Choosing a customer service representative

If you want to recruit the stars, here’s how to avoid the seven deadly sins when choosing your customer service representative.

Friendly and outgoing or just chatty and time wasting?

One of the biggest mistakes employers make is hiring people who are not really committed to service. Caliper’s research discovered that many of the best customer service representatives may be shy at first but are actually very motivated to be helpful and to do their best for others.

Understanding or just sympathetic and ineffectual?

The increasing complexities and demands of service oriented organisations require representatives who have the ability to identify and solve customer problems quickly. Customers can be very frustrated by representatives who can’t understand and respond to their particular needs.

Quick and reactive or just slip shod and inefficient?

When details slip through the cracks, time and money are lost. The most productive customer service representatives are consistent and thorough in making sure things are done right the first time. The pressure to produce high quality work quickly and efficiently requires a special kind of conscientiousness.

Loves to be busy or just plain chaotic?

Failure to set priorities, and make decisions is one of the primary reasons many people are not productive. Finding customer service representatives who have the ability to multi task without losing sight of the overall objectives makes the difference between a productive and inefficient organisation.

Alert to everything or over anxious?

Anxiety is to be expected in an increasingly hectic work place. A secure calm and clear headed customer service representative is the lifeline between you and your customers.

Self-sufficient or only interested in themselves?

Finding customer service representatives who can fit into your team is often a daunting task. Individuals need to be able to respond to their internal customers too whoever they are. Building effective teams takes adaptable team players.

Needs the job but not really committed?

Customer service representatives who are essentially suited to the work and motivated by the “thank you” perform effectively and stay longer. Building commitment out of basic potential requires appropriate management and reward. It is natural to prefer experienced candidates; it is perhaps one of the reasons why certain parts of the country have become so attractive for call centres. However in the end, effective recruitment has less to do with experience than with potential. Getting the balance right in your team will enable your stars to achieve the performance level you desire.

This paper was contributed by Caliper UK.