CSR’S CHANGING ROLE — GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
2) Reporting all missed customer opportunities.
Recently I interviewed about a dozen key employees at a prospective client. During one-on-one sessions with CSRs and sales reps, I uncovered numerous jobs being returned to customers for “lack of proper equipment and resources.” I asked, “Is anyone tracking how often this is occurring, and the details of who and what? The fact that this organization has averaged more than 10 percent revenue growth, and an improving bottom line, to me is irrelevant. (P.S.: No one was tracking the amount of work being returned.)
3) Customizing requests for estimates.
Estimate requests are managed by many CSRs. And they usually have access to intimate customer information, not to mention daily (even hourly) contact. Too often, an estimate is “generated” from the estimator, and goes back to the client with nothing that differentiates the supplier. Now place yourself in the buyer’s position—reviewing three quotations from three suppliers that look like they were generated from the same software. Is it any wonder that “low price wins” has become the poster child for our industry’s low profits?
4) Accessing and coordinating critical technical resources within your organization.
Whether we’re dealing with (a) file preparation, (b) accessing digital images, (c) database management for personalization, or (d) postal regulations, every sales rep, CSR and customer is usually not an expert on everything that’s technically evolving in this great industry.
If the customer needs advice and counsel, the CSR is often the lead person with the opportunity to access and coordinate invaluable resources for your target accounts.
5) Researching target account-useful information for a sales rep.
Research takes time, and needs to be timely. Someone recently pointed out that a great CSR needs to be able to do everything that the sales rep does, except open new business. That said, providing the salesperson with needed research about a major new or current account can make the difference in that sales rep’s productivity. Such skills can also impact a customer who needs selective information, but lacks the resources and time. If differentiation counts, providing needed information is more than worthwhile.
