A knowledgeable and well-trained customer service team is one of the most important things for any business. Good customer service is essential to keep customers coming back to your company and boost your brand’s reputation. There is a lot that goes into attracting talented individuals to your business, and you will need to work hard to keep the best people within your organisation.
Listening to your team is crucial to helping you create a work environment where everyone thrives and enjoys coming to every day. This article will explore some of the best ways to attract and retain talented customer service team members.
Flexible working is a major perk for workers, allowing them a better work-life balance. You could allow employees to choose their own working hours, within reason. It can also help them manage other responsibilities in their lives like childcare.
In addition, you could offer remote working options to your employees if you don’t already. This can further enhance the work-life balance and improve employee wellbeing by reducing the time spent commuting each week. It is a good idea to ensure your team have the appropriate equipment to do their jobs well from home.
One of the things many employees have enjoyed over the last two years of remote working is wearing what they want to work from home. If you hope to return fully to the office, you could still provide some of the flexibility to your team to work in clothes they’re comfortable in. While pyjamas should probably still stay out of the office, you could allow casual or smart casual clothing for employees that aren’t customer-facing.
Training ensures employees can do their jobs well. Even the most experienced employee can benefit from extra training to help them feel more confident and competent in their roles. You could discuss the options for training with employees during their performance reviews. Take their preferences into account when deciding what kind of training to send them on.
A competitive salary is crucial to show that you value your team. You should look at the salary provided by other similar businesses and ensure that you meet or exceed the wages employees could receive elsewhere. Salary isn’t everything for employees when choosing an employer, but it can be a significant factor.
Any business should have the latest tech to help their teams work efficiently and easily. There are plenty of tools out there that can make a customer service team member’s life easier. An excellent example is the Horizon cloud contact centre by Gamma, which makes managing an employee’s workload simpler. It also allows businesses to scale their infrastructure as they grow and provides excellent opportunities for remote working.
Progression is another key consideration for candidates when deciding whether to take on a new role. You should show your employees that they have a meaningful future with your business. Showing loyalty to your employees will result in loyalty in return, so be realistic with progression opportunities.
In addition to a competitive salary, you could offer employees other benefits. Health insurance, company cars, and cycle to work schemes are popular options that will help make your business look more attractive to candidates. You should ensure that the benefits you offer are helpful to your team in the long term. You could also provide perks like bonuses and other incentives to motivate employees further.
When an employee does leave your business, it is essential to understand why. This is why exit interviews can be invaluable to get feedback from outgoing employees. It gives your employee the opportunity to explain why they’re leaving and what advice they would have for managers in the future. This can be an invaluable learning experience for business leaders.
Your work culture should be a positive and supportive one. Customer service can be stressful, so you should help your employees manage their stress and ensure they have the tools and resources to do their jobs right. It is a good idea to put emphasis on the importance of mental health in the workplace for employees across the board. Business leaders should be open to feedback and make time for their employees when they are needed.
Attracting and retaining talented employees can be challenging. You will need to offer the right combination of benefits and a suitable working environment to keep the best people within your organisation. It may help to consider the elements of workplaces that you benefited from in the past when finding new ways to improve the employee experience. Consider what you would want from a business as an employee and provide that level of care.
