The Best Support Representatives.

In Support World March/April edition the following statement was made:

"The best support representatives have extensive networks of contacts internally and externally, and call upon these self-support infrastructures when they are required"

This got me thinking; how does this statement fit into Cobweb's operational structure and do we really have the best support agents?

It is standard that most managers in a service department will state that their agents are the best equipped to service the organisations customer base; it is a natural loyalty to their staff.

However at Cobweb I really do have this belief and it is supported by the following facts:

The Cobweb service desk has three tiers of agent which all sit together which improves knowledge share and communication.

Every single agent has direct access to the Exchange and Windows engineers, for immediate escalation.

Each agent has access to extremely robust partner escalations, for example with Message Labs and Tiscali, which have been built up from years of service. Giving us highly streamlined support functions to our external partners.

A passion for customer service; many of our big customers know our agents by their first names and get the chance to meet them when they come for an office visit. 

As with anything there is room for improvement and we always strive to better ourselves, but I have one question.

What do you think makes the best support representative?

Thanks,

Russ - Service Desk Team Leader

Comments

[Russ Prior]

I absolutely agree with Sarah and I think that one of the first steps to centricity is to out yourself in the position of the customer on the other end of the phone. Then you truly are listening to them but with empathy and the ability to make an informed choice of how you will support this individual.

[Sarah]

Customer centricity,
An ability to work with the customer through to mutually beneficial resolutions,
Someone who truly listens to all issues, understanding how any issue can affect the customer - no matter how minor.