When it comes to delivering top-notch customer service, good communication is essential. If you expect members of your customer service department to deliver excellent service, you must keep them updated on company news. When team members know what's going on in the company, they are better able to solve problems and meet customer needs without violating company policies or overstepping their bounds.
According to a recent Nexxt article titled "Avoiding Communication Issues in Customer Service," providing effective customer service sometimes involves admitting a mistake on the part of the organization. If you expect employees in your customer service department to do this, you must let them know what is happening in the company. If a production issue or problem is causing shipping delays, the staff in your customer service department should know about it so they can communicate effectively with the customers.
The Haggler column in the "New York Times" often highlights customer service mishaps and the stories of unhappy customers, but the author occasionally publishes positive stories. One customer praised Cuisinart for sending a replacement for an out-of-warranty coffee maker. The replacement arrived within five days, along with a box to ship the broken coffee maker back to the company. If the customer service department staff had not been up-to-date on company news, they might not have been able to replace the coffee maker and satisfy the customer in such a short amount of time.
Keeping customer service department members in the loop is about more than good customer service. It can also increase employee satisfaction and improve morale. Although it isn't possible to make every employee happy at all times, providing important information can help employees understand why decisions were made and how those decisions affect customer service. You should explain who made the decision, which employees are affected, when any changes will take place, and how the decision will help the company. Focus on providing information about major decisions that affect the entire company rather than smaller changes that only affect one or two people.
If you are given the job of keeping customer service department team members in the loop, make sure you use several formats to get the information across. Some employees prefer to hear about new information or company changes, while others prefer to read memos. Because good communication with the staff of your customer service department can affect the quality of your company's customer service, plan messages and notifications carefully. Focus on making announcements that affect all members of your team instead of those that have little impact on most workers.
(Photo courtesy of stockimages / Freedigitalphotos.net)
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