Customer service employees often feel undervalued. They enjoy and find their work important, but they would like to receive more appreciation for it. We express this appreciation to them, because without customer service employees, there are no loyal customers, and without loyal customers, there is no growing company!
Misconception about the customer service agents
Half of all customer service employees find the work meaningful but feel that there is a misconception about the job. It is seen as a starting position where, as a customer service employee, you make a lot of sales calls. Many people find these types of calls irritating and intrusive. And this image still exists about customer service employees. However, this is not how it works anymore. According to the law, such calls can no longer be made. In an interaction with customer service, nine times out of ten, it will be the customer who has made contact. This could be via phone, email, or social media. The customer service employee assists the customer with their question or problem. This is an extremely important part of any company. It is about customer satisfaction and the image they form of the organisation.
The superheroes of an organisation
The customer service employee is often the first person you speak with when you call an organisation. They answer all your questions. Do you want to change your subscription? Is the internet not working? Are you wondering where your order is? The employee listens to you and solves problems. Even when you lose your temper, they remain patient, listen to you, and help you.
How can they remain so calm? Because they are the superhero of an organisation who possesses skills and qualities to do the job well. Think of patience, empathy, and problem-solving ability, as well as being able to communicate clearly and listen well. Product knowledge is, of course, a real must. In most cases, the employee receives the right training before they start working. Not only communication techniques but also the company's products or services are covered during those trainings. This way, customer service agents can help customers faster and more accurately and even make smart product recommendations.
Customer service agents must be multi-skilled
Where once the telephone was the only communication channel, the customer now has more possibilities to make contact. Think of email, chat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. This means that more is expected in terms of knowledge and skills, and it is becoming increasingly important that employees are versatile (multi-skilled) across different communication channels.
Coronavirus crisis
The current coronavirus crisis brings with it many questions. It’s no surprise that one of the hardest-hit departments in an organisation is often the customer service department. Conversations last longer, and when a customer finally gets through, they first need to vent their frustrations. This puts a lot of pressure on customer service employees, especially as they have to do their work from home. The current situation requires many employees to be flexible and quickly adapt to, for example, new company rules and products. All this while continuously addressing the customer correctly. An extra compliment is certainly deserved now.
We would like to express our appreciation to customer service agents
Customer service agents feel undervalued, and it's time for that to change! These employees are in direct contact with customers, helping them and contributing to the customer experience. A very important function that isn’t for everyone.
We have a great deal of appreciation for customer service employees and encourage other companies to continue engaging and retaining their employees. Good employer practices are essential for retaining staff. Additionally, satisfied employees make it easier to attract new staff. Customer service agents do not want to feel that the focus is mainly on quick handling time and low costs. This can indeed cause stress among employees. Do you also employ customer service agents? Here are a few suggestions to keep your employees connected to your organisation, ensuring they are and remain satisfied:
Learning and development. The increasing complexity of customer inquiries means that customer service employees need to continue developing in various areas. To contribute to the career prospects of employees, you could offer training and coaching programmes.
Fun activities outside of work. Without customer service agents, there’s no good contact with your customers. Make sure to centre the employees by having a focus on an informal culture or organising activities. This also contributes to the happiness of your employees.
Increasing employee engagement. You can make work more interesting by giving employees more authority or responsibility for their own schedules. This gives them more freedom to make their own decisions, which can lead to greater engagement.
Adjusting working conditions can be another way to retain employees. For example, by offering a permanent contract sooner.
Express your appreciation! Don’t forget to share positive words and feedback, both from the organisation and what comes back from customers.
A customer service needs the right people with the right skills so that customers can be helped faster, better, and more efficiently. This is, especially in this time, not something for everyone, so customer service agents deserve at least a big compliment!
