Jessica Lees, a team manager in our M&S team, reveals the ingredients of great customer service.
It’s always good when someone recognises the work you’ve done. Recognition is such a core part of feeling valued and happy at work so, at this mid-point of National Customer Service Week, we’re taking the opportunity to say thank you to every one of you for everything you do for our customers.
In today’s post, we meet Jessica Lees, a customer services manager in our M&S team. Jessica was a finalist in the Most Effective Employee Engagement Programme and Team Manager of the Year categories of the recent CCMA UK National Contact Centre Awards.
Here we catch up with Jessica to find out how she ensures that customer service is at the forefront of everything she does.
“As a team manager on the M&S contract, it’s my job to continually coach and develop my team to ensure they deliver excellent customer service, as well as their personal objectives. I motivate and inspire my team by having a shared vision as we work together towards the same goals, implementing the Capita Values in a safe environment,” she tells us.
“Team managers have a huge impact on how to deliver excellent customer service. My team and I feed both positive and constructive comments back, so we can continuously improve our service. I lead by example. I’m accountable for my actions, plus I take ownership if a situation arises for a customer and I expect my team to do the same. They need to be human, whether it’s with a customer or a colleague – just put yourself in their situation and then you can deliver great results are delivered and customers are truly satisfied.”
Naturally, the pandemic has changed so many businesses’ working practices, as they have had to adapt and find new ways of working to continue to deliver the same great service. Jess says this has been no different for her team and they have overcome some of these challenges by “creating new ways of working using technology so that we can quickly highlight any high-risk or vulnerable customers who have been affected, along with spotting any trends arising so we can collaborate more effectively to support the customer journey positively”.
She adds: “Finding new ways to work together remotely has enabled us to create appropriate resolutions quickly and build morale within the team to continue to deliver the best service. Whether we’re working in the office or at home, this shouldn’t affect our service.”
Jess shared her top tips for great customer service with us: “Be present in the conversation, whether this is with a customer or an advisor. Have a human approach so that you can put yourself in your customer’s shoes – this is really important. Take ownership of an issue and be accountable for it through to resolution, while continuing to communicate with your customer throughout.”
