Service First Training & Consulting

27/06/2022

More than a decade ago, Armenia made chess a required subject in school because it teaches kids how to think and cope with failure.

25/02/2022

THERE IS A SEAT WAITING FOR YOU AT WORKPLACE EDUCATION!

Leadership Level 1 - Communication Skills for Today’s Workplace

Sponsored by the Strait Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Labour, Skills, and Immigration.
• Must be a resident of Nova Scotia
• Participants must be employed or self-employed
• Seasonal employees eligible to participate
• 40-hour classes over 10 weeks - Classes on Zoom. Requirement - Microphone and camera to participate. Link for a class is sent to participants from the instructor.
• Provincial Certificate provided upon successful completion of the program
Wednesdays –Next Class March 2 - 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Topics
• Communication styles
• Best Practices in workplace
communication
• Navigating a multi-generational
workplace
• Difficult conversations
• Team development of your work teams
• Setting and achieving goals
• And More!

Register today! Contact Lorna at Service First Training & Consulting – [email protected]

03/02/2022

WINTER TRAINING! SEATS STILL AVAILABLE! LAST CALL!
Courses sponsored by Northern Opportunities for Business Ltd and the Department of Labour, Skills, and Immigration
• Must be a resident of Nova Scotia
• Participants must be employed or self-employed
• 40-hour classes - 10 weeks - 4 hours wkly - Classes on Zoom
Requirement - Microphone and camera to participate
• Courses are at No Cost for participants
• Provincial Certificate provided upon successful completion of
course!
Tuesdays – Starting February 8, 2022 - 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Leadership Level 1 - Communication Skills for Today’s Workplace
Topics
• Communication styles
• Best Practices in workplace communication
• Navigating a multi-generational workplace
• Difficult conversations, Teams and more!
Register Now - Click Link or Image Below!
https://bit.ly/3HpePW9

I wanted to pass along a little note about Lynn! She is amazing! She is a great teacher, I have learned accounting three times now and this is the first time I actually understand what I am doing and have the confidence to do it. She was approachable and eager to help. I am so thankful for these cou...

29/12/2021

STARTING JANUARY 2022!
Courses sponsored by Northern Opportunities for Business Ltd and the Department of Labour, Skills, and Immigration
Sponsored by Northern Opportunities for Business Ltd and the Department of Labour, Skills, and Immigration
Must be a resident of Nova Scotia
Participants must be employed or self-employed
40-hour classes over 10 weeks
Courses are at No Cost for participants
Provincial Certificate provided upon successful completion of the program!

Course Offerings by Service First Training & Consulting.
Click the link to Sign Up
Mondays - Starting January 17, 2022 - 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Customer Service Excellence in a Multigenerational Marketplace https://bit.ly/3pIV71D

Mondays - Starting January 17, 2022 – 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Performance Management - for Supervisors, Managers, Business Owners/Operators https://bit.ly/3JpLcpb

Tuesdays - Starting January 18, 2022 - 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Leadership Level 1 - Communication Skills for Today’s Workplace https://bit.ly/3HpePW9

Wednesdays - Starting January 19, 2022, - 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM: Leadership Level 2 - Skills for Leadership and Communication in Today’s Workplace - Pre-Requisite - Communications Skills - Level I program certificate https://bit.ly/3pAe5HB

Thursdays - Starting January 20, 2022 - 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Essential Skills in Human Resources https://bit.ly/3mHxLHs

Sign Up Today!

Northern Opportunities for Business Limited (NOBL) was formed in 1986 as Pictou County Business Opportunities Limited to actively promote, encourage, and assist economic development in our geographic area . Our mandate was set at that time and continues today.

14/06/2021

There is so much to see in Nova Scotia. Here are 10 suggestions. Name your favorite place to visit in Nova Scotia?

Looking for Nova Scotia road trip ideas? Instead of heading to Halifax or Lunenburg check out some of the smaller towns and villages in Nova Scotia that have...

17/04/2021

A Zoom meeting sometimes.

When a 2nd grade teacher at Parkland Elementary in Texas lost internet and left of her virtual classroom, her students realized the conversation was being re...

