Hiring new people is a critical component of growing a business. And when it comes to your customer service team, you need to focus on getting the best quality people to be the face of your company. They’ll be representing your company in front of clients, vendors, and other stakeholders. A bad hire can make all the difference between a positive experience for customers and a disaster that damages your brand’s reputation. Here are some tips to ensure that everyone on your team has what it takes to deliver great customer service:
Use Background Checks for Everyone
You don’t want someone with a history of violence fielding your customer service phone calls. You also don’t want someone who is known to be a liar or has committed fraud to be responsible for providing customer service. Doing a quick background check for everyone can help you mitigate some of these issues by ensuring that you don’t hire someone with a violent or deceptive background. And using them for everyone means that there can be no complaints about discrimination.
Be Clear on What you Want
It’s important to be clear on your wants and needs if you want to improve the quality of your customer service hires. Before you hire, step back and ask the following questions. What do I want out of this person? How is this going to help my company? Yes, there are plenty of details in a job description, but more important is finding someone who can give the results you want and need. When there is more than one path to success, this can help you find someone who is better suited for the role.
Practice Communication Skills
Communication is important in any job, but it is especially crucial for customer service positions. These roles involve interacting with customers on a daily basis. The more you practice, the better you get. That’s why people in customer service roles should be given learning opportunities that involve practicing new skills to help them connect with clients on the phone, in person, and even through chat.
Learn to Make Eye Contact
Finding someone who can make the appropriate amount of eye contact is important in customer service. When you have staff who will meet with clients in person, they need to be able to mirror the other person and to make enough, but not too much eye contact. While this is a skill that can be taught, for some people it can feel very awkward at first.
Give the “Gut Check” to Potential Employees
Want to know how a person thinks? You need to ask the right questions. This is one way to determine when someone is right for your company or not. One way to tell if someone will be a good fit for your company is to give them a “gut check.” This is where you ask some questions that reveal how they think, how they feel, and how they act. For example, ask them about decisions they have made in the past. How did they come up with their solution? What factors did they consider when making their decision? What was the outcome of that decision?
Find a Role Model you Respect and Emulate Their Habits
If you want to improve your customer service hires, find a role model. These are simply people who inspire you in your industry. Find someone that fits the bill for this role for you and learn from them. Observe how they interact with customers, how they handle problems, and what they say to people with complaints, and then copy their best habits. Being inspired, not copying directly is the key. They train people to that model. This can improve performance in customer service roles tremendously.
Consider Circumstantial Factors When Hiring Someone
When you’re hiring for customer service, it’s important to consider circumstantial factors. If you need someone who is available to work long hours, for instance, hiring someone with a new baby may not be the best fit. While you can’t discriminate, it is important to be upfront with candidates if working long hours is an expectation so that everyone can make an informed choice. Qualifications can look good on paper, but if other areas of their life won’t meet your company’s needs, then they may not be a good fit.
