Hiring the right people can lead to great support and customer loyalty

Poor customer service isn't always the fault of the management or the policies being followed by the customer support team. The people who execute the procedures and guidelines themselves may also contribute to the failure of providing positive customer experience. You may have a solid lineup of plans and strategies, but if your frontline employees aren't doing their job well, your goals still can’t be achieved.

It's therefore safe to say that the challenge of providing amazing customer care begins with choosing the right people who will be the face of your store’s daily operation. These people should be able to interact with your customers effectively. So if you have a pool of hardworking and skilled workers, then you’re a step closer to impressing everyone with your customer service.

Hiring the right people is also branding

The results of recruiting the right employees may not be felt immediately, but it doesn't make the task any less important. Who you choose to respond to customer inquiries over the phone, greet shoppers in your store, or talk to irate customers through email all have an impact on how people will view your brand.

People get hired because their employers think they can represent their brands well. It's their job to embody the same values that your brand promises to offer to your clients. If your employees can’t live up to this, then your brand will be perceived as insincere. If you aim to uphold a warm and friendly customer service image, but your representatives aren't as approachable, your customers will think your image is inauthentic.

Effects of having good and bad hires

More than just branding, your workforce can also affect your bottom line. Employees who are hardworking and passionate about their job naturally evolve into effective customer service representatives. They are usually the ones who perform tasks better and stay with your company far longer than the others. More often than not, having good employees can attract other brilliant talents to join your company too. Altogether, they can work towards making customer support a strong tool in building customer loyalty.

Conversely, hiring ineffective workers can be an expensive waste of investment. Bad hires not only damage your brand and cause customer attrition, they also make you spend time and money on recruitment and training more than you should. The costs linger even after they choose to quit, with your company spending more just to look for their replacements. Employee attrition can also result to poor overall team performance.

When the people your customers meet are not the ideal customer representatives, you're giving your clients a good reason to turn away from you. Sales may be lost when store attendants are not trained properly. Customer complaints may escalate to an unimaginable degree when not handled with care. You may resort to firing some of your people. But even this option can cause further damage. Since only few employees get to stay long in the company, it prevents customers from developing familiarity with your workforce.

Great customer service is a product of having positive business culture. This kind of environment is only achievable if your people can commit to performing their roles effectively and impress customers with great service. Every person that you welcome to your organization must therefore be viewed as an asset of the company. Every new hire must be of value to your brand, to your valued customers, and to your overall customer service strategy.