How can I help my agents improve their customer service skills?

Jay, I encourage you to be really specific in articulating the findings from your audit. What are your CCA's doing well, what specifically, are the opportunities you hear them missing? The key in getting your team to where you want them to be is in a collaborative training approach. Done right, you stand to gain as much knowledge about operations as they stand to gain in "connect n' build skills". The cincher Jay is to understand that front line or brand ambassadors decision to deliver excellent service consistently is a voluntary one. thepowerserve is a New School of Thought in Customer Service teaching people to own the quality of service .......it highlights the "what 's in it for me" benefit to those who practice thepowerserve. Whatever route you go Jay....listen your way through, the front line has a wealth of knowledge - literally. Best wishes, and if we can help our past experience with call centers will prove invaluable.

I agree with those above who have suggested that you need to diagnose the reasons for non-performance before acting. There are 3 real reasons why people don't perform - they don't know, can't or won't. They may not know what you want them to do and you can fix that with training. It may be that they know what you want them to do but don't get any feedback on how well they are doing and you can fix that with coaching. Can't is driven by roadblocks that the agents can't overcome such as lack of information or procedural limits and these are up to management to address. When training and feedback are in place and the roadblocks are removed, the only thing left is "won't". When the agent chooses not to perform, it is typically a result of inadequate consequences. There should be good consequences (rewards) for positive behavior and bad consequences for negative behaviors. Applying training to a "won't" problem is a waste of effort and money and putting incentives in place when the problem is lack of training or feedback is also counterproductive. You can learn all about this DCW model in our training programs for supervisors at www.thecallcenterschool.com. We'd love to be of assistance.

As a performance consultant, I utilize many different models to help in identifying gaps in performance. Two I would like to suggest to you is the HPT model from the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) and the Four Opportunities for Performance Analysis which utilizes Rossett's Five Type Questions. These will help you to determine and understand what the gaps and needs are and to execute solutions much more efficiently and effectively. The latter of the two models is really nice if you are looking for a more expeditious methodology that can get a great initial picture to get you moving in the right direction.

For sustainability of customer service elevation it is recommended to incorporate your front line staff in the root cause analysis and solution development. It is often an eye opener (past experiences) for the Leadership when a simple process may be the culprit. I have just completed a sysems review with my front line staff which gave me a good pulse check on their idea of customer service as well as empowered them to identify the Customer Service Needs and develop their own performance improvement plan.

I'm going to take this from a different perspective. As not only an Organizational Development professional, but also a Performance Improvement professional, my first question is what is the reason that the performance that you are looking for is not being reached? All too often training is automatically chosen as the solution without doing a true performance evaluation. You may be shocked to find out that it isn't that they don't know how to do something, but rather that there is information that they need regularly that they aren't getting, or that there is an environmental deficiency, or any number of other reasons for missing the expected performance. If it is determined that training is the correct way to go, then by completing a performance analysis you will be able to go in to the training development in a much more educated way, helping to ensure that it is successful.

I recently wrote a response on rewards and incentives as well. Here is what I wrote about that:
The truth, as many of the other posts state, is that it really depends on each individuals desires and motivators. Many times the reason that anyone is questioning a reward system is because performance is poor and there is a desire to increase it and some type of incentive is used to increase the poor performance. In other cases, it becomes just another component of the job, almost an expectation and therefore it loses the intended affect, that is until it gets taken away and the sense of entitlement takes over. These are tough things to think about, but they are the truth.

One of the first questions before determining what to use as a reward is to determine WHY is there a reward being offered. That simple initial evaluation can give you a much better guidance. If it is due to an actual or perceived lack of performance then it doesn't really matter what the reward is, it will be a short-term gain. Let's say for example that you have a perceived performance problem and you give a reward to try and increase the performance. If the performance increases, then you know that there is something else that is truly driving the non-performance and as soon as you take away the reward it will more than likely go back to the previous state. If there is a lack of performance due to outside circumstances then a reward won't really help to make a difference. Again, something else needs to change.

