Q&A: My Staff is in a Rut...
by Monica
(Los Angeles)
My staff seems to be in a rut! They are seemingly not listening to our callers! What kinds of things can I do that will help improve Customer Service? I'm looking for quick wins that will motivate my staff in the long run. I'm having a hard time thinking outside the box.
Answer
Motivation is a strange thing. What motivates a human being to do one thing and not another?
Without having talked to your staff, I can’t offer a definitive answer. So my first advice is to just start talking with them one-on-one. I don’t know how large your staff is of course, if it’s huge, then make a selection of your most trusted and least trusted customer service reps. Ask for the one thing they would change in the department. I’m certain they’ll mention a few “quick wins” for you! And don’t discount the response on simple “being heard”!
In general, there are a few strong motivators. The first that comes to mind is money. But I promise you, within months they’ll be used to increased pay, and even a bonus will become expected pay. Besides, in this day and age, I guess it would be hard to find a sponsor for that anyway.
Another big motivator is rec-ognition. Start complimenting those that are doing something good for the customer. Not an “Employee of the Month” program (lame!), but just straightforward, honest compliments do wonders.
Does your staff have enough freedom to decide by them-selves how to resolve complaints? Being trusted and having power of decision is another strong motivator! There are probably limits to how much freedom you can give, but fight to give your reps as much freedom as you can possibly arrange. As my father-in-law always says: “Give trust, and you’ll get it double in return”.
All the best,
Erwin.
