Hiring Customer Service Oriented Employees

How to Get Rave Reviews from Clients

With many of the nation’s manufacturing jobs heading overseas, the service sector has become the driving force for the economy. Because of the increasingly important role of this sector, many employers are clamoring to hire employees who excel at customer service. From healthcare to legal services and from construction to hospitality, almost all fields desperately need employees with a knack for meeting customers’ needs. Because of this demand, the success or failure of many businesses depends on obtaining service-oriented employees.

Since customer-driven employees are so valuable, detecting whether a job applicant is geared toward service can be priceless. How can employers screen applicants to ensure they possess this specific skill set? First, interviewers must know what attributes they are looking for in the ideal candidate. Then, they must have the expertise to know what questions will uncover whether a potential employee has these talents.

Some of the characteristics hiring managers should look for in customer service employees are excellent listening skills, humility, empathy, patience, problem-solving skills, courtesy and adaptability. An employee who possesses these attributes is more likely to go the extra mile to make customers happy and to do so with a smile.

In addition to looking for positive qualities in potential employees, interviewers should also keep an eye out for red flags. If an applicant displays negativity, apathy, arrogance or impatience she will likely not interact well with customers. A candidate who frequently interrupts or doesn’t seem to listen well during the interview is probably a bad fit for a customer care role.

Of course, people are always on their best behavior during a job interview and are hesitant to reveal anything unflattering about themselves, that’s why asking the right type of questions is so important.

To learn more about an applicant’s true disposition, describe a stressful but realistic scenario and ask the candidate how he would handle the issue. Or ask him to describe a difficult situation at a previous job and how he handled the situation. Watch his facial expressions and body language as he answers. Does he get defensive or look upset? Also, pay close attention to the tone of the applicant’s voice – does it sound pleasant, like a voice a customer would be glad to hear? Scenario questions are often more helpful than basic “tell me about yourself” questions because they require applicants to think on their feet and reveal more about the way they operate in stressful situations.

Another effective interviewing technique is to set up a realistic crisis scenario for the applicant to participate in. For example, when the candidate comes in for her interview, tell her that the company has just received calls from several irate customers demanding a quick solution to their problem. Ask if the interviewee would mind pitching in to help resolve the problem and see how her demeanor changes. If the applicant remains upbeat, it’s evident that she understands the importance of meeting customers’ demands in a timely matter. However, if the candidate expresses disinterest or annoyance, chances are good that she won’t want to go the extra mile for customers once hired.

Employers should also carefully consider who conducts the interview. In general, it’s best to use an interviewer who excels at customer service. The reason for this is that a hiring manager who excels at service will more readily detect the personality traits that are needed to give quality customer care. On the contrary, if the interviewer is an individual who dislikes working with customers or has little patience for their problems, it’s likely they’ll excuse poor attitudes in others as well.

Overall, managers should seek to hire customer service employees based on their attitude, not their work history. While hiring someone who has years of related experience can make training a breeze, it doesn’t ensure a perfect fit. Many employees continue to work in customer service, not because they love it, but because it’s what they’ve always done.

To determine if an applicant really enjoys working with customers, ask questions about his ideal work environment. While his dream job may not be exactly like the position he’s interviewing for, it should resemble it. If a person is interviewing for a greeter position at a busy legal office and describes his ideal environment as running spreadsheets in a quiet office, the applicant is probably not a good match for the job. Individuals applying for customer-service oriented jobs should enjoy working with people, otherwise they’ll become fatigued by the position.

Employing individuals who excel at customer service is vital in our competitive business environment because customers return when they know they can count on world class customer care. Frequently customers are willing to pay a little more, drive a little further or wait a little longer to do business with a company that treats them like gold. To create a company that turns customers into fans, hire employees who value and respect the time and needs of their customers. Using targeted interview techniques that identify customer service-oriented candidates will allow employers to hire those with a passion for service, ensuring they create a company that draws rave reviews from its customers.

Source Express Personnel Services