Academy Training Group

SDF course happening on the 18-22 April.

Few delegates that attanded the SDF course

Education has more value than any amount can bare.

Last Opportunity to register for the SDF course which takes place on the 29th of February until the 4th of March. Save 10% on this final discount offer and pay only R7990 for the SDF Course.

Academy Training Group would like to wish all students currently busy with exams the best of luck. Go forth and prosper!

Fun Training, Happy Faces

Chanel du Plessis's Page Chanel du Plessis's Page on Skills-Universe

Customer Service Excellence
All businesses rely on their employees to provide good customer service in order for the business to succeed. Unfortunately good customer service is lacking in most companies. Before you can develop your customer service skills, you need to have a thorough understanding of what good customer service is.
Good customer service is defined as maintaining a reputation of doing things right the first time and to make the effort to ensure that customers are more than just satisfied with the services that they receive. Pleasing all customers might seem unrealistic, impossible even, especially when giving customers exactly what they want because giving them everything that they want is impossible. The real challenge involves telling them “no” but in such a way that they are still happy with the service they received. Customer service in these situations entails listening with empathy and providing options and alternatives.
The Customer’s Perspective on Customer Service:
An unsatisfied customer is likely to:
• Complain
• Go Elsewhere
• Tell Others
All of which will cost the company money. Customers can be difficult and add considerably to an employee’s stress levels. A helpful thought to always remember is, they are your income. If customers shop elsewhere and tell others that they had a bad experience at a particular organisation, that organisation will suffer and lose money. In a worst case scenario, the business will fail.
Employees who offer good customer service inevitably get a reward for their hard work. Their jobs become more enjoyable and less stressful. In addition they are valued more by their employers.
What leads to bad customer service?
• Employees who do not know how to deal with difficult customers, or the employee/s who do not want the responsibility of dealing with customers, solving problems or making decisions.
• Managers and supervisors who would rather protect their positions, instead of empowering their staff.
• Employers or business owners who put quantity before quality.
• Failure of management to provide adequate and on-going training and mentoring to customer service staff.
• Failure of management, employers and business owners to recognise the implications of increasing global competition and the need to improve the way they conduct business.
• Failure to reach what customers expect and desire.
• Failure to investigate customer complaints.
• Failure to act quickly to restore customer trust and loyalty following a complaint.
• Failure to recognise that management’s negative attitudes towards staff can adversely affect staff performance.
The first step in good customer service is to identify the customer’s needs. Identifying customer expectations makes it possible to develop an action plan to meet those expectations. When the customer’s needs are known and fully understood it becomes easier to provide the service that they expect and fulfil their wishes.
Barriers to excellent customer service can cost your organisation in terms of lost customers. Train staff and managers on customer service excellence to ensure that, barriers between employees and customers don’t develop.

Academy Training Group offers an exceptional course on customer service excellence. Delegates who successfully complete the course will be able to:
Understand Customer Service
• Topic 1A: Describe Customer Service
• Topic 1B: Identify Customer Expectations
• Topic 1C: Commit Yourself to Providing Excellent Customer Service

Focus on the Customer
• Topic 2A: Create a Positive First Impression
• Topic 2B: Identify and Help Meet the Customer’s Needs
• Topic 2C: Create a Positive Last Impression

Handle Complaints
• Topic 3A: Make it Easy for Customers to Complain
• Topic 3B: Resolve the Problem
• Topic 3C: Cope with Upset and Difficult Customers

Deliver Excellent Customer Service on the Telephone
• Topic 4A: Answer the Telephone
• Topic 4B: Project a Positive Image Using Your Voice
• Topic 4C: Transfer Calls
• Topic 4D: Take Meaningful Messages

Cope with Stress
• Topic 5A: Describe Stress
• Topic 5B: Take Preventative Measures
• Topic 5C: Overcome Stress

• For further information regarding the course content, costs, dates and bookings, please contact :
• Chanel, (012) 993 4237. Email: [email protected]
• Zama, (012) 993 5676. Email: [email protected]

