Hiring Competent Customer Service Agents | ShyftOff

Customer service has long been thought of as an area where soft skills were critically important. Of the 17 items listed by Indeed as “necessary customer service skills,” one could argue that nearly all of them are related to personality traits or behaviors.

The ability to empathize, be patient and act in a timely manner are all essential—but what agents are ultimately judged on is their ability to solve problems. Competent customer service agents aren’t always easy to find, but there are a few things you can do to help your chances of landing one. Here’s how to hire competent, problem-solving customer service agents.

Harness the power of GigCX

We’ve written in the past about how GigCX helps businesses hire the right people for a variety of reasons. As a refresher, the GigCX model encompasses the use of freelance or “gig” workers who aren’t full-time employees.

Think of writers, artists, musicians and digital designers who aren’t beholden to set schedules and pick and choose the types of work and projects that interest them. The GigCX model removes any geographic boundaries and helps workers avoid burnout—both of which are benefits that can lead to recruiting more competent customer service agents.

Look for people who are in alignment with your company’s goals

Because ShyftOff uses the GigCX model to staff contact centers with competent customer service agents, we know that someone looking for work as a full-time W2 employee isn’t the right fit for us.

Our agents are those who crave flexibility. In some cases, they have specific hours that they can work—hours that a full-time job may not be able to accommodate—or they might already have a full-time job and are in search of a little something more. In either case, we can give our agents that freedom because we allow them to self-select their schedules based on 30-minute microshifts.

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While we have a deep bank of agents at ShyftOff, not every agent can sign-up to work for every client.

That’s because we go to great lengths to work with our clients on a certification process that ensures each agent is adequately trained. We even ask the agents questions about what they’re learning throughout the process, which allows us to identify where there may be knowledge or procedural gaps.

Armed with that knowledge, we can go back to the client, present our findings and collectively work on a solution. Proactively asking questions can elevate everyone’s performance, resulting in a staff of competent customer service agents better equipped to solve problems.

Know what you’re looking for

No one knows the types of problems your customers might experience better than you do, and you can put that information to good use when searching for competent customer service agents. As you recruit for these problem solvers, consider the skill sets it will take to adequately meet your customers’ needs.

ShyftOff takes the time to explore these needs with new clients so that any agents we certify are a good fit for what the client expects.

If you’re struggling to find competent customer service agents, ShyftOff can help. Contact us today to learn more about our GigCX model and how we can set you up with any number of our problem-solving agents.