07/04/2021

I have three seats left for the Leadership Skills Level 1 program. Starts from Tuesday, April 13 to June 15, 5:30 -9:30pm. Certificate at end of the program. Programs are at no cost to participants. Sign up today!

I have been a business owner operator for over 30 years and was a bit nervous taking the Leadership 1 course, now I am waiting for the 2nd level of this course to be offered. It has opened a new way of thinking for me. For example In the business world we have difficult conversations, generational g...

31/03/2021

Service First Training & Consulting

Training from the comfort of home or office. Easy set up for participants. Just click the link sent to you each week.

Course length: 10 weeks, 4 hours each class. No registration fees.

Participants must be employed or self-employed. To receive the provincial certificate, participants must attend 80% of the classes.

Register Today!
1. Essential Skills in Human Resources – Templates and processes from job descriptions to hiring.
Wednesday April 7 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Click the link to Sign Up https://bit.ly/3mcTKEL

2. Performance Management – A great next step program for anyone who completed the HR Essentials program. Templates and tools for managing employee performance in your business.
Monday, April 12 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Click the link to Sign Up https://bit.ly/3sA3dbH

3. Leadership Level 1 Communication Skills – Working with various communication styles, triangulation in the workplace, difficult conversations, five generations, attracting Millennial employees, employee goal setting.
Tuesday, April 13 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Click the link to Sign Up https://bit.ly/3rIPZbk

These programs are financially supported by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education and sponsored by CBDC NOBL.

"The course content has been very applicable to staff training requirements for our small business, and in combination with the scheduling flexibility and cost, I highly recommend Workplace Education training for employee skills development. Our staff was implementing the skills obtained from Workpl...

03/03/2021

If you are feeling like the day is a fog, you may not be far off on your observation. Have a read.

Happiness and well-being columnist Jennifer Moss looks at how, after a year of enduring pandemic stress, brain fog may be clouding your thoughts.

01/01/2021

Happy New Year from Service First Training & Consulting!!
May 2021 be kinder, safer, and vaccinated!!

10/09/2020

Attention Pictou County and Surrounding Areas!!
Workplace Education Programs start the week of September 21!

ON-LINE training from the comfort of your office or home.
Training funded by the Government of Nova Scotia, Department of Labour and Advanced Education.
Classes will use Zoom technology. Easy set up for participants.
Courses are 10 weeks, 4 hours each class.
To register go to the website links at end of the course description.

Essential Skills in Human Resources – For supervisors, managers, business owners, or those who have human resource responsibilities in any type of operation.

The course will cover these topics
• Staffing Strategy - Identifying your HR needs for now and for the future
• Job Descriptions -Templates and tips. You will create a job description for a position in your organization
• Hiring Process - Designing job postings. Interview questions. How to select the right candidate.
• Performance Management System - Goal setting, appraisals, discipline, termination, exit interviews
• Human Resource Best Practices
o Personnel files
o Employee orientation at hire
o Policies and procedures
o Training and development
• Creating an Employee - Friendly Work Culture
• Succession planning - Being prepared And more!

Starts Monday, September 21
Time: 8:30am -12:30pm, 10 weeks online using Zoom
Register Today! http://noblbusinessskills.ca/labour-and-advanced-education-workplace-cluster-programs/virtual-classes-fall-2020/course-calendar/essential-skills-in-human-resources/?date=2020-09-21

Customer Service Excellence – For frontline staff, managers, operators, owners. This program is for community organizations and businesses of all sectors.

The course will cover these topics
• Who is your customer? Creating your customer profile
• Building a superior customer service culture
• Identifying moments of truth – Service standards, surveys and evaluations.
• Navigating difficult customer situations -7 types of difficult customers
• Phrases to use and avoid in customer service.
• Email techniques for effective communication with customers
• Customer service strategies for across the generations. And more!

