The Positives of Using a Customer Support Checklist

We’re always looking for better means of organization. There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with the knowledge that you’ve completed everything you set out to in a particular day, week or month. It gives you a sense of achievement you can’t obtain if you’re always scrambling to try to remember what else needs to be done, recall what tasks did not get completed the day before or which issues still need a follow up. One organizational tool that never goes out of style is the checklist.

Even customer support experts can make use of a good checklist. In the rush of a busy day you want to do everything possible to ensure you don't forget anything. This is especially true if one of your check list items is “follow-up with irate customer who is threatening to cancel.” Flaking on that one could lead to real problems!

Activities Versus Conceptual

But what makes a good checklist when you are dealing with a customer-action dependent profession like customer support? It’s a little difficult to think of things to check off each day when there’s no way to predict how many phones calls you’ll receive or the number of emails you will need to respond to.

A good checklist is not limited to just the physical activities you do each day. Sure, you can make a checklist of those too, and include various things you need to follow-up on or people you didn’t quite get to contact the day before. But there’s a different kind of checklist you can make: a conceptual one.

Hitting bullet points like “look for underlying problems with the contact system,” “get through 3 phone calls in a row without saying ‘um’” and “respond to all support emails within 30 minutes or less” can aid in making for a much more productive day. They may not all be tangible things you can check off at the end of the day, but they still give you something to strive for, goals to accomplish no matter how small. Plus, they can be helpful in the long run by improving your overall customer service.

Collaborating

Checklists don't have to be limited to individuals either – they can be shared with the other members of your staff for a more complete experience. Want to really nail down where the underlying issues are with the contact system on your website? Create a checklist that gets everyone on the team involved.

Download a collaborative Google app like Insightly so you can all use a shared checklist. When a certain task is completed, the member who completed it can check it off. This app is also useful for keeping notes for each checkmark. If you’re trying to track how the effort to reach out to former customers is coming along or how many satisfaction surveys you’ve sent out that day, this can help you stay structured.

Another way collaborating on a checklist can help is if any team member finds themselves strapped for time or energy with dealing with a troubled customer. If everyone is using the shared checklist and logging extensive notes, problems like these may be more noticeable and can be escalated or dealt with by peers. Ultimately, the checklist can be that saving grace to that helps to keep you from being disorganized as well as losing your mind trying to keep up with a problematic case.

TeamSupport.com is the leading customer support software solution for B2B business of all size. Incorporate customer support self service tools including a portal and knowledgebase.