Company manuals and guidelines are not on the agenda when you’re
starting a business – because usually it’s just you who works for the
business.
However, once you start employing people it’s wise to set some
“ground rules”. For example, a customer service guide will help with
training new staff, providing them with a reference point for any issues
they encounter in their early days on the job.
Here are a few simple tips on creating an effective customer service
guide. I have focused on an online business, but it’s similar for an
offline operation.
Introduce your business
Though it’s your business and you know the standards and quality you
expect, new employees may not. It won’t be long until your customer
service team is the main contact point for your customers and they need
to know how your business operates and what it promises. Otherwise they
can’t adequately answer people’s queries.
The key points to cover are:
- Shipping costs and delivery times.
- Returns policy – any shop or online company needs to make clear both the law and their own attitude to unhappy customers.
- Key details about your product/service (eg if you sell printer ink cartridges, the differences between original manufacturers’ items and compatibles from a third party are important for staff to know).
- Employee “power” – how far a customer service person can go to appease a situation and when management must be consulted.
It often helps to create a short list of, say, five key points, ideas
or practices that you feel are essential to your team. This could
include things such as politeness and tone of voice. At my company, we
have crucial targets, such as responding to all email enquires within 24
hours.
Tailor it to the role – don’t over-inform
Starting a new job is overwhelming, so make sure you clearly explain
the tasks relevant to the role you want that employee to perform.
If you have a sales team, as well as product knowledge, you’ll need
details such as how to handle different payments, any limitations of the
system (eg can’t accept American Express) or how account and new
customers are dealt with.
For roles with more of a focus on service and support, product
familiarity is also vital but in-depth knowledge of the sales process
may not be necessary (though the ability to do a basic job can help
cover staff absences or busy periods). Focus more on relevant factors
such as knowledge of your suppliers or product training and
troubleshooting.
Proper use of equipment
For any piece of hardware and software, it’s essential that anyone
working for your business understands its purpose and how to use it
properly from both safety and efficiency viewpoints.
This doesn’t mean you need to copy out every user manual available,
but some bullet points with tips can make the employee feel more
comfortable and get them up to speed quickly.
Taking screenshots can often save time and effort when trying to
describe a series of on-screen tasks. They are great, not only to
complement instructions, but also to serve as verification that the
correct stages have been followed.
Who ya gonna call?
It’s inevitable, your new customer service employee will need to be
able to turn to someone with more experience or authority for help. This
makes a quick-fire contact list of all employees (and their jobs)
essential, and helps get problems resolved faster by streamlining issues
that arise. Plus, you’d be amazed by the added confidence an employee
can get from just knowing there is someone to turn to.
This area could also cover where to refer customers who’re looking
for services you don’t provide. Draw up a shortlist of companies that
don’t impinge on your market but are in a related niche. This can not
only encourage customers to see you as being helpful, but also build
relationships with those businesses. If you’re sending business to them
they’ll be much more likely to send it back to you.
Produce a cheat sheet
If you can distil some of the more essential information onto a
single page that your team can pin up for quick reference, you’ll save
time.
This can be anything from a flow chart for taking a payment by
cheque to how to handle ‘difficult to scan’ barcodes (I’m looking at you
and your eggs, Mr Cadbury). In non-retail situations this can be how to
document an issue properly, or the correct series of questions to ask
when troubleshooting a problem.
Updating your guide
If it’s good, employees will refer to your manual and follow it,
which is great, as long as the guidance is correct. It’s definitely
worth re-evaluating this document periodically, as well as updating
sections when new business practices, equipment or services become
available.
I hope these tips help you streamline your processes and your new
recruits are still smiling after settling-in! Have you got any tips that
you’ve found really helped you to integrate a new team member?
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