So let's look at the other side of this coin. Things are going well, and you want a reward system to empower and encourage top-performers. One thing to keep in mind is that a one-time reward can be great, but the effect of being appreciated on a regular basis is much more rewarding. This means giving development and growth opportunities, allowing employees to be a part of the organization in more ways than just a simple job description, and let them have a voice. Why not let the people that will be rewarded come up with the idea of how they want to be rewarded, and how often? And check back on this at least once a year, because the company environment can and probably will change from year to year.

I hope that I've been able to help give a bit of guidance, and please feel free to post more questions for further clarification, or you are more than welcome to contact me offline. Best of luck to you!

One of my most requested seminars is, "How Good Customer Service Can Actually Hurt Your Business." Customer service is a matter of interpretation. We know when we don't get it, don't we? But what if the customer walks in and everything goes as smooth as silk? Wouldn't that technically be good customer service? In order to provide good customer service you must first define exactly what it is so every employee knows.

Here's a simple starting point. Customer service is service you can consistently deliver day in and day out and (here is the kicker) still be profitable. Good customer service comes, not from rewards, not from a training program, but from empowerment. Did McDonalds teach us how to get the best service in their restaurants? Walk in, go to the counter,order from the menu, pay BEFORE you get your food, pick up your tray and go sit down. And when you are finished clean your own table. Your reward for doing that is and inexpensive heart attack between two toasted buns and millions do it every day.

Sit down with your CSR's (I hate that term) and together design your customer service procedures. They are going to know where the bottlenecks are and how to streamline those potential speed bumps. Having a say in what you do at your job is a great motivator because the employee now has ownership of their job. Success may not be immediate but the process should evolve over time. Not sure McDonalds had the pickles in the right place the first time out either.

Finally, find a way to publicly acknowledge the work of each employee at least once every six months. Everyone does something well some time. Let them know that you know about it.

If the key metric is calls per hour, your employees will be rushing the calls and in turn providing less than desirable customer service.

There are many routes you can take to improve customer satisfaction and I wouldnt always start with 'training' - as a provider I see companies pushing staff into training when the problem is something quite different.

First you need to speak with your staff and find out their opinions: are they rushing the calls? why are they rushing the calls? what service do they think they are providing? and then... ask your customers!

Then act accordingly.

Links:
http://www.brighterdirections.co.uk

Motivate your agents everyday, like a sports team before the big game! Educate them on the proper techniques and don't have them use a script. Learning by example is a great educational tool. Give them a feeling of ownership by including them in the improvement process and asking for suggestions. Positive reinforcement is a must, by giving recognition where it is due, you bolster your entire team spirit.

Jay, you posted, After performing a month of call audits I've realized that my contact center agents really need to improve their overall customer service skills. How can I help them do this? Is online training a good method? Are incentives a good method? How would you go about increasing customer satisfaction?

I will tell you the same thing that I've told and continue to tell my clients, tell me more. It's really not possible to diagnose a complex issue like this without enough relevant information. In essence, you've really not told us much of anything that would allow one to determine or identify root cause.
That being said, I'm amazed by the advice you've been given and in some cases the complexity of the solutions. You have programs, exercises and the list goes on, so many solutions for such little information.
It's analogous to going to the doctor and telling him that you've had heart pain for the last several weeks and he tells you that you are going to need a heart replacement. Doc, did I mention that I've been eating a lot of spicy food lately, oppps.

I believe it's important to hire for attitude, train for aptitude. We strongly support live, customized highly interactive training, delivered over time such that any challenges going on can be dealt with in real time. Our trainings include role playing, interaction, 'what do I do when' scenarios, and are based on input culled from a needs assessment. We deliver the training over time so there are ongoing sessions for each calendar year, thus supporting and acknowledging employees and their worth. We also offer the option of university certification from Purdue University's Center for Customer Driven Quality, to kick it up a notch in the area of customer service.