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to know, identify, manage and control your own emotions as well as the emotions of others.
There are four branches of Emotional Intelligence namely:
• Perceiving Emotions: Perceiving emotions might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions.
• Reasoning with Emotions: Use emotions to improve thinking. Emotions prioritize what we pay attention to and how we react to specific situations.
• Understanding Emotions: The emotions we encounter on a daily basis can have a wide variety of meanings. It is important that the person perceiving someone else’s emotions identify the type of emotion (anger, sadness, joy) as well as the cause.
• Managing Emotions: Managing emotions effectively is a crucial part of emotional intelligence. Controlling and effectively managing emotional reactions is vital to avoid unpleasant situations. Responding appropriately to the emotions of others is an important aspect in emotional maturity.
A recent study that was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology looked at the results of 36 separate pieces of research into the relationship between self-reported Emotional Intelligence and job performance with an overall data set from 2,168 employed adults. Thanks to a bit of number crunching, the authors were able to conclude that there is a strong correlation between Emotional Intelligence and job performance. They found that there were 7 traits that made the difference to performance.
These 7 traits are said to make a person emotionally intelligent:
• Emotional Stability: Emotionally stable individuals are easier to work with in the sense that they don’t allow their emotions to cloud their judgement; they don’t lose their temper easily and therefore can avoid toxic confrontations in the workplace. These individuals have a higher tolerance for stress and working under pressure without cracking.
• Conscientiousness: Conscientious individuals have the personality trait of being thorough, careful and vigilant. This implies a desire to succeed and finish tasks well, instead of being aloof and disorderly.
• Extraversion: Extroverts have an easier time of communicating with colleagues and forming bonds in the workplace.
• Ability Emotional Intelligence: This refers to an individual’s ability to express emotions, empathise and reason using emotions.
• Cognitive Ability: Cognitive ability affects an individual’s ability to solve problems and adapt to their environment, which in turn boosts Emotional Intelligence and performance.
• General Self Efficacy: An individual’s belief in his/her own ability to succeed in specific situations and accomplish tasks. People with this view are far more likely to have developed the social skills for maintaining this positive self image.
• Self Rated Job Performance: Several of the questions used to measure Emotional Intelligence during job interviews and performance appraisals seem to tap into people’s view of their own performance (e.g. Q: How would you rate your own performance? A: “Given the time crunch I think I did very well in completing the task before the deadline”) (Q: “What are your strong points?” A: “I work well in group situations.”)
Emotional Intelligence is not about wanting to be liked or to have many friends. Individuals who have a high emotional intelligence want to succeed, control their emotions and take charge of situations others might find difficult to control.
Emotional Intelligence is not something that you are born with and that you either have or don’t have. By building on your good, strong qualities it is possible to achieve a respected level of emotional intelligence and maturity.
Companies, corporations and organisations (government and others) need employees and leaders who are strong, emotionally stable and level headed. Unfortunately many who weren’t born with natural leadership instincts don’t possess the necessary skills to build on their emotional maturity.

Academy Training Group offers individuals and/or companies and corporations an opportunity to build on the emotional intelligence of its employees and supervisors by, enrolling for an Emotional Intelligence course, that will equip the students with the necessary skills to achieve their highest potential by becoming Emotionally Intelligent professionals who are able to work under pressure, keep calm in difficult situations, diffuse tension and empathise with the emotions of others.

For more information regarding this course, please contact:
• Chanel du Plessis: 012 993 4237, [email protected]
• Zama Mudau: 012 993 5676, [email protected]
• Pieter Vermaak: 076 673 5595, [email protected]

Last Skills Development Facilitator For 2015
5 Days @ R8900.
19-23 October 2015

What we offer:

We have an excellent, interactive Skills Development Facilitator Course scheduled from 19-23 October 2015 at our college in Kempton Park. Our course includes Certification and Registration with the ETDP Seta and requires 6 weeks portfolio building after the initial contact session.

Background:

What is Skills Development Facilitation?

It is the Skills Development Facilitator's responsibility to ensure that the skills development plan is followed and properly administrated. They should also implement a quality management system (QMS) for skills development practices in an organization. The responsibility of a Skills Development Facilitator is great and thus they need to meet a high standard of criteria.


What will I learn?

Academy Training Group's Skills Development Facilitator course will equip learners with the required knowledge and skills to:
• Identify training needs,
• Draw up Work Place Skills Plans and Annual Training Reports and
Implement Quality Management Systems in an organization

What can I do after the training?
• This service will be of particular interest to companies that do not yet have an in-house SDF to fulfill this function.
Course Detail:

Course Name: Skills Development Facilitator
• 5 Day Workshop
• 6 Unit Standards Covered: [15217.15218.15221.15227.15228.15232]
• 6 Weeks To Complete Portfolio of Evidence
• Assessment Included
• Registration with ETDP SETA
• Statement of Results
• Course Report
• Certification upon course completion
NQF Level: 4, 5 & 6
Dates: 19-23 October 2015
Venue: ATG Campus - Kempton Park
Price: R8900

Training Method:

Our professional and bespoke training courses are designed to deliver maximum benefits in the key areas for your business; they are delivered with confidence, measured for performance and most importantly tailored to your requirements.

ATG is well known for providing on-site development programmes and coaching for line managers. Our training specialists design on the job training activities, action learning courses, external training courses and pragmatic workshops on a daily basis.

We look forward to accompanying you on your journey to a better educated future.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further information and we will be happy to assist you.

