#1 of the 7 Mistakes a Customer Service Manager makes (includes DIY solutions)
No-one likes making mistakes be we all do them and if you're like me, mistakes are often your biggest learning event. But not all mistakes have to be made by you, for you to learn.
With 30+ years of experience working in, managing and training frontline employees in organisations across Australia, I regularly sees businesses make one, some or all of what I have identified as the top 7 mistakes when aiming to create a culture of service excellence.
These mistakes cost time and money and leave the business owner/customer service manager, employees and customers feeling frustrated and annoyed.
If you want more customers, less complaints, happier and more productive staff and a reputation for service excellence, start with this blog and keep an eye out for the other 6 mistakes that will be live on our website very soon.
Mistake #1 - Relying on a 'hopeful' recruitment process
A poor recruitment process leaves business owners/managers crossing their fingers and hoping they make the right decisions. You know if you get it wrong, it can cause disharmony in the team and jeopardise the level of service customers receive.
Identifying the skills and attributes required to succeed in a customer service role is not always easy but the good news is, there are key things you can do to reduce anxiety and increase the possibility of attracting and hiring a perfect match for your team and your customers.
DIY Solutions
1. Talk to your customers and your existing team. Ask what they consider as excellent service and seek to hire people who have the skills to meet, or possibly exceed, those expectations.
2. Advertise clearly. Confirm that you are seeking Customer Service Professionals – people with a genuine passion for helping others and the desire to keep improving.
3. Set the stage. Create an interview environment that is welcoming and allows time for an informal chat with the candidate/s ie: “Let’s make a tea/coffee or get some water before we start”. General chat can help to reduce the nerves of the candidate/s as well as give you an insight into how they communicate.
4. Dig Deep. Ask questions that require the candidate/s to elaborate on their service success stories i.e. “Tell me about a time you exceeded a customer’s expectation.”
How Lightbulb Training Solutions can help
We can help you identify Customer Service Professionals with the use of DISC Advanced® behavioural profiling assessments. We train you in the fundamentals of the DISC model and provide you with comprehensive reports that identify a candidates’ natural customer service strengths and the value they would bring to your team. Along with the DISC Advanced® reports, we can help you select the best candidate/s to interview and provide you with interview questions to help uncover their customer service skills and attitudes.
Service excellence is a team effort and as soon as a new employee joins your team, you need that person to be crystal clear on your customer service standards and the team needs to be showing the way - not just you. That leads us into Mistake #2 which will be covered in the next blog.
Stay tuned - but if you can't wait you can download all 7 Mistakes now.
By Cate Schreck - Author of The A-Z of Service Excellence