November 2022 - How to Start a Small Business

How can we make the position stand out to recruit talent with the desired behavioral skills? The #1 way to make your customer rep position stand out is to quickly share (WIIFM) what’s in it for me- (your applicant). Whether you live in a small county like Greenville NC or a Big city New York City! Begin by telling applicants what’s in it for them, First! Wages Benefits Advantages Job security Recognition and Rewards Culture and Diversity While it’s easy to provide lip service set your company apart by offering proof. Show off company awards, badges, or other accolades. Be sure to have the documentation available. Addedly, if there’s proof of other activities, events, or testimonials that can be communicated, reveal those as well. However, the #1a way to stand out from the crowd is to pay higher wages. But higher wages alone won’t cut the mustard. In 2022, salary negotiations aren’t a set it and forget it. Talented applicants/employees demand more. Therefore, the interviewing process is a great time to impress your applicant by sharing the company’s detailed awards, incentives, recognition, and bonus programs. Keep in mind: Like with anything the first impression is a lasting impression. Therefore, the way the job posting is articulated will directly reflect who you will attract. What to do to accurately reflect the work to applicants and interviewees? One key takeaway I retrieved from Mads Jaurholt Jorgensen's Tedx Talks is this. According to Mads, one of the best ways they found to accurately reflect work to applicants and interviewees is to have them step in and DO THE work! Get started on the fly. Ironically, I watched Grant Cardone do the same thing. An interested work candidate inquired about employment within Grant’s organization. Grant immediately, asked him to sell him an ink pen, which he had in his hand, on the spot! If it’s a managerial position ask them to start managing, the same goes for customer reps. Grab a headset and start working. Since we all have access to the internet, it has become easier for applicants to know the right answers or talk the talk. This method is great for everyone, the company will know if the applicant will be a good fit for the company. Addedly, you get to watch applicants; skill levels, communication, personality, and how they interact with others. The applicant gets to experience the culture, and see management involvement, and the working environment. No masks from either party. This will save the company thousands in expenses, headaches, or stress that’s associated with firing applicants because the wrong person was hired in the first place. Onboarding and Team building How can we make both virtual and in-office employees feel welcomed by the organization and quickly build a strong connection with their new manager and team? Keep in mind although remote workers prefer to work at home, one of their known complaints is loneliness. So, it’s important to create regular weekly or biweekly face-to-face activities/meetings. One idea is to build performance metric teams. These teams will consist of managers and virtual and in-office employees. This surely will build a quick strong bond and camaraderie with all members. Recognition and Rewards Of course, if there are performance metrics there must be recognition and rewards. This can create a great opportunity for new hires and existing employees to bond. The winning team gets 90 seconds to share their successful tactics. Weekly winners get a chance to win monthly, quarterly, and yearly prizes. This is surely a way to keep everyone motivated throughout the year! Lastly, arranging yearly or bi-yearly events such as family day and community events is a way to bring the entire organization together, to build a strong culture. What role(s) would a great manager/leader play in the Customer Service department? Like with any other department manager, customer service managers are responsible for: Department growth Development of new and existing employees Conduct performance metrics, Recognition, Provide positive feedback and training The manager’s responsibility is to not only keep their employees happy but their customers as well. Tips for Happy Employees: Treat all employees the same Don’t overwork talented employees For busy seasons try hiring freelancers Lead by example Remove stumbling blocks Stay updated on tools and resources Be available for questions and concerns Tips for Happy Customers Find creative ways to reduce wait time Create an omnichannel system to address questions Have systems in place to know the problems Analyze analytics to find issue trends Use addressed issues for training Continue to identify ways to improve performance Remember, the customer is always right Training and Continued Learning How can we modernize learning to better equip CSRs to provide exceptional customer experiences? There’s an old saying, that a picture is worth a thousand words. Then if that’s the case a video is worth a million. Establishing a learning video library will help. This way team members can learn in their spare time. However, management can set, guidelines such as in 30 days module-1-3 are due on a specific date. How can we motivate CSRs to continuously grow their skills? Human beings thrive on recognition and acknowledgment. If you show and tell your team that you appreciate them, they will bend backward to make the company happy. Keep in mind only a small percentage of employees are driven to pursue continued growth. However, make it worth those few employees’ time and energy. It’s better to run with 100 than drag a thousand! Winners want to be a part of a winning team. How would feedback and coaching be implemented? Regularity is the optimal word here. Both feedback and coaching should be done on a regularly scheduled basis. This way when a call is received or scheduled the employee isn’t on defense, it’s expected. Addedly, managers can also schedule calls to ask employees for opinions, recommendations, or for their favorite productivity tips. People love sharing secrets and this is a way to gain knowledge that can be shared to enhance the entire organization. *Worth noting. Always affirm positive feedback before unpleasant, and always end on a good note. Daily Responsibilities We want our CSRs to know they are delivering value while being valued. How can we create a positive, rewarding day-to-day experience in a fast-paced, emotionally charged role? Setting up a reward program is ideal. Announce daily winners by using a performance-based point system. The person with the most points by Friday morning gets free lunch. You can even include remote workers, via UberEATS, etc. The winners are also included in quarterly and yearly grand prize drawings. What tools and resources would make delivering great customer service easy? An all-in-one CRM is the most helpful tool I’ve ever used. They are designed to handle workflow, save replies, shared inbox, knowledge base software, live chat, and more.! Customers' face light up when they see a website with live chat. A live chat represents immediate customer service. According to a Microsoft study, 50% of consumers prefer an online mode of customer support. Additionally, it’s a good idea to include a multi-channel approach to customer service. A few examples of ways to reach your customers. Social media Text messaging SMS Live chat Tweets Emails Discussion forum Call back It was a pleasure sharing these methods and ideas. I'm Py from PYTalkBiz.com and I’ve been in business for 4 decades. And have studied with many of the top marketers in the country. I’ve used many of the techniques I revealed here. Truthfully, customer service is about treating people the way you like to be treated. And in my businesses, I pride myself on great customer service. There’s nothing more profitable than successfully handling a disgruntled customer. Those are lifetime customers. Welcome discrepancy and kill irate customers with kindness. You will explode your business. (Remember that’s what Tony from Zappo’s did.) I applaud you as well for addressing the customer service department saga because often CSRs are overlooked. Although many businesses are awakening to the fact that the only difference between fair profits and explosive profits is GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! With the advent of the internet, it’s not hard to find marketable products or services at reasonable prices. So that leaves one other element and that’s customer service. It’s all about how you make your customer feel. Customers will forget what was said but they won’t Forget, How You Made Them Feel. Mary Kay Ash said; … treat everyone like they are important!!! This is Deborah from Greenville NC takes on how to hire Super Talent in 2023 and beyond!