Three things to keep in mind when recruiting customer service agents

Finding the right customer service agents is a difficult task. Many who enter the field come from diverse backgrounds and often lack training in this industry. Turnover is often high, making it difficult to maintain a large pool of agents who you can train and mold into top performing veterans. That’s why it’s imperative to correctly handle recruiting the right talent from the start of the process.

Here are some key activities for everyone involved in the process to make sure you’re effectively recruiting customer service agents:

1. Key roles and responsibilities

Work with managers and colleagues to create a key roles and responsibilities document. This will make sure everyone is on the same page in understanding the key job descriptions of all levels within the organization and the responsibility maintained by each role.

2. Sourcing options

Decide which channels from which to source: referrals, online applications, and job sites, as well as if you wish to use a staffing agency, in-house recruiting, or a hybrid.

3. Screening process

Develop a standard candidate screening process for job candidates. This can include minimum years of experience and technical skills in a resume or even asking candidates to work on several sample support tickets—it’s a good idea to use real-world tickets with personal details removed—to understand their working process and ensure they have the temperament to effectively resolve the kinds of issues your support agents encounter every day.