Support Your Customer Service Team

How great was the World Series? That depends entirely on which team you were supporting, of course. Giants fans were over the moon, while fans of the Tigers were less than thrilled at the outcome.

Nevertheless, there's something to be said about how the teams were treated after all was said and done. While I am certain it was disappointing for the Tigers to walk away without a single win during the series, their fans didn't immediately jump ship to another team. They congratulated the players for their hard work and a great season after all, getting to the World Series is no easy feat!

There's a lot to be learned here, and it's one of the reasons we call our company "Team Support." The main idea is that as customer support, you are helping customers just as much as you're supporting your team in whatever incarnation it appears. In our case supporting a customer service team involves collaborating through our web based service desk application to deliver a world class customer experience..

Support Coworkers

Very much like the Tigers, you have to support the members of your own team during both thick AND thin. During the toughest times you may have to pick your coworker up off the ground so they know they're not alone.

It may sound dire, but it's true in every situation. Perhaps your coworker has a huge failure when dealing with a huge customer and as a result the customer is threatening to pull their business. The coworker knows they messed up and that they'll have to fix everything and naturally they are a little stressed out about it.

This is where you can step in to help support your teammate, perhaps by taking some of the work load. If you were a member of the Tigers, you could help some of your teammates with their swing or fitness levels. In the customer service world, it could involve making some phone calls or doing extra paper work. Whatever it takes to help get your teammate back on his or her feet and help get your team to its maximum potential!

Customers are a part of the Team

Your team doesn't just include your coworkers and bosses. Too often businesses see the company/customer interaction as an "us versus them" type arrangement. If you are approaching each other as teammates, you're all in this together.

In the end, a customer service agent and a customer want the same things – they want their transactions to go well, they want to be successful and they want the company to flourish and continue offering great service. Really, it all boils down to a simple truth: Both parties just want to be happy.

So don't treat your customers like they're on an opposing team. Such an outlook promotes an antagonistic, every man for himself environment in the customer service division. It's a much healthier practice to instead promote methods that assist and improve the lives of your customers, just as you would for a teammate. How can you achieve such a lofty goal?

Just like the Tigers and Giants fans, you should go out of your way to support everyone on your team. When you see a teammate distressed or struggling, take the extra time and effort to help address their problems. Always try to remember; TeamSupport- it takes every member working together towards a common goal. And in a positive team oriented environment, when one succeeds, everyone succeeds.

TeamSupport.com is a leading web based service desk solution. Click here to learn how you can use team collaboration to improve customer experience management.