Hang on to Customer Service Representatives

03/05/07

Managers hear complaints that they’re rude, crude, and arrogant, sometimes profane, and even violent.

Not your customer service workers. The customers themselves.

Plenty has been written about improving customer service, but little about how to retain those who deliver that service every day, whether they’re tech reps, retail salespeople, maintenance and repair employees, or workers who answer consumer complaint hotlines.

Retaining your best customer service workers—who are sometimes treated like roaches on a wedding cake—is no simple task. Here are some ideas that can work for (and keep good people working for) you.

Hold Frequent Gripe Sessions
When employees are emotionally assaulted by customers almost daily, it’s absurd to expect them to keep their anger bottled up or simply “deal with it” somehow. Gripe sessions can give them a necessary outlet to vent their frustration and find mutual support when and where they need it most.

Schedule these meetings early in the morning, before you open your phone lines or unlock the doors. Give people a chance to sound off about especially nasty encounters and commiserate with each other in round-table fashion. This helps to keep yesterday’s resentments from continuing to fester. It can also offer ideas for handling irate customers in new ways.

Keep the gathering from turning into a pity party by asking each person to describe their most recent humorous or bizarre customer request before you break up. The chuckles these tales produce will help everyone leave on an upbeat note.

While gripe sessions shouldn’t ridicule your company’s bread and butter excessively, it’s good for workers’ morale to hear management admit that some customers can be vicious tyrants who think the price of admission or a low-margin sale also buys them a license to abuse your front-line folks. Managers who won’t acknowledge the obvious come across as naïve Pollyannas with no clue about what life is really like in the trenches.

Use Job Rotation If Possible
Leave people on the firing line long enough, and they’re bound to suffer from battle fatigue. Job rotation can bring some welcome relief. Look for ways to rotate your customer service staffers through other jobs temporarily so they don’t have to be “on stage” with no break in sight.

With some cross-training, for example, they may be able to process routine paperwork, receive and inspect shipments from vendors, pull and pack orders, or do basic data entry—all of which can help them escape their normal routine.

Praise, Praise, and Praise
Make the most of positive customer feedback by spreading the news far and wide through every available channel. Copy and post complimentary letters along with the employee’s photo on bulletin boards in break rooms and other high-traffic areas. Send copies to higher managers (who should reply with a congratulatory memo). Read the remarks aloud in department meetings and publish them in your employee newsletter. Make those who have done good feel good.

Many savvy businesses reward outstanding customer service workers with cash prizes, appreciation dinners, additional vacation time, their choice of shift schedules, longevity bonuses, and other measures that acknowledge a job well done. All these things help to reinforce the self-image of your often-unsung heroes and confirm management’s appreciation for excellent work under less than pleasant circumstances.

Respond to Exit Interviews
Customer service employees who’ve resigned for work-related reasons can usually offer great advice about retention, but don’t expect them to do so unless you ask. Find out why they quit and what specific conditions should be fixed to keep their stay-behind colleagues from following suit. The ones who are leaving have been there, done that, and had all they can take. When they speak, make sure to listen—and make improvements wherever you can.