Customer service teams are on the forefront of the customer experience. They know probably more than you do (if you’re not serving customers directly) about what the customer needs and what they need to serve the customer. So, in addition to these tips, ask your CSAs to help you make their jobs better by incorporating an open door policy or a suggestion box so they can tell you how they’d do things differently.
* Offer Training – A well-trained customer service rep is going to be a lot more efficient than one who is just thrown to the wolves. They will need product knowledge training, computer/software training, processes training and probably even human nature training to deal with customers the best.
* Set Customer Service Standards – During training, set some basic standards for the service you want your team to offer. If you’re clear on these standards, your team will understand and follow through for you. Don’t set minimum standards, though. Set a real standard that you’re proud of and they’re proud to meet.
* Use the Right CRM Software – One of the most important things you can do for your team is to invest in the right CRM software. There are so many to choose from that it’s beyond the scope of this article to tell you what to look for, but you can find a number of choices here as well as information from customers who actually use the CRM software:
http://www.featuredcustomers.com/software/customer-relationship-management-crm
* Set Individual and Team Goals – You can set a lot of goals, such as how many issues your team will clear in a day, as well as how many customers they turn from angry to happy. There are many goals you can implement. You can even let your teams set their own goals.
* Give Them Authority – Any CSA will tell you that they need some sort of authority to deal with issues as they arise. Think of how irritated you are at a checkout in a store when the cashier cannot even get in the drawer to give you five ones, much less discount an item or refund an item. Don’t do that to your employees or your customers. Hire smart people who can make tough choices, and set limits but also set them free.
* Provide Timely and Complete Feedback – Set a regular schedule for feedback and times when your team can ask you questions. Feedback on a job well done is just as important as feedback when a problem arises, if not more so. You want them to think of you as someone they want to work with – not someone they fear.
* Reward and Recognize Your Team – When your team has done well, give them an award. You’d be amazed at how a 50-dollar gift card or a nice T-shirt can help employees and even contractors feel valued.
* Understand Your Customer – It’s very important that you and your team all understand exactly who the customer is. They need to know more than their demographics. You might consider making many customer personas or having your CSAs do that for themselves, so that each time they deal with someone they can choose the persona and already feel they know them well.
* Know Your Products – It goes without saying that you and your team should know your products inside and out. Most issues that customers have will be how to use something. If your agents know how to do it, and can fix the problem, then all will be well.
With the right training, recognition and goal setting, along with the right software, you can boost your customer support team’s performance in amazing ways. Once in a while, survey those customers who sought help about how they felt your team member did, so that you can always improve based on the consumers’ needs. In addition, survey your team to find out what they believe they need so that you can make their work more enjoyable and satisfying.