Customer service is one of the most important elements of running a successful business. Apart from things like product development, sales and marketing, this might even be the most important investment you can make. But when managing a business remotely, how do you make sure you structure your approach correctly? Let’s take a look at some customer service tips together.
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Try These 5 Remote Customer Service Tips
Some of the best customer service departments in the world work remotely. And while the secret sauce may differ slightly from one company to another, the same basic principles apply. With that in mind, here are some tips you can use to be successful when managing a remote customer service team.
Consistency is one of the keys to good customer service. Your customers should receive continuous service across the board. One way to ensure this is to put in place the right processes.
Everything you do in customer service must comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs). This document describes each specific step that occurs in the process, as well as who is responsible for it, when it should be performed, etc.
Automate everything possible with the latest in customer service technology. While there are an infinite number of options when it comes to different tools and features, you should prioritize the ones that are most likely to produce results. As a rule, this means automating routine processes and optimizing labor-intensive tasks.
When choosing software for a call center, pay attention to individual features. Bright Pattern, for example, has Smart Dialing Feature which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to increase call volume to speed up the process and improve lead management. This is a huge deal! These are the features that you should pay attention to when conducting due diligence.
Processes are important, but you have to be very focused when it comes to hiring. It’s not enough to hire the first warm person you can find (as many companies do these days with customer service positions). Instead, spend time carefully fitting people you know will do well.
In addition to the classic customer service qualities of patience, empathy, integrity, and honesty, pay special attention to how well they handle remote work. During the interview process, look for people who already have work experience remotely. This eliminates a lot of the guesswork involved in whether they will work or not. People who have successfully worked remotely in the past tend to be self-reliant (which is what you want).
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Be Intentional with Learning
Hiring the right people is definitely the first step, but that’s not all. Once you have hired the right employee for remote customer support, invest time and resources in training them well.
Your training should focus on both customer service, and remote work skills. Empower every employee with the tools, processes, and technologies they need to work from home successfully. This includes both knowledge (in the form of processes and technical understanding of your products) and technology (software and hardware).
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Motivate employees to work in Excel
There is a direct correlation between the level of motivation of your team and its success. If your customer service representatives serve customers well and meet their needs, your company will succeed in this direction. If they are apathetic and only care about coming and going, you are in trouble.
Finding ways to motivate your employees to succeed is one of the main tasks you should consider. While money can work as a motivator, don’t think it’s the only way. Money limits his ability to move people. Other incentives such as recognition, praise, and job-related perks are more effective.
Adding everything
After all, good customer service is good customer service. The fundamental principles do not change, no matter when and where the service is provided. This means that the same fundamentals that you rely on when you have your own customer service team working in the same physical workspace remain true even when they are remotely distributed across multiple locations.
Having said that, there are some nuances. I hope this article has helped point you in the right direction.
Related post: What is the impact of customer centricity?
