Performance Standards for Customer Service

Set clear and achievable performance standards for a customer service team.

The single most important aspect of running any business is having a knowledgeable and motivated customer service team on the front lines. Performance standards help employers measure employee effectiveness as well as identify areas for improvement in customer service processes. The best way for a company to set performance standards for a customer service department is to set reasonable and attainable goals that each customer service representative can strive to beat. Each business has different needs, and ideally the performance standards should be based on the needs and feedback of your customers. Be willing to adjust your standards as your customer base and industry evolve.

Response Time

Customers appreciate being followed up and kept in contact with. Many customers dislike waiting on hold and having to leave multiple voice mails. Every customer service quality measurement initiative should include a standard for customer response time. You may want all of your customer phone calls to be answered within one second with no exceptions, but such an unattainable goal can weaken morale, and ultimately your customers will suffer. Goals like returning phone calls or emails on the same day, or the next day at the latest, are reasonable.

Communication Etiquette

Etiquette in business means conducting communications in a professional and actionable way. A professional method of writing and formatting emails is a common standard to set. Branding the organization each time the phone is answered and a conversation is closed is another popular attainable goal. It's important to tailor standards to a specific company or industry. It may be appropriate in some industries to use slang or jargon in communications, but in others this should be avoided at all costs.

Leadership and Performance Management

It's important to motivate customer service employees toward developing their leadership skills. Leaders influence others to achieve goals, maintain open communication and contribute to an environment of innovation and growth. Leaders also foster a team-oriented atmosphere that enables effective cooperation between staff to proactively find solutions to customer problems. Effective leaders use individual strengths appropriately to achieve objectives and satisfy customers by working towards meeting team goals. Where leadership describes how an employee encourages others toward meeting team goals, performance management is what makes an employee look after their own personal goals and targets, such as professional development and metrics.

Problem-Solving and Decision Making

Few businesses operate without problems, and the customer service department is likely to face the brunt of those problems. Companies need employees who can actively analyze and solve problems as quickly as possible, are able to make decisions with factual and reasonable support, and can identify individual strengths in solving each problem. Customers expect their problems to be taken seriously, and they sometimes demand satisfaction no matter the circumstances. For this reason, customer service representatives need to be able to address issues and create win-win solutions as often as possible.

Adaptability

The ability of a customer service representative to adapt to fast-paced changes like policy updates, technology upgrades, new products and customer emergencies is essential to maintaining customer confidence and loyalty. Companies need employees who are flexible in a variety of situations, able to adjust methods and strategies in conflict resolution, and work on their own professional development to keep their skills current and useful. Each customer has different expectations, and customer service representatives need to be able to adapt from one customer's style to another on a moment's notice.

Individuals, Positions, and Groups

It is not uncommon for companies to set performance standards individually, or based on a particular position or department. For example, a manager of the customer service department should have different objectives and goals than the team members. Even sub-groups within the same departments may have different sets of standards and goals, and specific interventions like verbal warnings, write-ups, suspensions or additional training can be incorporated based on the needs of individual employees.

References

• "Quality Service, Competitive Business: Setting the Standard in Customer Service;" Howard Kendall; 2010
• "What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience;" John R. DiJulius III; 2008
• "Exceeding Customer Expectations: How to Establish, Measure and Exceed Effective Service Standards;" Susan Nash; 2000