Blog: Customer Service

We can’t place enough value on the face to face interactions we have with our call centre staff.  Making it a daily habit to ‘walk-about’ is a great one to establish early on when you’re leading a team.  But ‘positive reinforcement’ comments can be double edged and you may be perceived as being ‘fake’ if you are spreading compliments around like cheap cigars.

Phrases like ‘great call there John’ or ‘way to make that sale Jenny’ don’t have much value to a call centre rep and provide very little satisfaction.

So what should I say?

First, telling them they had a great call is ok – but then go that extra step and tell them why it was a great call from your perspective.  This is a hard habit to form, and I admit it takes practice – but it’s so worthwhile, and you’ll see that people take notice when you do it properly –and look forward to your comments.

Here are some examples:

“That was a great call you just had John, and I especially liked the way you acknowledged that Joanne (the client) was frustrated with the error we made, and that you offered to credit her shipping on the next one.  It really shows that you were listening and cared about making the situation right’

“Hey Jenny – amazing job on that call, and what a great way to position that new product.  Highlighting those special features was very smart –and made the client take a keen interest in the product.  I’m going to share that with the whole team if you don’t mind”

See the difference – tell them why you are impressed, don’t just tell them you’re impressed.

Some quick and easy ideas for Reward and Recognition in your Call Centres

1. A roll of lifesavers with a tag “You’ve been a lifesaver for our clients today” (you can even personalize with an example of what they did to make it even more meaningful)
2. A package of mints – “Your customer service skills are worth a mint to us”
3. A Mars bar – “Your quality is out of this world”
4. A client commendation board where customer comments are posted with the call centre reps photo
5. ……what’s your idea?

Let’s build a list of 100 quick and cheap ways to Reward and Recognize in the Call Centre.  Once we get to 100 – I’ll post the entire list right here and you can start using all the great ideas people have shared

Help me add to this list by submitting feedback – or emailing me at kimvey@rogers.com

So this week – Rule #5  Make the comment you make meaningful – tell them why!

Feedback or comments: Share your ideas for low/no cost rewards and recognition in your call centres