COVID-19 has caused many businesses to shut their doors temporarily, or, in some cases, for good. If you’re a business that’s kept its doors open and moved to online services, this article is for you. Even during social distancing, it’s crucial to maintain a good customer service team; no, it’s essential to maintain a good customer service team. The way you handle your customer service now will dictate how successful you are when we return to some form of normalcy.
In this guide, we’ll cover some of the most important aspects of a good remote customer service team. From staying organized to choosing the right people, these tips will help you keep your business intact, your customers happy, and your customer service record at maximum potential.
IMAGE: PEXELS
Stay Organized
With so many aspects of business transitioning to remote or digital operations, an organization is more crucial than ever. Without organization, your customer service team will likely descend into chaos, and if they can’t help themselves, they certainly can’t help the customers. Using a cloud-based team or project management software is a great way to keep the team and its projects organized.
Cloud software is more reliable, secure, and faster, and also allows for easier collaboration tools among team members. Whether you’re selling tobacco-free pouches, internet services, SBD, or bubble gum, keeping your team organized and on-track is a must for success during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of staying organized is setting expectations. The clearer you are with expectation, the easier it is for the team to perform. Have you ever had a supervisor that was incredibly vague with expectations? It makes for a confusing work environment and only causes problems in the end. Be as clear as possible with your expectations for maximum results.
Choose The Right People
Of course, you can be as organized as possible and still have the wrong people on your team. Who is just as important as how and what. A good team member can make a huge difference in the success of a company, and, likewise, a poor employee can be a serious detriment to the organization.
The hiring process might be complicated, but the more tedious you are, the more likely you will find the perfect candidate. Be sure to research your candidates. Please pay close attention to what’s on their resume and how their experience is relevant to the position.
Ask questions about how they function within a team and have them provide examples of a time when they were a good team player. Customers will notice when a customer service team doesn’t work well together, and that’s not a good look for your business, especially because the customers come first.
Put Customers First
The customer should always be your first concern, but don’t get caught up in the falsehood that the customer is always right. While it’s true that you should do everything in your power to serve the customer, they’re incorrect sometimes.
Here, we come to the hotly-debated subject of wearing a mask. We’ve all seen the videos of customers refusing to wear masks and being removed from a store. Yes, you may lose business if you turn away a customer who refuses to follow health guidelines, but it’s far better than putting your employees and other customers at risk.
Use your discretion when dealing with difficult customers, and put the customer first whenever you can. Customers appreciate when a business makes them feel like their needs are important. That human connection is something a customer will value your brand in particular. Use customer service insights from customer data insight for a better understanding of consumer behaviour.
Make It Accessible
COVID-19 has changed a lot, including how we communicate. More than ever before, we’re using video conference apps, texting, and messaging services to communicate with loved ones and friends. It’s no different in business, and you absolutely must make your customer service team accessible.
If this means setting up a text line for customers, so be it. Losing touch with your customers will only serve to damage your business and your reputation over time. You want to ascend from the pandemic with your reputation intact, your customers happy, and your business flourishing! We must adapt or die in business, and this is a time of adaptation.
Embrace Changes
No one likes sudden change. It throws life into chaos, and things become skewed and even a little frightening when they change too suddenly. COVID-19 didn’t exactly give us any time to adjust to these new changes, but we’re about eight months into the crisis; it’s time to get with the program.
Embracing change is the only way your business can flourish well into the future and stay on track even during COVID-19. Adapt, overcome, survive, and your business will reach new heights in the post-COVID world.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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