Customer service seems to have an incredibly high turnover rate, especially at the places I have worked. I tried to figure out the reasoning for the high rates. One reason is simply that customer service isn’t for everyone. The places I have worked underpay you and made you work every holiday (clearly not for everyone). In order to be successful in customer service, you have to lower that turnover rate. I want to share a few ways to do so:
- Be Selective. Yes, it’s important to have your call center and or customer service department fully staffed, but you don’t want to just hire anyone.
- Be Honest. It’s so important to be honest about the job description, and to find someone who is truly passionate about helping others. When I started at a vacation rental management company, I was told that I would be a “vacation plannerâ€â€”in reality, it was a call center. I would have been fine with it if I was told the exact job description up-front. However, I was upset because I was lied to.
- Focus on the Core Duties. You want to be honest, but you don’t want to overwhelm a potential candidate with an exhaustive list. Wait until you find someone who you believe is perfect, interview them and then let them know their responsibilities.
It can be difficult to find someone with the perfect qualities you want in your customer service department, but when you finally find that person, the wait will have been worth it.