Welcome to the first release (!) in our new podcast series: Quality Conversations. We are going to feature stories from companies and individuals going the extra mile to create exceptional customer experiences. Ines van Dijk was a very natural choice for our first guest – once you listen, you’ll find out why.
Peruse a summary of the discussion below, or go ahead and click on that play triangle to listen in one gulp.
Who is Ines?
After years of working in high-pressure support teams, Ines founded quality consultation business Quality in Support. She knows the ins and outs of everything customer service quality related – from the people to the technical.
Who are Niclas and John?
Niclas and John are two of Klaus’ conversational experts. John is always happy to steer a conversation towards lego, and Niclas once owned a mysterious collection of rocks – today you know them as your podcast hosts.
Topics covered…
- How to overcome employee burnout (all too prevalent in customer service teams);
- Why motivating your team with gamification-style bonus rewards is not advised;
- Where automation in customer service falls short.
Ines’ Bitesize Advice
(although not quite, because you can’t bite the intangible)
For customer service managers: The distance between them and the people that they’re managing is often too big. Connect with your people by getting on the frontline so you know what they’re working with.
For customer service agents: Work on your soft skills: communication skills, how to communicate empathy. If you do that, you’re gonna stand out because that’s going to shoot your CSAT scores into the stratosphere.
Snippets from their chat
They discussed the right time to set up a support QA program (hint: early on in the game) and how to get started:
One of the first things that I do when I get brought in to establish the QA process is to look at support goals. Are your goals to improve the overall quality of what people are doing? Or are you looking to help people get better at their job?
Those are two very, very different goals. Oftentimes it needs a bit of explanation to help companies see the difference.
Ines
They talk about how quality is always a work in progress, but there are some things that remain a constant:
Everyone I speak to who is doing QA measures empathy. I always say, that’s the number one trait to look for when hiring a customer service team..
John
And also about how the right manager fosters a learning environment, not a goal-hitting one:
A good feedback culture and growth mindset is important. Whatever QA tool you have or whatever your process is, if agents aren’t inclined to change or develop or learn for whatever reason, it’s all for nothing.
Niclas
If you’re pioneering a QA program for your customer service team (or even if you’re not) – educate yourself! Klaus Course Setting Up The Purrfect Customer Service QA Program is the only one of its kind, seasoned with expert advice.
Keep your ear to the ground for more episodes.
Are you (or do you know) someone who wants to be a guest? Get in touch!
