How to manage your customer service team during a crisis

As the world faces new challenges created by an uncommon global crisis, many organizations are awakening to the reality that business change can happen anywhere, at any time. And while organizations will be unable to control crises, what they can do is ensure they’re prepared to viably and productively lead their teams through those difficult times, emerging stronger on the other side. 

The pandemic has highlighted just how rapidly things can change. Businesses have been compelled to change from conventional on-site operations to remote working approaches. The truth is that many organizations, and managers, have been completely unprepared for these changes. Crises can’t be predicted… but they can be acknowledged, and they can be prepared for. 

How Customer Support Leaders Can Manage a Crisis Like COVID-19 

1- Crisis & customer service 

Every area of business operation is helpless against potential crises. However, as COVID-19 has demonstrated, customer-facing areas can sometimes receive the brunt of the impact. This is because of uncertainties over how or even if businesses will remain operating during a crisis, and this can result in significantly expanded call volumes, greater complexity of inquiries, and heavier workloads. 

Obviously, managers are there to help their teams through it all. There are multiple potential crises that can make it perilous or challenging for customer service teams to continue operations from the office. Obscure viral infections aside, unfriendly climate conditions, structural damage, and even transport strikes can imply that managers are faced with supporting their teams remotely. 

Customer service has long been an office-based task. And there are multiple reasons for this. Having a team together enables managers to conduct valuable employee training, analyzing real-time calls to inform and educate employees. It allows for customer service agents to learn from each other, and to team up to address and resolve issues rapidly for improved customer satisfaction and reputation.

As such, many managers don't have the any idea how to lead remote teams. It’s something that they’ve neither needed to do previously, nor particularly wanted to. But sometimes, there isn’t a choice. As the circumstance in 2020 has appeared, massive change can happen rapidly, and there is an urgent need for businesses to ensure they are prepared to handle change if they need