The Results-Oriented Customer Service Workplace

Customer service jobs, whether service analysis, dispatch or information provision, are involved in a lot of detail. When customer service people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Customer Service Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this customer service job accomplish for the organization?

Customer Service Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Customer Service Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Customer Service Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Customer Service Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, customer service jobs--

SERVES CUSTOMERS by

providing product, service and problem-solving information, and technical solutions and services; settling complaints and claims; conducting customer satisfaction surveys; forming focus groups to examine customer issues.

Types of Customer Service Jobs

The main customer service job provides product and service information, clarifies a customer's complaint, and selects and explains the best solution to solve the problem. The "customer" may be a member, and jobs frequently specialize by product or service.

Other jobs prepare quotations for product and service delivery, while other jobs actually deliver the product or service. Customer satisfaction improvement is important so some jobs track, expedite and analyze inquiries and complaints, identify recurring and potential problems, and develop solutions and conduct customer service training. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the customer service people and processes.

Customer Service Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how customer service job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Customer Service Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Customer Service Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the customer service results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Customer Service situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Customer Service recommendations are ready when needed.

Customer Service Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future customer service issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver customer service recommendations by 10% by (date).

Customer Service Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each customer service job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Customer Service Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Customer Service Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Customer Service Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present customer service recommendations."

The Customer Service Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Customer Service Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Customer Service Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her customer service work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the customer service job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Customer Service Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Customer Service Job Description and Customer Service Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the customer service job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the customer service job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving customer service processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new customer service system controls.

Customer Service Career Links

Career Overview, Customer Service Representative

Provides aspiring career professionals and students career and job information to help them make better, more informed career choices.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Customer Service Representatives

Data and information about customer service representative jobs training and education, earnings, expected job prospects, what customer service representatives do on the job, and working conditions.

Office of Career and Technical Education, Virginia Department of Education, Career Prospects in Virginia, Customer Service Representatives

Overviews of job opportunities; new employment projections; resources.

International Customer Service Association, Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSR)

Certification program information and requirements.