The companies that succeed in the market are not always those that offer the best product, but yes, those that offer the best service.
There are many organizations that neglect the quality of service and assign anyone to take charge of the most important asset of the company: "The Clients".
The transversal competencies that are expected of a candidate today, regardless of the position for which they apply, are teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, organization, tolerance for frustration, proactivity, technical competencies of the position, among others. Without a doubt, they represent extremely important competencies for any position. However, in the area of Customer Service there is an even more decisive aspect.
To explain what follows, it is necessary to stop for a moment to review what we mean by the term labor competence. When we speak of competence, we refer to the ability of an individual to respond to a complex demand or situation in the workplace. The competencies address three aspects to know:
- Knowledge (KNOW) Aptitudes (KNOW TO DO) Attitudes: (KNOW TO BE)
Of these three aspects «The Attitudes»they are the most important. Both knowledge and skills are skills that can be trained. A collaborator who does not know how to operate a system “x” of the company, can be trained in said system so that he can operate through it. An accountant who is starting out in the world of work, even if he only manages the tasks that accounting involves theoretically, will inevitably achieve, through practice and the accumulation of experience, improve his skills. However, it does not happen this way with attitudes, they cannot be modified in a simple way. For example, it is simpler to teach a person to write an email message effectively than to teach them to be nice. It does not mean that a person cannot change (for the better) their attitudes, but they are very difficult to train.
Therefore, in Customer Service, the attitude of the person who attends is a fundamental aspect. One of the common mistakes in companies is to hire mediocre employees, who, by not being fired on time, represent a very high cost for organizations.
To provide Exceptional Service, you must have a "First Division" team. Jhon Stchohl, an expert in Customer Service issues, tells us the following:
"DO NOT HIRE PEOPLE WHO HATE CLIENTS"
You must have a team of collaborators who want to interact with other people, who have a helpful attitude and love to solve the problems of others, whose main competence is kindness and courtesy. In short, try to focus your recruitment efforts on finding people who have an Excellent Attitude, above technical knowledge and skills.
An organizational saying that applies to the selection area reads the following:
"PEOPLE ARE HIRED FOR WHAT THEY KNOW, BUT THEY ARE FIRED FOR WHAT THEY ARE"
It is for this reason that it is so difficult to get employees to smile at clients spontaneously, because smiling is a behavior that is based on an appropriate attitude: Courtesy.
One of the ways in which the selection of personnel assigned to the Service can be improved is by generating interview processes that directly simulate customer service situations. The use of actors has been an alternative that manages to provide an important share of reality to the selection processes. While the competency tests and interview are invaluable, it is always helpful to see candidates in action.
Remember, your customers are the most powerful asset of the company, do not leave them in the hands of just anyone, look for people who do not "hate customers" and have an " Excellent Attitude".
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Carlos Valderrama A. Director of Mundo Consultores Projects www.mundoconsultores.cl
