Customer service should be the foundation of your business; after all, you won’t have a business for long if your customers aren’t satisfied. The goal of any business leader is to develop good customer service, and the best way to do that is to have a qualified and capable customer service team.
The question, then, is how to attract and retain the best workers possible for that customer service team, and the answer might not be what you expect: benefits. Though higher salaries are flashier, smart job candidates know to go after positions that offer amazing perks. Therefore, to score strong, skillful customer service employees, you need to offer better benefits.
Why Benefits Matter
Just like the discounts and bonuses your customer service team offers customers to keep them satisfied, benefits are a valuable tool for attracting and retaining superior staff. Unlike salary, benefits are highly variable from employer to employer, which means improving your benefits package quickly makes you one of the most sought-after workplaces ― and the most likely destination for top-quality applicants.
Additionally, good benefits tend to keep employees around longer. The bulkiest item in any benefits package is health insurance, and an exceptional policy helps workers feel confident and healthy. Because even a minor health emergency can bankrupt the average American, having reliable health coverage is imperative to feeling safe and sane. If you don’t offer sufficient health insurance, you can be sure your team members will start looking for greener pastures in a year or so. At the very least, you should provide comprehensive plan options to fit differing lifestyles; an even better strategy is to offer uncommon perks like dental and vision or a wellness program to keep workers in tip-top shape.
Still, health insurance isn’t the only benefit that employees pay attention to. You might notice more and more applicants asking about other details of the job. Thanks to modern technology, many workers can perform their everyday duties from the comfort of their homes, as long as you allow flexible time and location. Additional paid time off is another bonus that not many employers are willing to give, so offering more than the typical ten days could cause workers to flock to your open positions.
Additionally, improving the sound of job titles (e.g. customer advocate rather than customer service representative), improving the look of your office, and improving the quality of your tech are substantial upgrades that employees won’t ignore.
Where to Find Better Benefits Programs
When businesses are concerned about their bottom lines, benefits are usually among the first expenditures to receive cuts. Plenty of small and medium-sized businesses don’t believe they have the extra cash to find better perks packages on their own. However, even with a small budget, you can gain access to first-class benefits packages.
The easiest and most popular option is to outsource benefits to a PEO. Professional employer organizations (PEOs), are businesses that undertake expensive or confusing management tasks, such as providing PEOs benefits, organizing payroll, recruiting, training, and more.
In fact, PEOs can provide a full suite of small-business human resources services. Generally, PEOs are less expensive than hiring and maintaining a comparable HR team. Therefore, PEOs provide access to dramatically better benefits options at a fraction of the price, so you can provide your customer service team with the best possible benefits without going over-budget.
Another option for the cash-conscious business is voluntary benefits packages. Not everyone requires the same amount of health coverage, so you shouldn’t have to pay for plans and features most of your staff won’t use. Instead, you can allow needier employees to opt in to certain benefits. Some employers even enact payroll deductions for employers to who choose options beyond basic benefits packages, but you should be aware that employees might not look favorably on this action.
No matter how you choose to expand your employee benefits, it is vital that you make efforts to explain the changes to your current and future staff. Your clients won’t know about sales opportunities unless you tell them, and the same is true of your customer service team and benefits options. Hosting a benefits information session, posting tips and tidbits about benefits in high-traffic office areas, and encouraging your team to ask questions are excellent ways to increase awareness and understanding of your available packages. Then, your customer service staff will feel better and be better thanks to their better benefits.
About the Author
Tiffany Rowe is a marketing administrator who assists in contributing resourceful content throughout the World Wide Web. Tiffany prides herself in her ability to provide high quality content that readers will find valuable. When not researching, editing or submitting content you can find her doing Yoga, photography, D.I.Y crafting and dog training.