Starts Monday, September 21
Time: 5:30am - 9:30pm, 10 weeks online using Zoom
This program will be delivered online using Zoom.
Register Today! http://noblbusinessskills.ca/labour-and-advanced-education-workplace-cluster-programs/virtual-classes-fall-2020/course-calendar/customer-service-excellence/?date=2020-09-21

To qualify, participants must be employed or self-employed in Nova Scotia, and must confirm how they will use the skills in their work / business.
Programs are at no cost to the participant.
A certificate from the Department of Labour and Advanced Education is awarded at the successful completion of the program.
Programs are sponsored by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, Workplace Education in partnership with NOBL /CBDC.

Northern Opportunities for Business Limited (NOBL) was formed in 1986 as Pictou County Business Opportunities Limited to actively promote, encourage, and assist economic development in our geographic area . Our mandate was set at that time and continues today.

05/06/2020

A powerful message for all of us today.

What if our global mindset was refocused on the transcendent concept of Ubuntu — the African philosophy that represents the power of human connectedness, kin...

04/06/2020

In this world of making a difference, being the best, self fulfilling, being number 1 maybe we need to set back and look at this statement and start our day differently. This comes from Tiny Budda.

31/05/2020

An excellent article to ponder on this Sunday and start considering tomorrow on Monday. Have a great day.

Despite turbulence and other conditions keeping airplanes off course 90 percent of flight time, most flights arrive in the correct destination at the intended time.

29/05/2020

https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/leadership-skills-managers-covid-19.html?cid=sf01002&fbclid=IwAR1yioegMw62mZKO7YfuquEFBH_2QZV5AuR0zqiYMmII987eRMkAhYfNVTk

29/05/2020

Preparing for a Moment of Truth
In yesterday’s post, I introduced the Moments of Truth in Customer Service. A moment of truth is any time the customer comes in contact with any aspect of your business.

That moment includes your website, online reservation process, buying process, product knowledge of staff, warranties, and communication, even the table display and ambiance as in a restaurant. Each time the public connects with any aspect of a business is your moment of truth.

Take the time to create and invest in a strong website and social media presence. If you are uncomfortable with the technology, do some research to understand the marketing mediums, then contact various website/social media businesses, ask lots of questions and get quotes for that company to create your website.

An article by SWEOR states, “It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave.”
Your website needs to be simple and organized. Invest in the money to get a website that works for your business and your audience.

A website is like a billboard on the highway. Your billboard is one of the many billboards along that highway. Make sure it stands out.

Next time we will look at the people that represent your company. Your staff.

Definitely Moments of Truth! Have a great weekend!

27/05/2020

Moments of Truth

Each time we connect with a customer we enter into a Moment of Truth. What is a moment of truth?

It is any time the customer comes into contact with any aspect of your business.

A moment of truth can be how you respond to a customer’s inquiry. A moment of truth may be a faulty link to your website. It may be a shopping experience that went well or not so well. A moment of truth may be how staff address a customer’s complaint. A moment of truth may be the customer’s frustration of complicated directions or warranties. A moment of truth maybe you or a staff member not getting back to the customer.

As a business owner, operator, or service provider you need to daily assess your moments of truth.

Does your product or service work as described? Is there easy access for assistance to fix an issue?

Do your staff know your store layout to go directly to that aisle without taking customers around the whole store? Do they really know and understand the products and services of your business? Do you invest in training well after the orientation even when staff may be hired as part-time or seasonal?

The moment of truth can also be product efficiency and effectiveness. Is the product doing what it is supposed to do? Is the product breaking down? Is the product as easy to use as was promoted before purchase?

These are just some of the questions we need to ask and answer as business owners. What is happening? Is it working? What is not happening? What needs to be done to fix it? Those are your moments of truth.

How many steps does your customer have to climb to get to the real service?

More on my next post on Thursday.

26/05/2020

During this time of COVID 19, service providers introduced service processes to give safe service for customers and to protect their staff. Here in Nova Scotia there have been many examples of businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs giving customer service above the call of duty. Here are some examples.

One of the first that rose to the pandemic was the food industry. Our grocery stores adapted very quickly putting in place safety measures including limiting the number of customers in a store at one time, greeters at the front entrance giving directions, and passing to us a clean and sanitized shopping cart as we enter the store.

