Customer Care Service During the Corona Virus Crisis
It is quickly becoming apparent that companies are feeling the strain of operating under new conditions that have employees working from home following the Coronavirus pandemic. Whereas previously everyone on the team could lean on one another to solve their problems, now each has to figure out a way to do this alone. Managers, too, are finding it challenging to supervise as closely as before. Nonetheless, there are innovative ways to ensure that operations, specifically, customer care services, do not suffer, but, thrive even during these tough times.
Customer care is a vital part of any company when it comes to customer interaction and, therefore, satisfaction. According to a study by Dixon et al., companies have seen calls rated ‘difficult’ double during this crisis. Anxiety leads to misunderstanding and frustration. Fortunately, training customer care reps to reassure clients and make them feel attended to has proven to be significantly helpful in boosting sales (Dixon et al.).
Remotely working employees find themselves without the quick assistance of their peers and managers. However, peers can still maintain contact through the use of collaborative platforms to aid peer-peer correction and avoid misinformation that might cost the company. This can be done through collaboration tools which among which are numerous phone apps as well as custom-made company platforms (Dixon et al.). Similarly, managers can supervise employees on these platforms without having to be there in person. Not only does this preserve workflow, but it also protects everyone involved from unnecessary movement, which could lead to infection. However disorienting this crisis may be, much can still be done. Innovative and straightforward recourse is the way forward, not only to surviving but thriving.
Works Cited
Dixon, Matthew et al. “Supporting Customer Service Through The Coronavirus Crisis”. Harvard Business Review, 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/04/supporting-customer-service-through-the- coronavirus-crisis. Accessed 6 May 2020.