Humanized service, a formula for success

By Rodrigo Rico, Support Manager at Bematech 
 

In more mature Support Centers, most requests are resolved by the First Level of Service (N1). In many cases, most users limit their relationship to just this level. Even though it is the main service in the Support Center, the biggest investments are usually not directed to the N1. Why does it happen? Shouldn't we direct the majority of efforts to the team that is the greatest representation of customer service?
 
Often, in many companies, even if there are great analysts and consistent teams, the customer satisfaction result with support is not so good. This may occur because the N1 is not properly prepared for the “art of answering”. Being N1 is much more than receiving a request and processing it through a knowledge base. The Service Desk needs to know how to listen, understand, negotiate, seek solutions and, above all, be an agent that generates trust in the customer. But, in fact, do we invest in N1 professionals to consolidate these qualities?
 
In hiring, filtering candidates for N1 is generally based more on their technical skills than their relationship skills. Most managers, who are former technicians, have great difficulty in defining exactly the type of professional they need to fill the vacancy. Finding a hybrid professional, who has relationship skills and technical knowledge is, without a doubt, a determining factor of assertiveness in the selection for N1. We hardly find 100% candidates ready, but the nose to determine the candidate's potential to develop these qualities makes all the difference. There are numerous HR tests that can help, some even available on Google. “How does it feel when you help someone solve a problem?” or even “Do you like to listen to people's problems and help them solve them? Give me an example”. Questions like these bring surprising answers during an interview.
 
For professionals who are already on the team, I recommend individual analysis. Investment in the targeted training of each employee is undoubtedly decisive. In the case of N1, we need to assess which technicians need to improve their relationship skills, phrases such as “the technician solved my problem, but he was rude to me and did not understand the urgency of the issue” are very common among users. An N1 support analyst who knows how to listen has empathy, can understand the urgency and impact on the business, conveys security to the customer and who consistently seeks the solution, honoring deadlines, is the dream of any Support Center in the world .
 
It is not enough to solve the problem, it is necessary to delight the customer! More and more people want to be well attended and do not admit coldness and the feeling of little care. Even if the solution is not immediate, if the customer feels heard and important, the probability of satisfaction increases greatly. Cold, emotionless scripts are being eliminated from most modern Call Centers and need to be eliminated from Support Centers as well. The Support Center needs to convey the message that “it's a pleasure to be able to help” and not that “it's unpleasant to have to solve someone else's problem”. Creating a “satisfaction to serve” culture can be a big challenge and a Quality Assurance team, in-house or outsourced, that looks specifically at “what” and “how” are deliveries in the area, can help a lot.
 
Solving the user's problem is undoubtedly fundamental, but one of the secrets of success is, increasingly, in the feeling generated when relating to the Service Desk. Humanizing is not treating your client, internal or external, with exaggerated slang or collegiality, but making them feel really heard and important. Making your N1 more and more human, without forgetting to promote the technical knowledge necessary for the role, can be one of the formulas for the success of your operation.
 
Rodrigo Rico has 12 years of experience with technical support. He is currently Support Manager at Bematech S/A and member of the Software Advisory Board of HDI Brasil.