The holiday season is filled with ups and downs. On the one hand, you can increase your revenue by implementing outstanding marketing strategies. On the other hand, you need to keep your regular customers loyal, which means answering all of their complaints and tailoring your company's products to their needs.
While you might be covered in the marketing department, what about your customer service department? Customer support specialists are an essential part of any company and can deal with any of your client's needs concerning their time and their necessities. In this article, you will learn what a customer support specialist does and how to hire one for the holiday season.
Customer Support Specialist
The first task at hand is knowing what a customer support specialist does. And, no, it is not the same as a customer services representative. While it is easy to mistake one for another, specific differences make a specialist stand out.
According to Betterteam, a customer support specialist process complaints and issues related to products or services. They help customers complete purchases, upgrades, and returns and frequently provide advice and technical assistance. They generally work in office environments, call centers, or their homes.
With that definition in mind, we now need to know the differences between a customer support specialist and a representative.
Customer Support Specialist
Helps clients find a solution to business-related issues
Masters the art of active listening
Treats customers with respect and empathy
Experts in the product or service they sell
Excels in their metrics
Able to help other co-workers with business problems
Knowledgable of the market and company's status
Manages teams
Customer Service Representative
Provide general information
Process payments, deliveries, and orders
Keep a record of customer interactions
Identify opportunities to up-sell
Ensure customer satisfaction
Reports to a manager
While the difference may not seem obvious, customer support specialists dedicate their time to understanding what customers need, solving their issues, offering personalized attention, and helping the company grow overall. Customer service representatives focus more on keeping the client happy with your business; they will resolve general problems a customer may have and offer assistance to any consumer's concerns.
It is vital to understand that one does not replace the other. You can hire a customer support specialist as a consultant for your company, and they can train your customer service representatives. There is no reason for a substitution.
Hiring a Customer Support Specialist
Now that you understand the differences between these two professionals, we can move on to hiring a customer support specialist. The first question you should ask yourself is: how can a customer support specialist elevate my company? Take a look at the three steps below to get the answer to that question.
Identify
As mentioned in our article, How to Hire an Employee, you must first identify the needs of your company. You must talk with your managers and team to determine where your company has opportunities. As soon as your company knows what exactly it needs, you can move on to the next step.
Skills
Customer service specialists require skills that are not very easy to find. In truth, you will take a considerable amount of time looking for the right specialist that will help you with your company's needs. Below you can find a few necessary skills to fill this position. From there, you can assess which other skills are essential for precisely what you require.
Communications skills
Time management
Multi-tasking skills
Leadership
Patience
Tech-savviness
Conflict management skills
Skills are important to all companies. The more skills you can find in your prospects, the better. But, you need to make your screening process as tight as possible. In the end, you will have to evaluate candidates and may have to sacrifice a few skills for knowledge. Take a few hours from your schedule when assessing candidates.
Tests
Now that you have your candidates in line, the best way to proceed is to apply a few tests to see who is the best qualified for the customer support specialist position. Below you can find two tests that have been proven to work for any company.
Cognitive Ability Tests
Cognitive ability tests help you ensure that prospects can act quickly to solve any problem that comes their way. You can also provide the candidate with a few example questions in the test itself for the prospect to be ready. Moreover, combining cognitive tests with other psychological tests like personality and integrity can let you know the potential worker more in-depth.
Make sure to let your candidate know beforehand that you will apply a cognitive test so they can prepare. A well-prepared prospect is a well-prepared employee.
Assignment-related Tests
As their name mentions, assignment-related tests are scenarios where your candidates will have to deal with on-the-job situations. Naturally, these tests take a little more time than the cognitive tests, so give your prospects around 48 to 72 hours to respond to your queries. With this exercise, you will identify which candidates are better suited for regular work and which potential employees may fit in another position you also need.
As the cognitive test, let your candidate know beforehand that an assignment-related test is coming their way. They will have time to prepare for the examination and excel in performing day-to-day tasks at your company.
You now know all you need to hire a customer support specialist, but before posting your job offer, look at the section below. Outsourcing is one of the easiest ways to get the professionals you need at half the cost.
Outsourcing
Not every small business has an HR department to help them through the hiring process. Sometimes companies can have five people working remotely, although it's probable they don't possess the recruitment skills necessary to know how to hire an employee. In this case, it is better to look for a professional worker to guide you through the procedure.
Furthermore, outsourcing the specific position, you are looking for could be a better option.
Since the pandemic, many outsourcing and offshoring companies have thrived because of their effectiveness and low cost. When comparing outsourcing companies to hiring employees, you'll find that most professionals are also leaning to outsource their work than being employed directly with a company. It allows workers better time management and increases motivation.
It is also worth mentioning that some companies are specifically created to search for remote workers for you. These companies take care of the screening process. They will help you work with professional candidates who already possess the tools for the type of work you are looking for—giving you more flexibility in your schedule to take care of other vital activities.
Takeaway
Customer support specialists can convert regular clients into loyal customers. They are experts in their field and passionate about customer service and self-improvement. If you want to skip the screening process, you can schedule a free consultation with us today. We will help you find the perfect candidate for your company while focusing on your marketing plan for next year.
Schedule a free consultation and ask for our holiday deals!