How to Craft Exceptional CX Support Teams

Drawing on a career which has seen me navigate various support, professional services and now managed service roles, I’ve developed what I believe to be an effective blueprint for assembling robust teams that are both technically adept and customer-centric. 

For me, the height of team development is ensuring that your support staff is equipped with all the necessary resources to delight customers and swiftly tackle any issues or challenges. This means providing them with the right tools, knowledge, and access to a broader range of experienced skill sets as required. This is what we focus on at Sabio. 

Now, let’s delve into a few strategies that can elevate a customer service or managed service team to a level of high proficiency and expertise. 

Onboarding: 

Firstly, establish a comprehensive training initiative that encompasses the full spectrum of your offerings, organisational protocols, and the highest standards of customer engagement. 

The adage about making a stellar first impression holds true when it comes to onboarding new employees. Once a candidate has been vetted and deemed suitable during the interview process, it’s incumbent upon the organisation to ensure they are positioned to perform their duties with utmost efficacy. 

While entry-level positions may not necessitate extensive hands-on experience, more advanced roles do. Regardless, a robust onboarding program is crucial if you are to acclimatise new hires to the company’s operational methodologies, product suite, and industry best practices. A lack of such support can lead to a rapid turnover of personnel, incurring not just financial losses but also potentially tarnishing the company’s standing within niche markets or specialised sectors. 

Team Collaboration: 

Team collaboration is essential in creating an environment where team members can share their knowledge and learn from each other's experiences. However, achieving this can be challenging, especially in larger companies where geographic and cultural differences can create hurdles in uniting global teams – not to mention the current hybrid landscape following the Covid-19 pandemic.  

To overcome these challenges, it is crucial to have the support of executive leadership. One simple solution is to create a team chat for every engineer working on a specific technology. While it may sound chaotic, it provides a platform for engineers to ask questions, share their discoveries, resolve complex issues, and advise of region-wide outages. This approach has proven to be effective in fostering communication and collaboration, especially in teams with ‘follow-the-sun' support. 

Continuous Learning: 

Foster a culture of continuous professional growth by offering a variety of learning opportunities such as workshops, webinars, and online courses. This ensures that the team remains abreast of the most current industry knowledge and practices. 

It’s essential to guarantee personal attention for each team member through regular one-on-one meetings with their direct supervisor and technical leader. Establishing individual development plans allows team members to voice their aspirations in a setting where they won’t be overshadowed or unheard. While nurturing these ambitions, it’s also vital to align them with the organisation’s objectives, ensuring that personal growth and company direction are in harmony. 

Knowledge Base: 

Construct a clear and central repository that houses comprehensive details on frequent challenges and standard protocols. 

Paperwork may not be everyone’s favorite task, yet it’s an essential component for any burgeoning or small-scale enterprise. Prioritising the development of such a repository can significantly expedite your Managed Services / Support team’s ability to address recurring problems or swiftly navigate through analogous situations. 

The utility of this repository, or Knowledge Base (KB), extends beyond mere data storage. It serves as a valuable resource for engineers and specialists alike, facilitating in-depth root cause analyses and promoting knowledge sharing across the team – not to mention becoming a bible to reference previous projects and experiences.

Constructive Feedback and Personalised Coaching: 

Regularly offer feedback and conduct individual coaching sessions to bridge any knowledge or skill gaps through role-playing and simulations. 

A critical aspect that may sometimes be neglected is the acknowledgment of accomplishments. Recognising what’s done well is as crucial as providing constructive feedback. Without this balance, teams and individuals may become disengaged, potentially leading to high turnover rates. It’s imperative to celebrate successes and provide guidance for improvement. 

Furthermore, it’s beneficial to clarify the reasons behind the feedback in both positive and developmental scenarios. I plan to delve deeper into the nuances of constructive criticism in a forthcoming article, as it’s a topic that warrants a dedicated discussion.

Certifications and Specialisations:

Encourage team members to pursue certifications and develop specialisations to deepen their skill sets. Providing a clear and achievable career progression path not only fosters a sense of accomplishment but also enhances team capabilities. Many vendors offer partnership statuses that come with perks such as discounts, making it mutually beneficial to cultivate a certified workforce. 

As a technical specialist, I may be partial, but specialists are invaluable to broader teams. They demonstrate to engineers that career advancement within managed services is viable and doesn’t necessarily require a shift to professional services. Specialists often emerge as leaders — not merely managers — who shape the team’s direction, offer advice, and guide decisions, thereby becoming significant influencers within the organisation. 

Final Thoughts:

Integrating these strategies can forge a formidable framework for a competent and adept customer service or managed service team. The keys to success include steadfast consistency and the ability to adapt, as the landscape of customer service is ever-changing and demands a team that can pivot with ease and expertise. Equally vital are empathy and communication skills, which ensure that customers’ voices are acknowledged and valued throughout their service experience. 

While this article touches on several strategies, there are undoubtedly more that could be discussed – but the concepts presented here are those that resonate most with me.  

As the technological landscape of the contact centre becomes more complex, it is more important than ever to have the right support partner in your corner.  

Get in touch today to find out how we can support your organisation, and give you peace of mind that your contact centre tech stack is in good hands.