Some Useful Tips to Build a Successful Remote Customer Service Team

There has been a steep increase in remote working culture. Employees are becoming more and more interested in this work arrangement and businesses are buying into it. Remote work is no longer perceived as a fad or scam. On the contrary, research suggests that remote work is beneficial for all parties involved. You can take the example of some UK casinos which run a remote-based customer service team and are quite good at their job. They are highly rated and at the top of their work line in giving the best customer care. Based on some recent research statistics, demand for remote work will continue to rise in the upcoming years.

Advantages of remote customer service model

• Remote employees are more productive than their onsite counterparts. They also work longer and are more engaged than those in the office.
• Hiring a remote customer service team is cost-effective because it eliminates the costs of a physical office.
• It is easier to recruit employees working from home and scale customer service teams, as you are not geographically limited.
• Building a remote customer service team encourages communication.

Building a remote customer support team is challenging. It is a complex and lengthy process that comprises various stages. So, what should you keep in mind to build a successful remote customer service team?

Hire people with the right qualities

It is highly important to hire the right people with the right qualities for running any remote team. When you hire people who align with your company’s values and goals, they will do their best to help the company grow. Some good characteristics you should look for include:

• Self-motivated
• Great communication
• Disciplined
• Team player
• Willing to learn
• Reliable
• Passionate about the work

Create an internal knowledge base to share information

Sometimes a knowledge base created for customers may not be sufficient for the needs of your customer support agents. That’s why, especially in the case of remote teams, it may be necessary to create an internal knowledge base to streamline online knowledge management and provide agents with the right help to address client concerns effectively. Without an internal knowledge base in place, your team members have to resort to seeking answers through email or chat, which usually leads to delays which can make customers frustrated.

Encourage self-growth

Encouragement of self-growth is critically important to keep the people working highly motivated. Giving the team members access to different courses, curating content for them so they’re always updated on current trends, statistics and stories in the relevant industry as well as egging them on to read and learn is quite important. Help them create a career path and let them know they are noticed and appreciated. The more the level of personal growth on a person’s part, the more he/she can contribute to the team.

Establishment of some core values

Showing them the bigger picture, and why they are an integral part of the operation of the company and setting core goals helps everyone understand their place on the team. If you make sure to establish these early on, to make the applicants understand them and see how they fit in.

Wrap up

It may be difficult to follow all these practices, especially if your teams are scattered around the globe. However, in most cases, it is worth going the extra mile to make your employees feel connected and cared about. Remote work comes with its challenges, but with the right strategies and tools, you can build and grow a productive and effective customer service team that helps your customers and your business to succeed.