Although the job may often be masked in fun and enthusiasm, customer service is, in reality, an uphill battle much of the time. Apart from dealing with complaining customers most of the day (with the nice ones turning up once in a blue moon, if at all), there are times your employees even have to deal with verbal abuse. They often find themselves in a position of having to calm down customers with absolutely no way to do so or having to answer the same questions over and over again like a broken record.
Needless to say, the job can take its toll on your employees as well as on the level of care they give your customers. So how do you handle this burnout and inspire your employees to remain happy, motivated and caring? While even the most naturally buoyant people can get fazed out with the challenges of the job, here are some strategies can prove effective to inspire your employees.
Meet with your employees frequently to address their concerns.
Spending a couple of hours every few weeks to talk to your customer service reps will help you help them deal with their frustrations. Rather than having a group meeting, have a one-on-one discussion to clear the air, let your employees know what you expect of them and to give them all the help they need to meet up to your expectations without burning out. These sessions are also perfect to solve problems that they may be facing in the course of their job.
Encourage your team with positive results.
Boost your employees' morale with a bit of positive encouragement in front of their peers. Share wins with everyone and celebrate individual and team accomplishments. When your employees feel that their achievements are recognized, they will be inspired to go the extra mile and care for your customers even more.
Provide incentives to liven up support.
Turn your support system into a chance for your agents to compete, score points and achieve goals when you provide them with incentives for meeting goals or for specific actions. For example, reward your agents each time they get a new customer on board or close a Zendesk ticket within the shortest possible time. This will help boost their morale and keep them enthusiastic.
Diversify the projects that your employees work on.
Everyone needs a break at times, and so do your customer service reps. But this does not mean that you need to give them long vacations at the expense of work that's already piled up. Encourage your employees to work on non-support related projects so that they can learn, diversify their skills and get a break from their routine tasks while contributing to your business at the same time. For example, you could encourage them to learn how to code, so that they can develop added skills with Zendesk product management and progress in their career. When your employees are given the ability to diversify and grow, they'll be more motivated and encouraged to perform their current job well so that they can push forward to the next level of opportunity.
