Building a Customer Service Dream Team

culled from:www.desk.com

In this guide, you’ll learn how to address the challenges of a disengaged workforce by baking a long-term, customer-centric company culture into everything you do. From hiring and training to motivating your customer staff, discover industry-proven steps to build your customer service dream team.

Embrace Customer Wow

And news of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for good service. With word of mouth spreading like wildfire over social, your reputation is in customers' hands.
So how do you ensure customers get the star treatment when they contact support? Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh was talking from experience when he said, "If you"e culture right, other stuff like great customer service or building a long-term brand will happen on its own." When Zappos shifted focus from selling shoes to pleasing customers, employees became more engaged and passionate, customers were happier and sales went through the roof. Other customer service powerhouses such as Amazon (Zappos' owner since 2009), Google and yes,
Desk.com have also found a winning formula in making " culture and brand two sides of the same coin.
Customer WOW is the philosophy at the core of everything we've done since our early days as Assistly. Every day, every employee works to be better than expected. We strive to "wow&rd"r customers through amazing service while perfecting the experiences they have with us. The basic principles below have contributed to our success, guiding our teams to be the best at what they do.

Here at Desk.com, we've created a product and culture that's focused on the customer. Our " follows the philosophy of Customer WOW, consistently being better than what you're expected to be, is how we provide the best possible customer experience. Creating this experience is at the core of what we do and since our early day at Assistly we work every day to perfect the experience our customers have with us. We've found some basic principles that have contributed to our success and ways to empower our team to be the best at what they do.
We believe that it's really important to come up with a set of core values that your business lives and breathes by. Ask yourself, "are yo"ng to live by your core values in both good times and bad?" If the answer is yes, then that's the strongest start to building and maintaining a " culture that you and your employees actually want to work in. When you hire, train and motivate your employees based on your core values, everything will fall into place on its own.
Empower Employees
Each of our team members is hired with the expectation of working in the best interest of our customers. Everyone is given the tools and authority to make decisions.
Create Trust
There's no finish line when it comes to building trust with employees, customers and partners. Honesty, transparency and accountability are the guideposts for every decision and action we take in delivering quality customer service.
Dream Big
Unbounded imagination, genuine passion and the right attitude will take us to the wonderful places we want to go. We aspire to make the impossible possible.
What's your WOW factor? What core values does your business live and breathe by? Are you willing to live them in good times and bad? If the answer is yes, you have a strong start to creating a " culture you and your employees want to work in.

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Hire Motivated Employees

When you hire, train and motivate employees based on core values, everything else falls into place. Finding competent people with the right skills isn't enough. They need the right attitude, too. It's essential and non-negotiable.
Some questions to ask:
Why are you in customer service?
Always ask this one first. Customer service is not just resolving one issue after another. It's satisfying customers' needs, putting smiles on their faces and inspiring them to do the same for others. Employees who excel have a natural desire to help and express genuine empathy. Bonus points for a sunny disposition and willingness to go the extra mile.
Are you familiar with what we do?
Ideal candidates walk into interviews with a basic understanding of your ". Have them list what they believe to be the value of your product or service. Fill in any blanks and discuss how you make a difference in customers' personal or professional lives.
How would you handle...?
Personality is part of the hiring game. To see if a candidate has what it takes, create a customer support scenario. Don't be afraid to throw a few curveballs. Is he or she empathetic? Asking appropriate questions? Being proactive? Did you feel the issue was resolved? Provide feedback and give candidates the chance to talk about what they do differently.
Attitude is the the foundation of good culture and outstanding customer service, the driving force behind:

• What your employees say and how they say it
• The service goals your employees set for themselves
• How much your employees are willing to do for your customers
• Overall job satisfaction

Skills being equal, employees with the right attitude have an easier time fitting in, better job performance and they stick around longer. To identify strong candidates and weed out those looking to collect a paycheck, ask questions that align with your "'s core values.
In the end, you're looking for a good blend of operational and personal skills. Here's a simple checklist to have on hand for interviews: