Workforce Management Featured Article
Superior Customer Service Needs to Be the Norm, Not the Exception
Poor customer service is a fairly common occurrence, and one we hear about repeatedly on social media, in the news and in reviews of brands and businesses. It’s certainly less common to hear about superior customer service, despite the scores of research indicating that organizations need to engage and interact with their customers to remain competitive and profitable.
When an exceptional anecdote about great service goes viral, it can do wonders in the areas of customer engagement and satisfaction. That was the case for Chick-fil-A this holiday season, when a video of one of its employees providing exceptional customer service went viral on Facebook (News - Alert). Jeremiah Murrill, a Wilmington, NC Chick-fil-A employee, was filmed by a regular customer as she placed her drive-thru order. His positive attitude and spirit garnered the video 170,000 views in two weeks along with great publicity for the fast food chain.
In subsequent interviews, Murrill said he views his job as much more than taking fast food orders, and basically tries to provide a personalized customer service interaction to each and every person that comes through his drive-thru. The result is a slew of happy, engaged, repeat customers as well as reliable profits for the restaurant. It’s an attitude and approach advocated throughout the customer service industry, and particularly in the call center, but one that isn’t followed universally.
All too often, customer service representatives, particularly those who work in a call center, are viewed as disengaged, uninterested and unhelpful by customers. The result is frustration, negative feedback and reviews and, in the worst case scenario, lost business for the company or brand employing that call center.
The most important workforce management tools a call center can provide its agents with are technology, incentives and training to provide an engaged and satisfactory customer interaction. Agents who have attitudes like Murrill’s need to be rewarded for their efforts, and can be used as coaching examples for new hires. And while viral stories like this Chick-fil-A holiday anecdote are valuable marketing tools, Murrill’s level of customer service should be the gold standard throughout the customer service industry, and especially in the call center.
Businesses and managers can ensure their customer service agents are putting their best foot forward by challenging and engaging them on the job, so they in turn will engage customers. They should also ensure they are providing the proper coaching, incentives and benefits to keep agents happy, which will translate to productivity and efficiency increases. And happy call center agents will ensure customers are engaged and feel their needs are being met to their satisfaction.
Organizations can no longer afford to drop the ball in the customer service game. By ensuring customer service representatives have a positive attitude and are putting their best foot forward, businesses can gain some assurance that customers will remain happy, engaged and loyal.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
