What is it that makes one customer service rep consistently fantastic and effective, while the person in the next cubicle is merely average, or worse?

It isnt a matter of a single trait that can be glibly labeled enthusiasm, or sincerity, or caring.

Ive identified no less than twenty five things that account for customer service success, and theyre all behavioral. For one thing, great reps not only ask, How may I help you? but they do this with an ascending tone that conveys the impression that I really WANT to help you!

When reps know exactly what to do, when to do it and how to do it, they have one half of the puzzle solved.

But the other half is receiving ongoing feedback from customers, supervisors, and themselves that makes them aware of how theyre doing, moment by moment, that is also essential to success.

Like driving a car well, its not good enough to merely point your vehicle toward your destination. Once youre underway, you have to adjust to the road, to traffic, to your own impulses to jump lanes or pursue detours and short cuts, and even to the time you have allotted to reach your goal.

Yes, you can put your mind on auto-pilot and daydream your way through customer conversations, much like breezing down a highway on cruise control, but youll be safer and less likely to get lost if youre paying close attention to your progress, second by second.

One of the basic problems associated with monitoring, measuring and managing customer service is the fact that reps, and their trainers and managers, are not classifying properly whats making a significant difference in their conversations.

Moreover, theyre clueless about discerning which customers are strongly versus weakly satisfied as those conversations end. Customer reactions need to be scaled for intensity.

For example, do they recommit their business at then end, signaling loyalty and an explicit intention to come back again and do more business with your firm? If so, how strongly do they express it?

Likewise, if they thank you, what is the magnitude of their gratitude? Is it a one, two, three, four, or a zero?

Without clearly defined indicators, and accurate and quick feedback, customer servers cant really improve. Moreover, theyre more likely to perceive their tasks as thankless while avoiding responsibility for service outcomes.

Salespeople, surgeons, and sports stars improve their skills and outcomes through feedback. Why shouldnt customer service folks excel through this device, as well?

When you provide rich feedback, youll be on the right path to improving customer satisfaction.