Project Management Fundamentals
Project Management is one of the vital skills needed to succeed in today’s modern corporate environment. Project Management is a very rewarding discipline, but also a very demanding one. In any business or career journal you will find project management at or near the top. It’s one of the “hottest” careers at the moment.
Managing everyday tasks is different from Managing Projects, although these two are often confused.
Project Management involves planning, organising, scheduling, leading, communicating and controlling work activities to achieve a pre-defined outcome on time and within the budget. Because of the complexity of Project Management, managers need to use special management tools to help control the risk. Controlling risks is an important part of project management.
How does managing projects differ from regular management?
If you manage ongoing work, you can predict, based on experience, how much time, money and equipment are required to complete the work.
If you are a project manager you can’t rely solely on experience because every project is unique. That makes project management riskier than regular management. There are no absolute rules for predicting how much time, money and equipment you will be needed to complete the project successfully. There is always an element of risk involved in any project. The role of the project manager is to minimise, control and manage these risks.
Even though all projects are unique, they all progress through the same phases:
• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Project Close-out
Another thing to remember, as a project manager, you will need to tolerate ambiguity. Your project has never been done before, now it’s up to you to decide how your team will reach their goal. You have to step up and lead them to success!
Remember, the basic criteria for success on every project are:
• On Time
• Within Budget
• High Quality (satisfying or exceeding customer quality expectations)
All the information needed to succeed as a project manager might seem like a colossal mountain of information, but it is completely possible if you are dedicated and work hard.
At Academy Training Group we have an excellent Project Management Fundamentals and Project Management Fundamentals Teams course to equip you with all the necessary skills you will need to succeed. The two courses are combined, presented together and lasts a total of three days. Included in the package:
• Training Materials
• Feedback Report
• Assessment
• P.O.E Building
• ATG Certificate of competence
Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for bookings and further assistance.

Project Management Fundamentals
Project Management is one of the vital skills needed to succeed in today’s modern corporate environment. Project Management is a very rewarding discipline, but also a very demanding one. In any business or career journal you will find project management at or near the top. It’s one of the “hottest” careers at the moment.
Managing everyday tasks is different from Managing Projects, although these two are often confused.
Project Management involves planning, organising, scheduling, leading, communicating and controlling work activities to achieve a pre-defined outcome on time and within the budget. Because of the complexity of Project Management, managers need to use special management tools to help control the risk. Controlling risks is an important part of project management.
How does managing projects differ from regular management?
If you manage ongoing work, you can predict, based on experience, how much time, money and equipment are required to complete the work.
If you are a project manager you can’t rely solely on experience because every project is unique. That makes project management riskier than regular management. There are no absolute rules for predicting how much time, money and equipment you will be needed to complete the project successfully. There is always an element of risk involved in any project. The role of the project manager is to minimise, control and manage these risks.
Even though all projects are unique, they all progress through the same phases:
• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Project Close-out
Another thing to remember, as a project manager, you will need to tolerate ambiguity. Your project has never been done before, now it’s up to you to decide how your team will reach their goal. You have to step up and lead them to success!
Remember, the basic criteria for success on every project are:
• On Time
• Within Budget
• High Quality (satisfying or exceeding customer quality expectations)
All the information needed to succeed as a project manager might seem like a colossal mountain of information, but it is completely possible if you are dedicated and work hard.
At Academy Training Group we have an excellent Project Management Fundamentals and Project Management Fundamentals Teams course to equip you with all the necessary skills you will need to succeed. The two courses are combined, presented together and lasts a total of three days. Included in the package:
• Training Materials
• Feedback Report
• Assessment
• P.O.E Building
• ATG Certificate of competence
Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for bookings and further assistance.

Project Management Fundamentals
Project Management is one of the vital skills needed to succeed in today’s modern corporate environment. Project Management is a very rewarding discipline, but also a very demanding one. In any business or career journal you will find project management at or near the top. It’s one of the “hottest” careers at the moment.
Managing everyday tasks is different from Managing Projects, although these two are often confused.
Project Management involves planning, organising, scheduling, leading, communicating and controlling work activities to achieve a pre-defined outcome on time and within the budget. Because of the complexity of Project Management, managers need to use special management tools to help control the risk. Controlling risks is an important part of project management.
How does managing projects differ from regular management?
If you manage ongoing work, you can predict, based on experience, how much time, money and equipment are required to complete the work.
If you are a project manager you can’t rely solely on experience because every project is unique. That makes project management riskier than regular management. There are no absolute rules for predicting how much time, money and equipment you will be needed to complete the project successfully. There is always an element of risk involved in any project. The role of the project manager is to minimise, control and manage these risks.
Even though all projects are unique, they all progress through the same phases:
• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Project Close-out
Another thing to remember, as a project manager, you will need to tolerate ambiguity. Your project has never been done before, now it’s up to you to decide how your team will reach their goal. You have to step up and lead them to success!
Remember, the basic criteria for success on every project are:
• On Time
• Within Budget
• High Quality (satisfying or exceeding customer quality expectations)
All the information needed to succeed as a project manager might seem like a colossal mountain of information, but it is completely possible if you are dedicated and work hard.
At Academy Training Group we have an excellent Project Management Fundamentals and Project Management Fundamentals Teams course to equip you with all the necessary skills you will need to succeed. The two courses are combined, presented together and lasts a total of three days. Included in the package:
• Training Materials
• Feedback Report
• Assessment
• P.O.E Building
• ATG Certificate of competence
Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for bookings and further assistance.