Optivation training helps build better work environment

Optivation will be offering a pair of courses meant to help managers and front-line workers build a better work environment. The organization is offering a three-part customer service course in Park Rapids beginning Sept. 12, and a two-part course on multi-generational work environments in Bemidji beginning Sept. 13.

Customer Service Series
Optivation’s Customer Service Series is a nine-hour course delivered in three, three-hour segments from 9 a.m.-noon on Sept. 12, Sept. 19, and Sept. 25. The class will be held in the Small Conference Room in the Park Rapids Area Library.

The training series will focus on learning who your customers are, what they want, and determine how to meet their expectations. It will offer best practices in communicating with customers, sending messages you want customers to hear, and overcoming the obstacles that difficult customers may present. Session One will discuss how to establish a vision for building customer relationships, effective language and use of questions, and how to conclude customer interactions. The second session will cover ways to establish a professional image in the environment, culture and appearance of a business, and ways to communicate professionally via telephone, email, social media and other ways of communicating when you can’t see your customer face-to-face. Finally, the third session will cover a variety of topics related to best practices for dealing with difficult customers, learning what they really want, and strategies for turning disgruntled customers into loyal, repeat customers.

An IMPACT 20/20 grant allows this course to be offered at a reduced registration fee of $99. To register, visit http://bit.ly/ONQdqZ. Early registration is highly encouraged.

Generations in the Workplace
Optivation’s six-hour Generations in the Workplace training will be held in a pair of three-hour sessions from 9 a.m.-noon on Sept. 12 and Sept. 20. The class will be held in room 315 at Northwest Technical College.

Understanding generational differences is a crucial skill for managers in today’s work environment. Generations in the Workplace will help participants better understand themselves and others in a workplace filled with different communication styles, priorities, loyalties and work ethics. The concepts can be applied to professional organizations, in the home and to life in general. The first session will focus on understanding oneself, including examinations of the reasons behind the ways people may think or act. It also will include an examination of each of the four generations represented in today’s workplace, which generation course participants fit into, and case examinations. The second session will focus on understanding others, including tips and best practices for generational-based communications and the role generational issues can play in team-building and employee retention.

An IMPACT 20/20 grant allows this course to be offered at a reduced registration fee of $79. To register, visit http://bit.ly/PUWvV0. Early registration is highly encouraged.

Optivation is a joint venture of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College offering custom training solutions and non-credit courses in on-site, online and blended formats. For more information, contact Kerry Ross at (218) 755-4902, or visit optivation.org.