From a customer’s standpoint, it’s easy to spot if a customer service department needs a makeover as the signs are obvious – longer response times, disconnection with the brand and lack of passion when dealing with customers.
None of these will ever lead to more sales. As customers, we directly feel the poor service, but there are also visible signs that your company’s customer service is in need of a make-over and this is how to tell.
1. You don’t have a representative
Off-site meetings are a common occurrence and when they happen, especially when it’s time for the executives to plan the year ahead, you want to have a representative there.
You need a person who will speak on the behalf of your customer operation and if you don’t, the focus will remain on other departments such as marketing, innovation and revenue while leaving you forgotten in the dark.
In order for your customer service department to move forward, you need people who are willing to look past spreadsheets and engage more in the lives of your customers and this can’t be done without your CCO attending the important meetings.
2. Your agents use scripts
Just as a scripted approach to real-life situations never works, the same can be said of a scripted approach to work and business. Somewhere along the way, there will be a customer with a problem you can’t find in a handbook and you’ll need to bend the rules to get results.
This is why there needs to be more wiggle room that allows for variations in the customer process and agents need to rely on their own wits and training. However, most of them aren’t encouraged to do so and have to follow scripts which takes away their thinking power and creativity.
3. Your agents seem discontent
The biggest sign of trouble is when you see your customer-facing employee would rather be anywhere but at work. A discontent frontline worker can shift the entire mood whether it’s in the room or even over the phone. For the department success, you need your employees to be happy because happy employees mean happy customers and that means better business.
There are many ways you can make your employees happier that involves providing various benefits and perks, but it’s important to make the first step and that can be as simple as providing high-quality furniture, especially desks that are the centrepieces of any office.
A great office desk with adjustable height and packed with practical features is an essential ingredient of a comfortable and functional workstation.
4. Your customer service department is in need of proper funding
If you’re still treating your customer service centre as a cost centre, which many companies do, the reality is that it’s severely underfunded and lacking in many respects.
Consider what tools they have available, if the CRMs have been upgraded, if the workers have had soft skills training and if you’ve come up with a vision for a future unified workflow.
If there’s room for improvement and you leave the department under-funded, your company will be highly vulnerable customer churn and you’ll be missing out on the opportunity to innovate.
5. You have multiple CRMs
When addressing problems with various products, your customers shouldn’t have to contact multiple departments. Your company should enable collaboration among departments in an effort to reach one satisfactory solution.
This is often not the case as many companies keep forcing the use of only one CRM which usually ruins the experience of all employees who use it.
Also, working on multiple channels and switching internal technologies to help customers isn’t productive. There should rather be one view of the customer and one piece of tech to work in.
For instance, your employees will surely be more productive and feel more content if they can do their jobs faster and more efficiently and this is exactly what the top-rated Shopify app called Syncee can offer.
Instead of being forced to manually update product prices and import all the products form your e-commerce store, this app does it all for them leaving them with more time to work on other aspects of their job.
If you can recognise these five issues in your customer service operations, it is time for a makeover. It doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be unpleasant and painful. On the contrary, get the right resources and engage the right people and it will turn out to be a fun, positive change that you’ll be more than glad you did it!
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Image Credit: Brian Jackson
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