to anyone who will listen!
Response from the owner: Thanks Chris for your great review and so pleased you enjoyed the Inbound Sales Professional course with Simon. And we agree, once you've learnt the structure it makes sales a much more effective and enjoyable process!
I recently attended the Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course and found it extremely useful and relevant. Daniel was extremely knowledgeable on all topics and handled questions with ease. He was a great trainer and i found the session had a great mix to suit all learning styles. I have taken so much from this course, the networking opportunities as well as the CX website and associated resources. I highly recommend attending if you are looking to better understand contact centre management regardless of what level you work at.
Response from the owner: Thanks Nicole for your wonderful review! It was great to meet you on the course and I look forward to hearing about your future successes.
Thank you team-It has certainly changed the whole perspective on how I used to see and handle the issues not just at the workplace but also in day to day life. Very practical and informative course content delivered in a very professional way. I truely recomend everyone out there to use this platform.
Response from the owner: Thank you Badri. So great to hear you loved the Managing Difficult Customers course and that the learnings have helped you in both your work and personal life!
Justin created a great call centre fundamentals program for our organisation, based on the skill gaps needed filling. Although it was at the height of the Melbourne lockdown the session was still interactive, interesting and achieved the desired result.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sarsha, was great to meet you and the team and I wish you all the best on your customer experience and call centre journey!
Really enjoyed course on handling difficult customers. I came away with a number of tools that I can use not only with customers, but also day to day life.
Response from the owner: Thanks Katherine, we loved having you on the course and thanks for sharing some of your interesting stories and examples!
Response from the owner: Thanks Linda, great to have you in our course!
Justin from CX responded promptly to my training enquiry. He heard what we wanted and we discussed best way to present this during Melbourne Lockdown. He conducted the introduction to contact centre leadership remotely with a small group. He weaved his contact centre experience with humour and activities that were appropriate and engaging. At the end each person agreed that they learnt lots and were going to apply at least one thing back in their role. I would highly recommend CX and Justin for training and support.
Response from the owner: Thanks Kaylee, it was a pleasure to spend some time with the team and I'm sure with that level of enthusiasm and passion your contact centre will be in good hands for the future!
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We're grateful to the following companies who have trusted CX Skills with their training. View our full customer list here >

Public and Private course delivery options

The Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course is delivered online via Zoom and is offered both publicly (anyone can purchase a ticket) and privately (just for your employees) with the differences outlined below.

Public Courses

The Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course is delivered as a single 3-hour module, enabling employees to upskill with minimal impact on your operations.

The times and dates are fixed to enable you to plan ahead, and being a public course, there will be others on the course. This provides a great way to learn and share experiences (and know you aren’t alone in the challenges dealing with retail customers!).

We typically run this course once a month, enabling you to plan ahead with rosters to reduce the impact on your business.  If you would like to have more flexibility on the dates and times or a session just for your employees, please refer to our private training options.

See upcoming available public dates at the bottom of this page!

Private Courses

Whilst the public courses can be a great way to interact with others and are perfect for small numbers, sometimes you need more flexibility with the dates and times or you’d like the benefits of training larger groups of employees within your business, as well as keeping conversations “in-house” if that is important to you.

The private course option is the same course, but with the dates and times to suit you and it’s only for your employees. And for larger groups where we can run multiple sessions on one day (i.e. 2 x 3-hour sessions for two different groups), onsite training is an option!

We can also add/delete modules or focus on different elements important to your business.

Contact us about a private training course >

Pricing and Payment Options

The Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course is just $268 per person ex GST for 3 hours of live, facilitated learning with Australia’s leading Customer Service trainer, Simon Blair.

Select the preferred public course date at the bottom of this page to purchase tickets.

Payment can be made instantly using a credit card, or you can request an invoice on the checkout page (the invoice must be paid in full before the training commences).

Available discounts:

  • Save 15%  when booking for three or more staff in the same transaction (note: the discount will be applied on the final checkout page, and no other discounts apply).
  • ACXPA Members save 25% off all CX Skills courses, including this one! Learn more > (no other discounts apply)
  • Want to train all your retail employees? We offer volume discounts for training large teams. Contact us for customised pricing and availability.
Shop assistant serving a customer with a smile.

Purchase a ticket to a public Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course

All the publicly available Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course are listed below – click on your preferred date to purchase tickets.

Tickets can be purchased using a credit card or you can request invoice payment on the checkout page.

If you have larger numbers (typically more than 6) and would like more flexibility with dates and times, contact us for pricing and availability on a private course.

We'll continue to add more public course dates throughout the year!

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Private Bookings are available for this course – contact us for further information.

Do you have questions about the Retail Sales & Customer Service Essentials course?

Do you want to discuss private training for your whole team?

Contact us on +61 3 9008 7287 between 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Melbourne, Australia (AEST or AEDT) Monday to Friday or send us a message anytime >

Want to Save 25% off ALL CX Skills Courses and gain access to industry best practices?

Members of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) save a massive 25% off ALL CX Skills courses for a full 12 months!

With annual memberships starting from just $35 per employee, it can be a great way to save money immediately on your training, plus, you'll gain access to a vast array of best-practice resources to improve your customer experience.