My number one question – before doing anything else – is what makes you say “my contact center agents really need to improve their overall customer service skills”? Do you want them to suggest additional products or services to your customers? Are they not taking proper notes for future follow-up?

There are a multitude of areas you could be looking at. However, without more information, providing almost any type of suggestion as to what you could do to improve would be (at best) a shot in the dark.

Hi Jay, I bet you thought you were asking a simple question and you've unlocked a treasure trove of ideas and opinions. In my humble opinion there might also be a lack of understanding and communication between your expectations of what your customer service agents should be delivering and your customer service agents understanding of what they should be delivering. So often we take things for granted without communicating it what we expect of each other. That isn't to say that there aren't fundamental issues that might need addressing, but I find a good starting point is simply to understand whether you and your agents have the same starting point. Good luck.

Commmnication skills is the only answer to a customer service problem. Communcation is not just what you say, but how well do you listen, then what do you do with it once you understand. This requires honing your agents listening skills as well as leadership skills. Everyone can speak, because all we do is talk. Look around, no one seems to listen, but everyone seems to want to be heard. The best communication training in the world is Toastmasters International.Many corpoations around the world have turned to Toastmasters to train their customer service, sales, and marketing staffs. For less than $100 per year per employee, the corporation gets world class training in communication. Some companies find a local club and send their employees, while others create a company Toastmasters club. Your agents will get a full education on listening skills, leadership skills, as well as better speaking skills. Customer service i snothing more than listening to a customer's question, finding the answer, then provide the customer with the feeling that your working in their best interest. The problem with most cutomer service departments today is we have too many pre-written scripts tat don't allow for that particular employee's personality and we have too few people answering too many calls. That's why CSR people tend to cut people off and are uncomfortable following a script that is not right for them.

Training is one part but let me look at this in another angle...Many times it is observed that the agents are far away from the realities. They need to have exposure of back-end where actual activities are happening, action is happening. Once they know that how a product or service is produced or generated then they are in tune (and aligned) with the philosohpy of the oragnisation. These agents should be given appropriate exposure on time-to-time basis.
Second thing is they have no big picture in front of them. They are not aware of the organisation's strategy for the market place. They need brief on the strategy, especially product and service strategy. The agents need to know their connection with your brand!
They need to have training on continuous basis to remain sharp. Another thing what I have seen is the right mindset to sell perticular product and services. If the agent is really not interested in particular product or service line, then whatever you do will not show any impact. In one of the comeercial vehcile company it was found that to sell heavy truck and to sell pick up truck the agents need different mind set. That organisation then changed the recruiting & hiring process and as well the training process and they started getting the right results.
These agents also need exposure of right tools and techniques for handling customers. At the same time there should be support from the systems to tackle the customers. For example, as soon as the customer gets in touch with the agent (or organisation) there should be system to capture the transaction and these agents should be guided in each phase of transaction. And these transcations and their analyses need to be fed back in the system. Alerts should be sent to reagenlaevant agenices. This brings lot of control on the transactions and customer handling. The organisation should know the conversion rate of the agent from zero stage how he or she has converted that customer into final stage.
This will help oragnisation to keep a track on daily basis (where there is a chance to improve next day) and not on monthly basis - where only postmortem is done!

You received so many answers, so I'll keep my short. :o) If I were you, I would implement a secret shopper type of program with rewards and recognition. If people know that there are opportunities to be recognized, they will go above and beyond. Perhaps your better representatives could assist in the training for those that need assistance to reduce training expense?

Jay, so glad you asked! There are many of us in this FOCUS community who spend most of our waking hours doing just that--helping customer-facing teams to improve their skills--so I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses. Here's mine...

In terms of the training medium (you asked about online), there are several that can be effective. Personally, I prefer blended learning (in this case online + classroom) to online-only training because it offers more interaction with peers, the guidance and expertise of a facilitator, and more opportunity for role plays, activities and feedback.

What matters more than the training modality, I think, is the content and methodology. If your goal is to change the behavior of your agents, you need skill-focused training that ties directly to the various aspects of your agents' call flow.

