Providing stellar customer service is the first step to increasing customer satisfaction, thus clearing the path for more loyal customers and business growth altogether. Therefore, if your customer service is mediocre, or particularly suffering, the success of your business will undoubtedly be limited. Want to improve your service quality but don’t know where to start? Look no further! Below, you’ll see we’ve outlined five steps to rebuild your business’s customer service practices.
Start hiring with company culture in mind.
If you want your CSRs to deliver phenomenal customer service, it is crucial that you hire with your company’s values at the front of your mind. Hire people not only with the appropriate experience level, but also who live in accordance with the values you want portrayed by your business. Do you highlight clear communication as one of your standards? What about honesty or kindness? Whatever your company culture may look like, hiring based on it will make a positive impact on the quality of your customer service.
Screen candidates for your values by asking probing questions related to your values during the interview process. By setting a value standard of what you expect from the start, you can more easily find candidates who are culturally compatible and who will naturally fulfill your expectations for what quality customer service looks like.
Still unsure of the payoff of hiring based on values? Check out this blog.
Host an engaging workshop or class.
A workshop is a great way to ensure that everyone’s on the same page from the moment you decide to start implementing customer service changes. However, if you want your workshop to be effective, don’t make it boring! Allow for plenty of employee engagement. For example, ask them to share their positive and negative encounters with CSRs in their own personal experiences. On the other side of the coin, open the floor for everyone to share two stories: one when they provided quality customer service and another when they provided poor customer service. Brainstorm solutions as a group. Bonus points if you incorporate a game or snacks! By avoiding making your workshop a conventional, dull meeting, you improve the likelihood of employee participation, comprehension, and application of everything that was discussed.
If you know the problems surrounding your business’s customer service but are having a hard time coming up with solutions, click here!
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Offer consistent feedback.
Feedback is crucial to seeing real change overtime. Give both positive and constructive feedback to your employees. Let them know when you witness a job well done and when you feel that a certain situation could have gone better.
If you want to really make a change in how customer service is handled at your business, you must also be consistent with providing feedback. Ensure that all your employees hear from you every now and then and reward them for improving! That way, the customer service side of your business will see continual growth and development.
Lead by example.
A mission with an unintentional leader will always result in a failed mission. If you want your customer service representatives to actively listen to customers and practice compassion towards clients, you should do the same. Model the behavior you want your CSRs to practice by speaking to them in a kind, professional tone and by taking service calls the way you would want them to. Failure to lead by example will leave your CSRs unmotivated to take your advice!
Know that improvement takes time.
You will not see immediate results overnight! Good things take time, and upping your business’s customer service is no exception to that rule. Be persistent with offering feedback and leading by example. Plus, you could always host a unique version of your workshop on a monthly or quarterly basis to remind your CSRs of your culture, values, and standards. With a little effort and time, your customer service is sure to see staunch improvement.
