At the start of each year, we often take a long view. What are our big goals for this year? What do we truly want to achieve in the time we have ahead of us?
For customer service managers, the answer is simple. We want to accomplish three big goals:
- First, we want to support our people with care and consideration.
- Second, we want to attract and keep top talent.
- Third, we want to achieve our company’s goals for profitability.
It shouldn’t be so tough, right? As we’ve all experienced in this last year, though, there can be unprecedented circumstances that we never imagined. If you’ve been reeling from the events of the last year, grappling with The Great Resignation, and just trying to keep things afloat…it is understandable.
While we can’t wave a magic wand and make uncontrollable things within our control, there are some practical steps we can take to achieve our big goals for customer care this year. If you’re reading this well beyond the start of the year, no worries. Now is the best time to grab the steering and focus on what’s truly important.
Care and Consideration
In customer contact centers, it’s all about our people. When we offer care and consideration for our employees, they feel it. When they feel cared for, they enjoy coming to work and offering the top level of care to our customers. It’s not rocket science.
Think about yourself for a moment. Your grade school teacher or mentor may have explained this with a simple question, “Do you prefer a spoonful of honey or a spoonful of vinegar?” For most people, the answer is honey. We’re not speaking of politeness or insincere saccharin. We’re speaking of genuine, authentic kindness, care, and consideration.
As you look at your goals for this year, quarter, or month—explore how you can genuinely offer care and consideration. It may not show on a balance sheet. But it shows in the balance of happy employees, genuine enthusiasm, and a heartfelt consideration for others.
Attract and Keep Top Talent
What are you doing to attract and keep top talent? In many ways, this goes to the core of work-life balance. Experts in organizational development often point out that people follow what a leader does. This is why so many leaders focus on personal development, get executive coaching on their well-being, and invest in learning new skills.
It isn’t enough to speak about work-life balance or point to a poster on the wall. Your employees know when you are relaxed, at ease, and feeling energized. They also know when you’re burned out, exhausted, and highly reactive. If you’re looking at work-life balance, this is essential for attracting the best people and keeping them in your organization.
Take a look at your organization’s goals and practices. Are you modeling a balanced approach and dedication to well-being? Are you encouraging your employees and peers to take a break, take a mental health day, and invest in relaxation? With a little attention to work-life balance, you’ll help create a culture that supports well-being—and retains top talent.
Achieve Goals for Profitability
Are you sending items internationally? If so you’re in a complex shipping environment. You may be trying to decide between UPS and FedEx. Whether your company is small, medium, or large, these decisions can have a dramatic impact on your profitability. The great thing about finding the best international shipping rates is that there are experts to help.
When choosing the best carrier for international parcels, you don’t have to go it alone. A consultation can help you evaluate the best services, compare options, and determine the ones that are best matched to your needs. When you do this kind of comparison, you’ll look at profitability from different standpoints.
An expert consultant can help you feel more informed, rather than overwhelmed and confused. He or she will narrow down the best services by comparing shipping rates, dimensional weights, fees, delivery countries, and tracking. Instead of worrying about shipping, you can save more time and money by consulting an expert to help you negotiate rates.
Summing Up
As you look forward, consider ways to align your goals with your daily actions. Look for ways to practice care and consideration. Create an environment that attracts top talent by prioritizing work-life balance. Achieve your goals for profitability, starting with capturing savings in your international shipping. Here’s to a prosperous year!
