Over 800 delighted clients since 1993
Customer Service Training That Sticks
We help your team to listen, accept, and respond with empathy. Make customer service an opportunity instead of a cost.
Turn customer service into an opportunity, not a cost
Imagine a team that can respond to customers with confidence, flexibility, and genuine connection. The real advantage in customer service isn’t a script or a rulebook—it’s the ability to observe, adapt, and respond in the moment.
We use improv to strengthen the skills that matter most:
Focused listening
Accepting and adapting to circumstances
Empathy for customers
Supporting teammates and making one another look good
Letting go of rigid roles and roadblocks
Sharing mistakes—and moving past them
Practicing Yes, And… to build solutions
Stepping in where needed without waiting for direction
Seeing the bigger picture and acting accordingly
As your team builds these skills, they also build trust and connection with each other—leading to higher engagement, stronger performance, and better retention.
Why we use improv
We take the core principles of improv—listening, adaptability, support, creativity—and uses them as hands-on tools for workplace learning.
Our training is:
Active, not passive
Inclusive and psychologically safe. There is no performing!
Designed for every team member
Easy to understand and immediately applicable to business
Applied improv builds team habits that make communication better, collaboration easier, and work more enjoyable.
Trusted by more than 800 organizations since 1993
We’ve worked with public and private organizations, education, government, associations, churches, and more. Many companies bring us back year after year.
Free Book — Learn how to apply improv to customer service
Improvisation gives you the tools to work quickly, creatively, and confidently in a constantly changing world. This book shows you not only why improv works—but how to put it into practice.
Special content by CSz Portland’s Patrick Short.
What’s Inside:
Insights grounded in scientific research
70+ exercises to build real improv skills
Contributions from 18 improv experts worldwide
A fresh look at customer service as an opportunity—not a cost
Discover how one improv tool can transform the way you communicate, collaborate, and serve others.
Fill out the contact from below to receive your free copy of Yes And Your Customer Service.
“We built great awareness on considering the language we use and the actions we take and how they impact others. Improvisation is valuable, not just because it applies, but because it is a different way of tackling problems and opportunities.”
> Lori Bocklund, President, Strategic Contact
Ready to learn more?
What you can expect when you get in touch:
A 15-minute conversation that dives into your needs and answers your questions.
No hard sales or pressure to buy.
A simple, one-page contract (if it’s a good fit). Exciting!
Helpful information even if we’re not the right fit at this time. Consider us a resource. We love what we do.
training@cszportland.com
(503) 236-8888, ext 4
Frequently Asked Questions
-
No! There is no performing. Our training involves group exercises where nobody is singled out or put on the spot. It’s not about being clever or funny. It’s never scary or uncomfortable.
We don’t force people out of their comfort zones—we expand comfort zones.
-
Some people are skeptical of “corporate training.” Some people hear “improv” and think it’s going to be their worst nightmare. We get it.
Across 30 years and more than 800 clients, we’ve gotten very good at presenting workshops that are so fun, so insightful, and so enticing that the biggest skeptics soon jump in to learn and play. We turn doubters into enthusiastic fans.
Our professional trainers are experts at “Winning the first two minutes.” We don’t push and we don’t shame. Instead, we make it irresistible to participate.
-
We offer both in-person and Zoom-based training.
For in-person sessions, we can travel to your location, you can come to our theater in downtown Portland, or we can help you book a space.
Our Zoom-based sessions are perfect to help distributed teams connect and learn.
-
We charge based on the length of the engagement, the number of professional trainers needed for your group size, and the amount of customization required.
All pricing is transparent and quoted up front after a short discovery call. No hidden fees or gotchas.
We don’t require a deposit. You can pay the day of the event by credit card or check.
-
Yes! Clients sometimes bring us in for a learning workshop, followed by a performance by our professional improvisers. It’s a perfect engagement for an off-site event: learning + entertainment in one package.
Entertainment is always customized to your company and we take willing volunteers to assist us in our games. It’s a winning formula that works every time.
-
Improv is for everyone and we’re skilled at working with differing physical, mental, and language abilities. There is no person who will ever be made to feel like less than a full participant.
Improv teaches people to adapt. We adapt to your group and your people.
-
We are headquartered in Portland, Oregon—but our training goes wherever you are. Through CSz Worldwide and the Applied Improv Network, we deliver workshops across the United States and around the globe.
In Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, you’ll work directly with our local team. For clients elsewhere in the U.S. or internationally, we combine our Portland-based trainers with a vetted network of certified professionals to deliver the same high-quality experience anywhere in the world.
We’ve provided training in every U.S. state and in many countries worldwide.
For distributed teams, we offer fun and effective Zoom-based training for groups of any size.
-
Absolutely! Introverts love our training because it’s all about listening and observing, something that introverts are expert in. There is no performing or being put on the spot in front of the group, ever.
Shy engineers and number-crunchers love our training because the exercises can feel like problem-solving. We teach how to reverse-engineer communication. It’s not touchy-feely or woo woo.
Best of all our training helps your organization create space for the quiet, shy, members of the team, so they can be heard too.