When I managed a small call center in Tulsa, I was always looking for creative ways to motivate my employees. One evening I was working late and I picked up Bob Nelson’s 1001 Ways to Reward […]
Customized Engaging Online Customer Service Training
Author: myragolden
Myra is a favorite training partner to Fortune 500 companies with her customized, engaging, behavior-changing (and fun) customer service workshops, working with McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Michelin, Vera Bradley and other brands.
How to Rock Your Customer Service Job!
I have a treat for you today! A free module from my customer service online training. I’m so excited to be sharing this with you! I began thinking about and conceptualizing this training during a drive […]
These Are the Interview Questions You Need to be Asking Customer Service Representatives
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The information contained on this site is meant as general information only. It should not be used as a substitute for legal or professional advice.
There was a time when customer service departments/jobs were solely reactive. The job was to answer questions and resolve problems. But increased competition and higher expectations from customers have led companies to require customer service professionals to take on a more proactive role.
Customer service representatives are spokespeople and even sales people in addition to problem solvers. Customer service professionals have significant influence on customer loyalty and purchasing habits. Therefore, the hiring, selection and performance of customer service professionals are of extreme importance to the overall success of organizations. We have prepared a selection of interview questions to equip you to hire capable, right-fit employees for the critical customer service role.
The following questions are designed to elicit specific examples of the core competencies of successful consumer affairs professionals. All questions are open-ended and call for the candidate to offer an illustration of their performance in each of the core areas. You should take detailed notes on the responses during the interview so you can go back and review in greater detail.
I’m going to share with you 7 categories of great interview questions. Consider setting the meeting up like this: “I’m going to ask you some questions and what I’m looking for is specific examples that illustrate how you have responded to specific situations in the past. I’ll be taking notes as you talk, but you keep going. Feel free to take your time and think about responses before answering the questions.”
1. Customer Service
Clearly, any candidate for a consumer affairs position must have a customer service mindset. This includes anticipating customers’ needs, thoroughly answering questions, having a positive attitude and understanding that the client is the reason you are in business.
- What does giving “excellent service” mean to you?
- Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty to serve a customer.
- What do you like most about being in customer service?
- What do you think is likely to be the difference between success and mediocrity in this position?
For the Last Time, It’s Not Okay to Say, “Your Welcome.”
I was behind a truck recently that had a cool LED lighted border around the license plate. Little red lights danced around and framed the driver’s message. Here’s what this driver had displayed on his flashy license plate border:
“If your reading this, than your to close.”
Do you see what I saw? Not one, not two, but four typos! The message should read:
Web Self-Service Strategies Every Business Should Be Using
Story highlights:
5 web self-service strategies that will slash your incoming support calls
My Business Phone (Almost) Never Rings.
And That Makes Me a Genius.
I remember back to my first few years in business when I was tethered to my BlackBerry, constantly returning phone calls and replying to emails. My business phone rang so much that I needed to hire an answering service.
Things are different today. For one, I am not shackled to my smartphone! And two, and this is a biggie – my office phone rarely rings.
My non-ringing business line is not a bad thing. I have worked strategically to create a web self-service strategy that answers more than 95% of my customers’ questions. And this well-designed strategy has made my support calls nearly vanish.
No doubt, my business is a small business. Most large businesses won’t slash incoming calls by 95% with even the best self-service strategy. But research cited by Harvard Business Review shows that by improving the help section on your website, you can reduce calls by 5% — easily.
Three out of 4 consumers prefer to solve their customer service issues on their own. And 65% of consumers say that they feel good about themselves and the company they are doing business with when they resolve a problem without talking to customer service. Here’s one last statistic for you. Fifty-seven percent of inbound calls come from customers who went to the website first! That startling statistic is from Harvard Business Review.
Here’s how I make my customers feel good about themselves and my company, while reducing my support call volume. Five simple ways.
6 Verbal Aikido Tactics Everyone Who Handles Difficult Customers Should be Using
No matter what your product or service is or what business you’re in, your employees will have to deal with difficult customers.
I know that’s an easy question, but here’s the problem:
Very few people in customer service actually get the training they need to get an angry customer to back down, regain control and gracefully respond to the customer who demands to speak to a supervisor.
So that’s why I’m sharing these tactics… to show you a fast and easy new way your employees can create calm and regain control with difficult customers.
7 Comebacks for the Customer Who Cusses at You
To get straight to the 7 Comebacks for the Customer Who Cusses at You, head to the end of this post. I won’t be offended at all. But if you have a minute, I’d like to tell you about my weekend first, and the conversation that inspired this post, addressing customers who swear.
It’s been a busy time for me with work lately, but I made enjoyment and family the priority over the weekend. Last week was dedicated to preparing for a keynote for the wonderful folks at F&M Bank. I delivered the keynote on Saturday and it was so very well received. God was with me!
After my keynote, I met up with my daughter and we walked to a lovely vegan-friendly restaurant in downtown Oklahoma City. My daughter had already eaten, so she enjoyed a decadent dessert while I savored every bite of my Cauliflower Steak lunch, with kale gremolata, and scarlet quinoa with apples and squash. I loved it!
7 Things You Can Say to Demonstrate Empathy to Customers
One of the skills we practice in my onsite customer service workshops is Empathy. Here are some of the exact phrases that I share in my training sessions for use in our role-plays – and in real life with customers.
The Most Crushing Mistake Most Customer Service People Make: Not Being Friendly o_O
On the way into my office this morning I stopped to get coffee and breakfast for my team. I don’t do this often enough. When I managed a call center, I would regularly pick up donuts or pastries. I have to do better in my own company. Do you bring treats in for your team? If so, how often do you do it? I need the motivation to get back in gear.
I wanted to treat my small team today for working so hard over the weekend and yesterday into the evening on the big project of moving our entire eLearning roster and training modules to a new hosting site.
My first stop was at a fast food restaurant. I pulled up to the window, and this is what I heard. “Welcome to _____. Order when you’re ready.” The welcome, if you can call it that, was delivered loudly, matter-of-factly, and it even suggested that I needed to hurry up and order, and not wait until I was ready.
I placed my first order. I barely finished my sentence when the person said; “Your total is $5.12 at the first window.” I still had several more items to order! When I awkwardly said, “I actually have more things I’d like to pick up today.” the lady said, “Go ahead when you’re ready.”
I finished up this tedious ordering process, and 10 minutes later I was in the drive-thru at Starbucks, which is next door to the fast food place.
I pull up to the Starbucks drive-thru, and I am greeted with:
If Your Customer Experience Is Still Bad After Great Training & Coaching, This Is Probably Why
Story highlights
Making customers jump through hoops to get problems resolved ruins the customer experience
So I bought a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes – the red bottom stilettos. I put them on and oh, did they look good! My calf muscles just popped in these shoes. Without even realizing it, I walked with a little “switch” in my hips. I could totally see myself taking the keynote stage in these shoes with the lipstick-red sole, wearing one of my little black dresses.
As I “test-walked” in my new shoes, I realized they hurt my feet! My stride was pained. I was cute but nowhere close to comfortable. There’s no way I could deliver a keynote in these shoes! I can have sexy red-soled shoes, yes. But what good are sexy shoes if I’m in pain?
Here’s what my red bottom stilettos, now on a UPS truck back to New York, have to do with your customer experience: What good is it to have delightful employees, if customers have to work too hard to get help?
Friendly and delightful employees are great, yes. But what your customers really want is a smooth, easy experience. Here are 3 ways to give your customers what they really want: help.
De-escalation Training for Customer Service & Soft Skills Training 