Customer service jobs are difficult, and that's putting it mildly. They're so challenging, in fact, that support agents are leaving (or thinking about leaving) their jobs in droves.
This year, most support leaders seem to have horror stories to tell: thousands of open positions with only a handful of applications; candidates who accept an offer and then don't show up to work on their first day; new employees who receive their equipment to work from home and then disappear after one week; others who don't last more than a couple of months wasting all the expense of onboarding and training.
But even with these struggles, managers of customer support teams often don't get a lot of buy-in from leadership. Your leadership team might be thinking, "so what? It's an entry level job, and all industries are grappling with the Great Resignation. Why should I focus precious resources on keeping our support team happy?"
But the answer is simple. Providing an exceptional customer experience starts with providing an exceptional employee experience. As the business innovator Richard Branson of Virgin Group once said, "take care of your employees, and they'll take care of your business. It's as simple as that."
Why?
Your support team is on the front lines listening to your customers' complaints and requests. How quickly (and politely) they can solve a customer's challenge is critical to fostering brand loyalty, increasing your revenue, and avoiding churn.
Here are three ways to support your agents so they are empowered to deliver a better customer experience.
