Business Leaders: Have you experienced your customer service?
Today I called a financial institution where I have been a client for several years. As someone who expects and enjoys experiencing excellence when speaking with Customer Service Professionals (CSPs), I was surprised to hear this representative include a very casual greeting, typically associated with talking to a friend or family member – not to a customer. For a moment, I wondered if I had reached the financial institution that I have called on and trusted for years.
The CSP was certainly friendly in tone, eager to help, and courteous. This contributed to my overall positive experience. When I observe customer service issues like this, now I’m more inclined to ask questions of the leaders vs. focusing on the CSP.
It’s important for leaders to remember that their customer service brand is on the line each time one of the representatives interacts with a customer. When you go through the customer service process yourself, the strengths and gaps in your training program will become immediately obvious. Have you personally experienced your customer service delivery first-hand? As a customer service leader, have you put yourself in your customer’s shoes?
So, what might be going on here? My first thought was that this CSP is likely new to answering the phones. Or, maybe there’s a lack of training within the organization. Thirdly, could it be that the leaders in the organization have not experienced their customer service, so they are not aware of what customers like me experience when we call.
Furthermore, the global pandemic has presented its own challenges for organizations. In fact, Cresta Insights Report 2022 Q1 reports that attrition of agents in call centers has increased from an average of 30-45% to about 80% since early 2021. Turnover leaves organizations in a high-risk position as it takes time to rehire and skill-up new representatives to deliver excellent customer service.
Training & development programs are critical for delivering best-in-class customer service.
I’m proud to share that I have partnered with my clients to offer training classes (all virtual now), practice sessions, 1:1 coaching, refresher programs, coach-the-coach programs, and more to level up CSP skills and boost their customer service brands.
I encourage leaders to experience the customer service experience at regular intervals. This prevents the customers from being the ones to “discover” customer service gaps. This was a missed opportunity for the leaders of the financial institution. Customers will likely not report these types of outcomes or suggest corrections for the way CSPs open, close, and place calls on hold.
By experiencing and assessing the customer service, then the person’s manager or leader of that institution would have already identified and addressed the training need.
Business leaders, please take note. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend that you gain firsthand experience of your organization's customer service. You can do this yourself, ask someone on your team to do so for you and provide a detailed report, or select a company that provides this service.
Another lesson I share in more detail in my book, The Customer Communication Formula, is that it’s part of the leader’s role to set the expectations for customer service team members. While the person at my financial institution was friendly and helpful, somehow the expectation related to professionalism and word choice was not set or was not met.
As a leader, remember that you and your entire organization are represented during each customer interaction. One of the best things you can do for your team is to experience the customer service. Pay close attention to customer feedback and make continuous improvement of your customer service a priority. This is a smart move for you, your team, and your organization—and most of all, your customers.