When it comes to the long-term success of your Connecticut business, great customer service personnel are your secret weapon. They can set your business apart, enhance your profitability and generate free word-of-mouth advertising:
- Differentiation. Your customer service staff can help you stand out from your competitors. If they treat your customers better than another company does, your customers will remember it.
- First impressions. 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.
- Repeat business. If your company provides excellent customer service, you’re more likely to get 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.
- Word of mouth. 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!
For these reasons and more, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 A.R. Mazzotta, we know that CSRs are more than just your order-takers – they’re your company’s secret weapon! With over 40 years of experience, we have the resources, skills, and processes to help you hire the best customer service reps in Connecticut:
- In-person interviews with our Staffing Specialists reveal each candidate’s career goals, work history, talents, and strengths.
- State-of-the-art interactive skill and behavior assessments ensure successful skill level matches.
- We personally do reference verifications and conduct a variety of pre-employment screenings such as E-Verify and background checks to fulfill individual company policies.
- Customer service candidates are hand-selected to match your company culture and goals as well as the skill and talent requirements of the job.
Whether you need to find a single CSR temporary for a day or to hire an entire customer service department, we’re ready to help. Contact us today.