How to Hire “Right Fit” Customer Service Agents

It is crucial to have the right people on board when it comes to customer support for your contact center. The way your agents relate to your customers has a significant impact on the level of customer loyalty and retention found in your organization. A good interaction leaves a positive impression on your customers.  On the other hand, a negative interaction can have a devastating impact on your reputation, particularly in this day and age, where mighty companies have toppled as a result of a single viral negative post on social media. A solid customer service reputation ensures that your customers stay loyal to you longer and are more likely to refer others to your company. See below for the benefits of hiring the right people to represent your brand, how to hire the ideal agents, and where you may be able to find them!

The Benefits of Hiring the “Right Fit” Customer Service Agents

This is one area of your contact center management where smart investment can yield high returns over the long run. There are innumerable benefits to hiring customer service agents that are the right fit for your contact center. Here are a just few:

• They function as Brand Ambassadors by convincing your customers that they made the right choice when they decided to use your product or service.
• They strengthen customer retention by showing customers that their thoughts matter and the company is vested in resolving any difficulties they may have.
• They drive indirect marketing for your brand as customers are more likely to share exceptional service experiences with others. You are also more likely to get higher rankings in public third-party rating systems.

How to Hire “Right Fit” Customer Service Agents

Hiring customer service agents is not a task that should be taken lightly. It’s true that not just anyone can be a great customer service agent. It’s also true that the ideal customer service agent for one company is NOT the same as the ideal customer service agent for another company! You must be intentional when crafting the ideal agent profile and consider what is important to you. While there are several different nuances, there are some qualities that are absolutely necessary when it comes to delivering excellent customer service:

1. Patience and Grace under Fire
   Can the agent stay calm, cool, and collected under pressure? It is a challenging exercise to display patience continually when confronted by irate customers on a regular basis. However, it can take just one badly mishandled call to hurt a brand and the reputation and credibility it may have taken years to build up.
2. Empathy and Problem Resolution Skills
   Your agents should be able to place themselves in the shoes of the customer, display understanding, customize communication with them as needed, and demonstrate effective problem resolution skills.
3. Good Communication Skills
   A lot of this boils down to simply being able to quickly understand what the customer wants and being able to communicate back in a manner that the customer appreciates. Agents should also be able to communicate professionally and have a sense of propriety when speaking to customers.
4. Trainability
   How quickly can a new hire assimilate product information, training guides, and technology? A contact center environment is often busy and fast paced and it is always preferable to have a quick study on board. Previous work experience in the field isn’t always a necessity if the candidate demonstrates trainability.
5. Teamwork
   Teamwork is another essential element of the customer support environment. Agents may need to liaise with their superiors, other team members, and departments on a regular basis, and therefore, should be able to work well with others.
6. Attention to Detail
   Agents must understand the value of communicating the right information at the right time and getting back to customers within promised deadlines.

 The last piece to the puzzle of your “ideal customer service agent” masterpiece is making sure that your agents fit your company culture. In fact, your recruiting should reflect the culture within your organization. If you’re looking for independent, customer-centric, and professional agents – then say so! Rather than just listing job requirements, tell candidates what YOU are looking for as it aligns with your company values and vision. This will more likely attract candidates that will be passionate about your brand.

Where to Find Your Customer Service Agents

Once you’ve established criteria for selection, the next step is to find channels for sourcing viable candidates. You can either choose to do this yourself or go through recruitment agencies that specialize in customer service agent hires. If you decide to follow the solo route, there are a number of different avenues that you can make use of:

• Online and offline job posting boards
• Job networking events, sites or groups
• Social media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook
• Referrals

What qualities do you rate highly in customer service agents?

At CH Consulting Group, we can help you review your current recruiting and hiring processes that will help streamline and optimize your contact center team. We can help you organize a team of dedicated customer service agents that are well-suited for your particular organization. Contact us today for a free quote.