Going the extra mile to keep customers happy requires a little bit of additional effort. Part of ensuring that extra effort is made is having a fantastic customer support team. The other part is keeping them happy so that they’re always ready and willing to do their best.
And that’s where it gets difficult.
As anyone who’s worked as a support agent, serviced customers, or just worked across the desk from someone who deals with customer support queries will tell you, being motivated is an uphill battle in most instances.
Not only do the agents handle complaining individuals 24/7 – and sometimes, contend with abuse – but they also, on occasions, end up in the unpleasant position of having to save their company from reputation damage without much support from the upper management. Factor in the fact that similar queries pop up during lunch breaks and customer agents have to revisit their desks again and again (and again) to meet customers’ expectations.
Scenarios like these often translate into a tired and unmotivated customer support team, which results in higher customer abandonment, long resolution times and an overall poor experience.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to keep your customer service agents happy (and motivated to work hard).
- Host Team Building Activities
When appropriately used, team building can deliver excellent results for a team’s motivation. People contribute their ideas and skills to the maximum when they have a chance to crack at something interesting while escaping workplace boredom. You can, for example, host sporting activities like golf and basketball competitions for customer service agents. In addition, you can reward the winning groups with a medal or an award that can serve as a token of appreciation as well as a winning trophy. Companies like EDCO specialize in making corporate awards for a variety of occasions and events. Reliable vendors offer the best and newest designs in crystal, resin, and conventional trophies as well as pins and metals. Plus, these can be shopped for online, so you’d have more time for event planning and stimulation.
- Lead by Example
Want to encourage your support agents to give their best and gain more insights about how they deal with customers? Start spending time with the front lines! Several firms, including Amazon and Zappos, implement an “everyone is a customer service agent” model that calls on everyone inside the company to spend time handling customer complaints and putting together satisfactory resolutions. Not only you’ll be more appreciated by personnel from the customer support team – and build a stronger relationship with them – but you might also gain valuable insights about your brand that you’d never know by hearing concerns and problems second-hand.
- Endorse a Proper Work-Life Balance
This can’t be emphasized enough. While it’s great that you have someone to answer calls around the clock, it’s not really good for the support staff and will only cause burnout in the future. Encourage support personnel to maintain a work-life balance, to take days off and recharge so that they can do their best when they’re on support desks. Play your role by setting a certain number of days for vacations so that people don’t feel embarrassed taking time off. Make a policy and hang it somewhere in your office to make even the most workaholic staffers take time off and spend time with their loved ones.
Your customer service agents are the first point of contact for your client. Keep them happy, motivated and inspired, and they’ll reward you by improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
