Many employees in the customer service department see their job as a temporary position with little career prospects. However, there are plenty of opportunities to keep your staff energetic and motivated. Sanne van Es (HR manager) has been working at ContactCare for about four years, part of the Management Team, and has seen our company grow significantly over the years. Here are her tips. Not rocket science, but certainly points to watch, because they actually make everyone feel good.

1) Personal attention

If you want your customer service to offer personal attention to your customers, set the example yourself. Ensure that every manager knows all team members by name, whether they are newcomers or seniors. Show the importance of each employee, for instance with a photo on the wall and create regular moments where employees are invited to share something about themselves. We occasionally put a colleague in the spotlight by dedicating an item to them.

2) Personal development

Keep an eye on the potential and prospects of your customer service staff. We use four levels:

• entry: has just started, needs to learn the basics, and can ask for help within the organisation;

• medium: knows the tricks of the trade and regularly discusses growth and progress within the organisation;

• expert: is well-versed in certain themes, such as claims handling, and is seen as a help and point of contact by the department;

• senior: is involved in coaching, guiding, or becomes an assistant team leader

Ensure that someone with talent in customer service can easily progress to roles such as project manager or recruiter within the organisation. This shows that professionalism starts with customer friendliness – and vice versa.

3) Self-direction and responsibility

Provide your employees with insights and control over their performance. We use MyControl, a digital learning and feedback system, which allows them to monitor themselves and see directly how customers rate their contact. We are very open with the employees about project progress, the successes – but also share the less favourable moments together. This approach fosters a great sense of responsibility, minimal hierarchy, and enables team leaders and employees to work equally together to improve the service every day where needed.
At ContactCare, employees are not reprimanded, but through our tools, they can indicate where they can (and want to) grow.

Our main principle: congruence = create equality
By treating your own customer service employees as you want them to treat customers, you create a congruent company culture. We have found that this is the best recipe for a satisfied and successful customer service.

Want to know more? Get in contact with us.