We are now familiar with the routine of using a signage and arrow system looking to the floor to keep on our route. At the check-out, front end employees process our orders and sanitize the counter space for the next customer for a safe customer experience. When we leave the store we sanitize our hands with portable handwashing stations.

In the restaurant industry many restaurants transformed their dining rooms into safe, no-touch pickup zones, some offering drive-thru or curbside pickup for the first time.

Farmers' markets created a system to place online orders and scheduled pick-ups on the market day. Customers drive up, tell or post their name and order number on a sheet of paper on their car window, pop the vehicle trunk where the order is placed in the trunk of the car and the customer drives away completing their shopping experience.

Garden centres are open for telephone orders, online shopping, and appointments. Staff members help us with our purchase and we get to our gardens where we complete our spring planning and planting in record speed.

Hairstylists receive frantic calls from their clients of grey showing and respond with emergency customized touch up kits for drop off delivery or pick up to help those clients get them through those weeks of no visit to the salon.

Flower shops receive phone orders or online orders and flowers are placed at the front of the store for easy pick-up. The owner meets us from the other side of the window with a wave, smile, and thanking us for our business.

For vehicle servicing, my Honda dealer/service had me drop off the keys in a dropbox, they sanitized the vehicle before driving into the bay area, work was completed and then returned my vehicle to the parking lot with a final sanitization of the vehicle and I was good to go. The payment was an easy telephone conversation and I spoke with someone that day outside of my four walls.

Businesses and services are creating innovative and personalized customer service experiences while abiding by the present COVID19 regulations. And we are appreciating that service during this challenging time.

What has been your Awesome pandemic customer service these past few months? Or as a business what are you doing to ensure your customers are taken care of during the pandemic? Let us know with your comments below!

20/05/2020

20/05/2020

Leadership always starts with great communication, so amazing bosses use these phrases daily.

20/05/2020

20/05/2020

Which statement would motivate you the most in the workplace?
https://www.inc.com/elle-kaplan/8-things-exceptional-bosses-constantly-tell-their-employees.html?cid=sf01002&sr_share=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3pAOJhqjMDbxQ77oEMacO1cSmhM9c1spCEtZ4K1QmpHLk40pwLx8A_3iY

Leadership always starts with great communication, so amazing bosses use these phrases daily.

06/05/2020

06/05/2020

24/01/2020

Business Programs - Provincial certificate on completion

Openings are are still available for the following 3 classes in Antigonish.

Essential Skills in Human Resources - Job postings, interview techniques, performance appraisals, discipline processes. Monday mornings 8:30am to 12:20pm

Building Stronger Workplace Relationships - Communication styles, difficult conversations, goal setting, developing work teams, generations. Monday afternoons 1:00-5:00pm

Customer Service Excellence - Service standards, service evaluations,7 types of challenging customers, phrases to use and avoid in customer service. Monday evenings 5:30-9:30pm

Openings are still available In Pictou County.

Essential Skills in Human Resources - Job postings, interview techniques, performance appraisals, discipline processes. Tuesday mornings 8:30am to 12:30pm

Sign up Today! Contact Lorna at 902-301-2752 or email [email protected]

Participants must be employed or self-employed and will use the skills in their work.
Programs are sponsored by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, Workplace Education in partnership with CBDC/NOBL.

20/08/2019

September is coming and so are the training opportunities at NOBL - Seats are limited. Register soon!

Workplace Training Courses will be starting soon!!

These programs are offered by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education and NOBL.

The programs are 40 hour courses that take place over 10 weeks. There is not a fee to take these courses.

Persons wishing to take part in Workplace education training MUST be employed or self-employed, as per the provincial guidelines.

Want to see which courses we have available?

Antigonish - https://bit.ly/2wEeptG
Colchester - https://bit.ly/2EeoGRi
Pictou County - https://bit.ly/2veWCG6

Or contact Shannon Bouchie - [email protected] for more information.

20/05/2019

Preparing for a class about today's communication. Watch Simon Sinek : How Do Cell Phones Impact Our Relationships. Let me know what you think? Could you do this in the workplace? the classroom? Or your family?