The Critical Decision that Enhances Image & Increases Opportunities
Every dollar you spend to operate your small, public, or donation-driven organization is a conscious decision and is many times a trade-off of competing priorities. That’s why there are four critical factors to consider when adding to your team:
1. Hiring: “According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the price of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the employee's first-year earnings. For a small company, a five-figure investment in the wrong person is a threat to the business,” notes Falon Fatemi. Proven hiring methodologies can enhance teamwork, reduce turnover and provide you with a competitive edge.
2. Developing & Empowering: With the right training, frontline customer service employees can boost your mission and brand through upsell and cross-sell. Ongoing development of your team’s product knowledge and customer service skills is critical. What’s more, empowering them to use their capabilities is essential. Show your commitment to your entry level employees with training, and they will reward you with results. High employee engagement drives a superior customer experience.
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees=profitability.” @EngageTranscend
3. Motivating: When you acknowledge and reinforce the vital role your frontline has, it is not only beneficial to the team, but also to your customers and especially your organization. Unfortunately, many operations make the mistake of treating frontline employees as dispensable. In fact, respectful treatment beats out compensation as a motivating factor, says Seth Besmertnik.
When you’re trying to maximize employee value, there’s an easy cross-over in skill sets that sets your employees – and your organization – on the trajectory to success.
“If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It’s that simple,” says Sir Richard Branson.
4. Coaching: Even the finest athletes in the world need coaching. Why would this be any different with members of your team? Coaching, mentoring, and regular performance reviews are all part of building their capabilities and ensuring long-term positive returns for your organization.
With the rise of online interaction, including web contact forms, chat bots, and artificial intelligence solutions, customer service employees may be the only contact you have with customers. You need to make sure you are not leaving opportunities – or bad will – on the table. What is your updated cross-sell and upsell plan?
Customer Service provides endless opportunities to develop customer relationships that result in loyalty and increased Customer Lifetime Value. Training your entry level, front line customer service employees may be the best investment you can make – and needs to be your #1 priority.