EMPOWERMENT FOR SUCCESS

Empowering customer service representatives requires that you assume you have hired competent, intelligent people who want to do an excellent job. It is important to recognize that they need your support and confidence in order for them to do an excellent job. Arming them with the training, education, support, and tools to do their job effectively ensures their success and the success of your company.

When a customer calls to complain, they are typically angry, upset, and frustrated. Resolving their issue on the first call is critical to retaining them as a long-term customer and this requires that your customer service representatives have the authority to make decisions on the company's behalf. You have to trust them to make appropriate decisions within the guidelines prescribed. Representatives need to feel and act like business-owners and assume accountability for outcomes.

There are a few critical strategies to empowering customer service representatives and making them feel like business-owners:

1. People learn at different paces and through different means. Be sure that you have a comprehensive training program consisting of interactive training tools. It should include classroom, computer based, and on-the-job training, as well as a testing/skills assessment. Problem-resolution should be a core training program in any customer service environment. Assigning a mentor once the representative is fully trained is advisable and usually results in better quality of service immediately.

2. Ensure that your training includes a thorough overview of the products or services and an understanding of the "customer experience" in using the product or service. Include training on the sales process so they have a complete picture of the customer experience. This will enable them to better visualize the problems when they arise.

3. Recognize that your customer service representatives may make mistakes as they are gaining experience. Allow them to learn from these mistakes and support, train, and guide them where needed. But don't reprimand and degrade them for mistakes! Only when performance is an issue vs. an "honest mistake" is it necessary to begin a performance plan.

4. Scripts are important but allow them to be "human". Relationship management is critical in the customer service environment.

5. Give your representatives guidelines and rules, but allow flexibility. They need to have authority to make decisions based

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