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Why Exceptional Customer Service Personnel are Pivotal to Your Middle Tennessee Company’s Success

When it comes to moving your Middle Tennessee business to the top of its industry, great customer service personnel can give you an almost unfair advantage.  Exceptional service employees can set your business apart, enhance your profitability and generate free word-of-mouth advertising:

  • Make a great first impression.  Customer service is usually the first – and often the only – contact a customer has with your company.  Whether a customer has a question, comment, or a product or service issue, your CSRs are responsible for creating a great first impression.
  • Stand out from the crowd. Your customer service staff can help differentiate you from your competitors.  If they treat your customers better than another company does, your customers will remember it.
  • Get more repeat business. If your company provides excellent customer service, you’re more likely to generate repeat business (which means higher sales and greater profits).  As we all know, it costs much more to win a new customer than to retain an existing one, so the quality of service your CSRs deliver directly impacts your company’s total profitability.
  • Create free positive word-of-mouth advertising. Customer service is a great source of publicity for your company.  If customers have positive experiences with your service representatives, they’re likely to tell two or three others about that experience; if they have negative experiences, they’ll likely tell between nine and 20.  Make sure all that free word-of-mouth advertising is positive, by hiring the best CSRs!

As you can see, CSRs are a vital part of your business.  So take care when hiring them.  Look for these qualities to consistently hire customer service staff that effectively solve your customers’ issues and positively represent your company, every day:

  • Passion. You can teach a service rep about product or service features, but you can’t teach him to be passionate about service.  When you hire a customer service rep, look for evidence that he’s enthusiastic about solving problems and helping people.
  • Empathy. Sometimes, a CSR will not be able to resolve a client’s problem. In cases like this, having the ability to relate to customers can go a long way in creating a positive experience.
  • Communication skills. Customer service representatives often handle client concerns by phone.  Because they’re unable to see your customers face-to-face, it’s important for them to be skilled communicators.  Hire individuals who are good listeners, articulate, and able to write concise and clear emails and letters.
  • People skills. Customers often contact your service department when they’re upset.  Hire CSRs who are attentive, calm, respectful and courteous – to defuse tough situations and focus on resolution.
  • Problem-solving abilities. Diagnosing problems, overcoming objections and answering complicated questions are fundamental parts of customer service.  When interviewing, look for evidence of problem-solving abilities in a candidate’s work history.
  • Computer proficiency. Most service reps use computers to retrieve and maintain client or company information.  As such, they must be comfortable using databases, word processing software, email and internet browsers.
  • Excellent grammar and spelling. To instill customer confidence, streamline service and create the right impression, CSRs should speak proper English and avoid slang.  When screening, request written evidence that they have good grammar and spelling.

At Wood Personnel we know that CSRs are more than just your order-takers – they’re your company’s secret weapon!  As a leading Middle Tennessee staffing and recruiting firm, we have the resources, skills and processes to help you hire the best customer service reps in Nashville, and throughout Middle Tennessee.  Whether you need to find a single CSR temporary for a day, or to staff an entire customer service department, we’re ready to help.  Contact Wood today.

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