Marketing the CSR?

In the past I have written many times of the importance of thinking of the Customer Service Representative (CSR) as an important frontline position, and not a secondary one as seems to often happen. A CSR position should be filled with the best-trained, most suitably motivated person available, and one who is a real “people person.” Instead of just filling these positions with whatever warm bodies apply for the job, employers should consider them as prime spots for investing the extra time and money to get it right. Some companies are taking this to heart and treating the CSR as a marketing expense.

“Some companies are starting to think about customer service in terms of a marketing expense.  That’s a good thing.  It’s profitable to invest in customer service, and that return on a company’s customer service budget, including the training to support it, is showing a much larger return than the actual dollars invested. More and more, companies are finally seeing customer service as something more than just a department or a call center and they are allocating the funds needed to make it part of their culture,” says Shep Hyken in his article, Is Customer Service the New Marketing? I know I am probably painting with a wide brush when I say this, but most big name branch stores seem to be less concerned when it comes to their CSR crew when compared to smaller specialty stores. It is time for all companies, big and small, to refocus on taking the steps necessary to provide excellent, above and beyond customer service.

If you are thinking of getting into the CSR profession, remember, the job of the CSR has to be looked at as more than just assisting someone in need. It is to be about meeting and exceeding the needs. It is about making the customer feel comfortable and important. It is being sure to provide them with accurate information for their need. It is reassuring the customer after a decision is made. It is about listening and serving, but not coming off as being fake or just out to make a sale. As Susan Friedman said, in The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service, “Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feelings and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about doing business with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance.”

Remember, it is all about servicing the customer. To do that, it requires someone with the proper skills and personality for the task. That requires a company to work hard at filling the position with qualified people. It requires finding the right person - the best person - to fill the position. It requires discovering the strengths of your people, and if need be, shifting them into positions that best utilize those strengths to increase their motivation and productivity. All of that means looking at the CSR as more than just a customer greeter who has the gift of gab to make a sale. It is about having a tight knit and happy team that know their stuff, and are motivated to do it for the customer’s benefit first, which will benefit the company in the long run.

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