Hiring an Excellent Customer Service Team

Great customer service in Calgary is essential for a business’s reputation and company image. One poor customer service experience can turn people away indefinitely from your business, whereas excellent customer service is often remembered above and beyond any other aspect of the company.

It’s all about people and that starts with hiring the right ones! If you have a great customer service team you can run your day to day business knowing that your customers will be taken care of properly without affecting your bottom line. It is not always an easy job and can put employees in difficult situations. Some of the skills and characteristics to look for when interviewing a customer service candidate would be:

-Honesty

-Patience

-Empathy

-Communication skills

-Problem-solving skills

-Product or service knowledge

-Self-control

-Commitment and work ethic  

How do you know that they have these skills in one simple interview?

Besides having a detailed job description, you can dig deep and ask the right questions. Your employees may be in some difficult situations so it is ok to prepare them by asking them tough questions.

Ask them about their previous position. What did they like and what they did not like? 

This will give you an overview of their honesty and what types of situations they are prepared to handle.

What are some examples of tough situations that they had to overcome with a customer and the steps that they took to handle it? 

Knowing how they can problem solve and communicate determines if they have the attributes that align with the companies.

What do they enjoy about being a customer service agent? What do they like about your company so far?  

They need to be interested in what they do and motivated to do the best that they can do for a company that they love. These answers will help to determine the candidate’s commitment and work ethic.

Who have they talked to so far in the interview process and what are their names?

If you want to know if they can retain knowledge and remember names and details, then this is an excellent test.

How do you determine the customer’s problem better and what is the best communication channel for your customers?  

Knowing if they have empathy and the ability to read each situation and customize a solution for each customer individually is essential when providing excellent customer service.

Learning as much as you can about your candidates and asking the right questions, not only will help you find the right person for the position, but it will prepare the candidate for the potential job they will fill. What are your most sought after customer service attributes? Learn more about hiring a customer service team today.

Kent Boehm
Business & Leadership Coach
403.690.8363 or kent@ninebusinessgroup.ca