How To Use Mobile Performance Support To Enhance Customer Service
Customer service representatives are the heart of the organization, ensuring that customer needs are met and increasing the customer loyalty and contentment within the company. They are the ones that deal with complaints, returns, and any other task that helps to improve the overall customer experience. This is why it's imperative that they receive the support and training they need to get the job done. In this article I'll share 6 tips you can use to create a successful mobile performance support strategy to enhance customer service.
- Figure out what you want to achieve beforehand.
The first step in developing a mobile performance support strategy for customer service is to determine your goals and objectives. Do you want to boost your customer contentment rating? Does your customer service staff need to improve specific skill sets? Are there processes that they aren't carrying out effectively? Knowing what you want to achieve will give you the ability to design a plan that is custom tailored in order to meet the needs of your organization and your staff. - Give them access to manuals and tutorials when they need them the most.
More often than not, customer service staff needs access to information that can help them complete tasks and learn about company policies and procedures immediately. For example, if they are helping a customer with an exchange, they won't be able to go into the training room on-site and complete the respective module. Instead, they need “moment of need” online training that they can access whenever, wherever. They need to be able to review company manuals and tutorials on the spot, so that they can complete the task at hand and avoid a frustrated and dissatisfied customer. To offer them “moment of need” online training, focus on the tasks they do regularly or issues that they encounter on a daily basis. If they carry out returns, refunds, and sales on an average work day, for instance, you will want to ensure that they have tutorials or walkthroughs that outline every step in the process, or offer advice for typical situations they may have to face from time to time. - Keep them up-to-date with current promotions or products.
While the sales team may be in charge of actually selling the products you offer, the customer service staff will have to deal with returns, exchanges, and make customers aware of current promotions you are running. Mobile performance support gives you the opportunity to keep your customer service team updated on current sales and new products, so that they can help you customers with their purchases. This means increased buyer confidence, increased customer contentment, and an improved bottom line. - Create mobile learning videos, scenarios, and simulations to offer immediate support.
You can create mobile learning videos, simulations, and presentations, that are “bite-sized”, which means that they can be completed within a matter of minutes on the sales floor. As such, your employees can get an interactive mobile training experience right away, so that they are able to go about their work day equipped with the knowledge they need to provide excellent customer service. For example, you can develop a scenario that encourages them to do POS (Point of Sale) transactions, or deal with an impatient customer and a more complicated purchase. This will build their confidence, as they are given the opportunity to learn in a risk-free environment. Then, when they do have to deal with an actual difficult customer or actual complicated transactions, they will have the tools and knowledge they need already stored in their long term memory. - Measure the results periodically.
The only way your mobile performance support strategy is going to be truly effective is if you are able to have proof that it is, in fact, improving your customer service. This may require you to assess your customer service team from time to time, to make sure that they know about the latest products, any changes to processes that they carry out on a regular basis, and how to most effectively deliver the best customer experience. You can track their statistics to see how long they take to complete modules and to view how often they are accessing the mobile training. Have them complete periodic exams that gauge whether or not they understand the company brand and image. After all, they are the face of the company in many respects, which means that they have to reflect the image you are striving to portray to your customers. - Continually improve your mobile performance support strategy.
Most importantly, you have to look at your performance support strategy as a constantly evolving plan. The online training needs of your organization and customer service staff will most likely change over time. Additional skills or tasks will have to be integrated into your online training, or compliance rules and regulations may change over time, making it necessary to modify your eLearning content. Periodically assess your mobile performance support strategy to ensure that you are giving your employees the tools and information they need to do their job effectively, and to offer your customers the service they deserve.
Use these mobile performance support tips to give your customer service staff the added support they need to do their job effectively. While it may require resources, ensuring that your customers are happy and keep coming back is well worth the investment.
Customer service is just one department that can benefit from mobile performance support. Read the article 6 Tips To Use Mobile Performance Support For Your Sales Team to also offer your sales team with the many advantages of an effective mobile performance support strategy.