Building a Strong Customer Service Team and Retaining Talent

Customer service is more than just extinguishing fires—it’s key in bridging the disconnect between a customer's expectation and a brands’ offering. In an age where technology plays an increasingly prominent role in our lives, the human interaction remains irreplaceable in creating meaningful and memorable experiences, an opportunity to build lasting relationships and repeat business.

As technology continues to evolve, it is increasingly being used to automate everyday task, transforming the way even customer experience (CX) teams operate and enhance response times. We're lucky to have gotten a chance to catch up with Kate Hartigan, Chief Marketing Officer at The Blue Space and Carina Anderson, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Optimisation at Naked Wines AU after their 'Fireside Chat: Are customer service teams too underrated and often not consulted enough and how can you leverage their insights in your strategic decision making?' to find out how you can build, run and maintain great customer service teams with transparent communication, teamwork, workplace environment and shared goals.

Kate believes that automation will empower CX teams to focus on personalised interactions and proactive sales and support. In industries like theirs, where important home renovation decisions and customer stress are prevalent, empathy remains essential in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Video and virtual consultations with their Interior Designer team contributes to their pre-sale support, connecting with customers to personalise their journey, whilst also increasing average order value and conversion rates for the business – which cannot be replaced by automation.

Despite technology supporting their efforts, being able to create a sense of trust, understanding, and emotional resonance between customers and the brand is built on human connection, fostering customer appreciation and loyalty.

Retail brands that know how to maximise the value of their customer service teams can easily see the bigger picture and identify key insights that they can leverage to create a better and more personalized experience for their customers.

In some cases, the top management and customer service may seem distant. However, Kate firmly believes in a value driven leadership approach and in fostering open and transparent communication. This involves clearly communicating the reasons and rationale behind (any) change and its alignment with their team's objectives. Additionally, creating a feedback loop encourages team members to voice concerns and propose refinements to the change process and share how they are managing change so they can be on the front foot. Appointing change champions and providing ample training and resources are essential.

Therefore, in the face of significant changes, maintaining an equilibrium between structured planning and adaptable change management is paramount in the ever-evolving retail landscape. Resilience and adaptability should be cultivated within teams, both on a personal and professional level, especially considering the lessons learned from the unpredictability of events like COVID, and in the current evolving technological landscape.

The key is to strike a balance between necessary changes and the team's capacity to adapt. Each situation may require a slightly different approach, so it's essential to remain flexible and responsive to the team's and the business needs.

Being operational and strategic – customer service teams have their finger on the pulse of customer expectations and organizational costs as well delivering personalised interactions continuously. Especially in such high-stress front-line roles, and highly volatile situations dealing with people's emotion, customer service agent turnover rates hovers between 30% and 45% globally - double than what you’d see in other teams highlighted by Customer Service Magazine.

How then do we ensure that our customer service teams do not run on empty? It's not merely a matter of offering a quick fix; it's about creating a workplace culture that fosters long-term commitment, encourages innovative problem-solving, and builds a sense of community. Carina Anderson approaches the challenge of employee retention as follows:

Empowering Frontline Employees:

We give them the authority to make decisions and go above and beyond to surprise and delight their customers from sending flowers to a grieving customer or helping them with the best traffic route! By enabling the team to take immediate action without needing managerial approval, it not only enhances the CX but also boosts employee morale.

Foster Cross-Functional Connections:

Encourage communication and knowledge sharing between customer service teams and other departments to enhance the overall CX and makes employees feel like they are part of a collective mission. This can provide new perspectives and solutions to customer service challenges while fostering a sense of belonging.

Team Building Activities:

Organise team-building events, both virtual and in-person, that allow customer service teams to connect on a personal level with other staff. These activities can create a strong sense of camaraderie and teamwork, which is essential for employee satisfaction.

Show Gratitude:

We KPI our Customer Happiness agents on receiving 5-star service from customers, which is tough, but we then regularly celebrate milestones, recognise outstanding performance, and provide incentives to keep them motivated. We have also built a culture of “shout-outs” so peer-to-peer recognition is seen and consistent.

At The Blue Space group, Kate shares they prioritise health and well-being like group Pilates sessions, promote flexible time off policies – having the option to work a 9-day fortnight, coaching opportunities and essential support.

All in all, employee retention in customer service teams involves a holistic approach. Creating an environment where employees are not just working a job, but rather contributing to a meaningful and fulfilling career will help enhance job satisfaction, growth, and engagement and reduce stress and turnover.

Carina Anderson, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Optimisation,

Naked Wines          

 Kate Hartigan ,Chief Marketing Officer,

The Blue Space