Once the training is over, there's still plenty of work to do. Agents need consistent and effective reinforcement from coaches/mgrs in order to accomplish the transfer of learning into the real-time environment. It's at this point that you can, if you elect to, introduce incentives. The agents now know what they should be doing and they know how to do it, so go ahead and give them an incentive to put it all into practice on the job!

Your post doesn't state whether your agents are strictly service, support, or sales (all of which require "customer service" skills), but my company specializes in improving performance in contact centers. We'd love to help you out: www.impactlearning.com

These answers are too complicated and way too much BS for me. This is simple. 1) Behavours are very difficult to change. 2) Looks to me like you got square pegs in round holes. Many times you have a really good employee, but not in the right seat on the bus. Suggest you read Good to Great by Rick Kash. These agents are the frontline of your business and the cornerstone of your company, therefore it is essential to have the right people in the right seat on the bus. Period.
You can train all you want. You can pay high priced so-called experts big money to tell you how to train, educate, empower, engage, coach, etc; Remember these people are the facebook of your company.
Youhavegot to have natural born connectors on the front line. Or, you can have someone who understands the art and skill of connecting with others. "Hello Mr Bill, how are all those kids of yours doing?" Glad to hear from you Dr. Farr, how is this new health care bill going to affect you?" I can show you how to accomplish this, but you can just as easy read the book. "Plug Into People" how to have 'em at hello by Johnny R. Fatheree. Tate Publishing, amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, etc; If you think I can help you contact me at johnnyfatheree@sbcglobal.net

If the key metric is calls per hour, your employees will be rushing the calls and in turn providing less than desirable customer service.

There are many routes you can take to improve customer satisfaction and I wouldnt always start with 'training' - as a provider I see companies pushing staff into training when the problem is something quite different.

First you need to speak with your staff and find out their opinions: are they rushing the calls? why are they rushing the calls? what service do they think they are providing? and then... ask your customers!

Then act accordingly.

Links:
http://www.brighterdirections.co.uk

Are they well compensated? Do they know they are being monitored? Is there a bonus for being the top agent for the month? These are some motivating factors for CSR's.

Motivation starts with a good manager. Some simple facts in hiring, making sure the person speaks clearly, has a positive impact on the phone (gives good phone!). Rewards are nice, but I do agree why do you feel you need to reward? If you are trying to improve a few folks that are consistently not performing figure out what makes them tick, talk to them, ask them questions, figure out what they are good at, are they working because it is a job or because they love customer service? This is a very specialized field and not everyone can do it, although everyone thinks it's easy and will apply to the open positions.

Training is good, however I have sat in many training sessions bored out of my mind. I am good at what I do and voice when I need help. Not everyone is like this. You, as a manager, need to figure out what is missing and who fills the void.

Take competition out of the team. They should be working together. One bad seed sews quickly. There is always someone or multiples jealous of the person on top. Weed them out or find out what they need to be successful and get themselves to the top.

I believe only a select few can do this job. The burn out rate is tremendous. As a manager, you have to watch for this. Maybe those folks need to be placed in teams.
Another, I strongly believe in, I think reps have forgotten the phrase The Customer Is First or The Customer Is Always Right. The listening ears need to be on. Courtesy needs to come through the voice, don't be a leach! be true not fake. Reps need to be taught to sit straight and smile in a mirror as they speak. You need to shine with each person. Each question asked of the customer you need to listen to the answer.

On my end note I will leave you with what a wonderful person I worked with wrote:
I deliver every message with passion and strive to make my last call of the day as effective as the first.

My favorite exercises are the ones that put the reps into the seats of the customers. When you know how it feels to go through the processes, you are much more likely to understand frustrations and can help minimize them. When I taught tech support reps how to do customer service, I used Legos and had one tech walk the other through building something over the phone. They really got the feel of what it is like when you have no idea what the other person is talking about and all changed their language on their future calls.