An Employee Product
Manual Provides a
Customer Service Advantage
A product manual is a quick reference for employees to use. It gives them information about each product you have and enables them to provide better service to customers. Here are a few ways you can use and benefit from such a manual:
- Use it to train new employees on product knowledge.
- Review product information with existing employees. Run a question of the week or month. When they find the answer in the manual and submit it, they win a small prize or have their name put in a drawing for a larger prize.
- Train employees to use it as a "ready" reference for customer questions. When a customer asks about a particular product, instead of saying, "I don't know," the employee can refer to the manual.
Parts of a Manual
If you look at product manuals, their format varies. The following gives you an idea of what you might include for each product:
- A brief description of the product.
- A listing of product features and the resulting benefits.
- Pricing.
- Product specifications.
- Delivery options or time.
- Any notes specific to this product.
Use Your Manual
Use your manual and encourage your employees to do the same. Make sure someone is assigned to regularly update it. Use it for reference when writing copy for marketing materials.
A product manual isn't strictly a marketing tool. It's a customer service tool too. Nothing tarnishes your image more, than having employees who are unable to answer basic product questions. Make sure you have communicated to employees your expectation for them to be able to discuss any product. Train them. And provide a manual detailing each of your products in an easily accessible location.
Sample Product Manual Pages
Because they typically have so many pages, I haven't included an entire manual. Instead, you'll find a link to two sample pages from a bank's manual. You can use this same format for your own.
Sample Page - Online Banking
Sample Page - Checking
