Customer Service Consulting

Customer Service Consulting Companies

Looking for great customer service consulting companies? Here are a few signs that it's time to bring in a consultant and a few things to consider when hiring a customer service consultant.

Customer service plays a major role in your company's ability to land prospects and retain valued customers.

You can do everything else right, but if your customer service department falls short of your expectations, the impact on your bottom line can be devastating.

Customer service consulting companies provide businesses with the resources they need to build highly effective customer service teams. There are a lot of reasons why customer service consultants and training providers make sense for small businesses. But if you aren't careful, your customer service consultant could create more problems than he solves.

From an owner's perspective, a good customer service consulting provider should be focused on equipping your team to meet the customer service challenges that are unique to your company. Generic customer service training just doesn't cut it. With that in mind, here are some of the possible scenarios that can indicate it's time to call in a customer service consulting company.

• Inexperienced staff. Startups and expansions often have customer service departments that are either inexperienced or unfamiliar with the company's routines. Customer service consultants can bring your staff up to speed while management focuses on higher priorities.
• Unmotivated team. Sometimes customer service can become routine, leaving CSRs without any sense of motivation or enthusiasm for the job. An outside consultant or trainer has the ability to shake things up and re-energize a stagnant team.
• Poor performance. Poorly performing customer service teams are usually incapable of improving on their own. They need help - and unless you truly believe you have the time and in-house resources to help them, a customer service consultant is your best bet.
• Ineffective communication channels. Clear channels of communication between the call center, sales and other departments are a necessity. An effective consultant can analyze your company's communication processes and make suggestions for streamlining the flow of information.
• New technology implementation. If you're on the verge of making a major technology change (e.g. a new CRM), customer service consultants can clear the way by assessing the impact of the transition on workflows and re-training your customer service personnel to quickly adapt to the new system.
• Project planning. Many small businesses use customer service consultants to lay the groundwork for a major project and new business strategy, especially if customer service will play a significant role in the new initiative.

Share this article

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary