At many companies, customer service positions – particularly phone support – are entry-level jobs. Many people actually begin their work careers in customer service, fielding calls and complaints in what can be an emotionally demanding position.
It’s unfortunate that at some employers, this seems to lead to a call center filled with warm bodies – inexperienced, unmotivated workers who are provided little training and are not well compensated. Not surprisingly, these employers tend to expect – and experience – constant turnover.
The fact is that customer service agents generally have more contact with their organization’s customers than anyone else in the company – especially now that so many sales are made online.
Why would any business risk their reputation and their customers’ loyalty by not hiring and training talented agents to represent their brands?
Why It’s Important
When your organization is hiring agents in any customer service or customer-facing position, it’s important to consider not only their immediate utility, but also the long-term value they’ll bring to your team and your company.
Customer service agents often represent the public face of your organization. These are the people who are in the position to make or break your brand’s relationship with its customers. The interactions they have with your agents will directly impact whether they ever buy from you again – not to mention what they will pass on to their friends, and anyone they have contact with on social media! Your company’s reputation, for better or worse, rests largely on the shoulders of your customer service representatives. Doesn’t this warrant a careful, thoughtful recruiting and hiring process?
Keep in mind, too, that that this may be their first job, but it’s very common for those who start by fielding phone calls to move up within the organization. These reps may be your future managers, developers and leaders – so it’s definitely worth taking the time to look for people who have talent and potential, and who fit well with your company culture.
What To Look For
Within the context of customer service itself, it’s critical to have people with the ability to relate well to others, who can handle situations that can be stressful and emotionally charged, and deal with conflict without losing their heads – all skills that will prove useful wherever their careers may take them in the future.
The ideal customer service candidate will have an innate sense of empathy, a desire to help people, strong listening and communication skills, as well as a degree of emotional resiliency and the ability to analyze and solve problems.
Depending on the specific position you’re hiring for, you may also need to screen for candidates who are particularly good at either verbal or written communication, those who are technically skilled or internet-savvy, applicants who are familiar with your product offerings, and those who have relevant education or experience.
It’s important not to rush the hiring process – and whatever you do, don’t just take the first dozen people who walk through the door. When considering a hiring decision, ask yourself:
Onboarding and Training
There are a number of possible approaches to onboarding and training new reps. Depending on your organization’s structure, one or more of these strategies may work – just don’t use a sink-or-swim approach, or your agents and customers will both suffer!
Formal training: Conduct classes with internal trainers that introduce new agents to the basics of the company’s systems, products, and procedures, as well as essential skills.
Management onboarding: Have customer service managers coach new hires and show them the ropes. More often than not, the managers got where they are by being great customer service reps themselves, and can leverage that expertise.
Peer onboarding: Have new reps work one-on-one and do “ride-alongs” with more experienced representatives. Alternatively, set up a recurring semi-formal training program run by your best agents.
Knowledge base: Provide on-demand access to documentation, databases and information resources that reps can consult as needed. Agents should be able to easily look up documentation on products, policies, procedures and workflows.
Baker Communications offers leading edge customer service training solutions that will help you address the goals and achieve the outcomes addressed in this article. For more information about how your organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that will uncover new opportunities, drive revenue, and boost your bottom line, click here.
