Hire Customer Service Representatives: A Definitive Guide

Customer service standards have a huge influence on brand perception. Get it right, and you have a good shot at maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and a sense of brand loyalty. Get it wrong, and even one bad experience can stick in a client’s mind forever. 

A big part of getting it right is finding the best talent for your customer service team. Because no matter what your business is, your customer service team represents the frontline of interactions with your clients. To hire customer service representatives of highest quality, companies undergo a multi-step process of finding potential employees, evaluating them, and then onboarding them.

Customer service representatives are the people who will create that all-important first impression, shape ongoing customer relationships, and influence whether a client chooses to continue doing business with you. 

Don’t evaluate potential employees just based on their skills—look for people who are genuinely enthusiastic about building a strong and loyal client base. If you’re thinking that’s easier said than done, take a look at the 5 techniques provided in this article.

What are customer service representatives?

Before we dive into the best practices for hiring a customer service agent, let’s first define what this role entails. Customer service representatives are people who act on behalf of a company to assist customers and potential buyers throughout their interactions with a company, with the goal of enhancing the overall customer experience.

Unlike customer support teams, who solve specific problems upon request, customer service teams do a range of activities designed to deliver a great customer experience and ensure satisfaction throughout the customer lifecycle. 

When to hire a customer service representative

It’s important to onboard customer service representatives timely. Specifically, consider hiring them if:

• Your business has started rapidly growing: If your support team is being overwhelmed with customer inquiries, it’s time to improve your customer service department. Customer service representatives added to your team will help boost customer satisfaction and increase retention.
• Your customer self-service falls short: If your FAQs and chatbots aren’t effectively addressing customer needs, it’s time to invest in customer service to prevent losing leads to competitors.
• Your support team is overloaded: If your support team is handling numerous queries, hiring customer service specialists will help reduce their load and prevent burnout.

5 simple steps to hire the right customer service representative

Finding the ideal customer support agent requires a thoughtful approach. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the hiring process. Once you’ve defined your customer service goals and hiring needs, you can start the journey of finding top candidates.

Include key elements in the job description 

If you want the best candidates to apply to your amazing customer service representative job post, make sure it’s detailed, accurate, and enticing. 

Just take this compelling job description from WorkRamp. It’s clear yet comprehensive, giving potential candidates all of the information they need upfront:

The job description for this customer service role is broken down into sections – set apart with emojis for added engagement. 

Let’s look at a few reasons a posting like this one might be enticing for interested candidates and what elements you should include in your own job description:

• Title and position under the customer service department: Be clear about the role you’re offering, and avoid using titles that might cause confusion about the job’s true responsibilities. Job titles like “Customer Service Representative,” “Client Support Specialist”, or “Help Desk Associate” immediately say what the position entails.

• Brief description of the company’s mission, values, and culture: This is where you can let your company’s personality shine through. Are you a team-focused new company with a passion for personalized small business customer service? Or a fast-paced, innovation-driven organization that values problem-solvers? An honest description helps attract candidates who will thrive in your specific work environment.

• Outline of candidate’s expected tasks and job responsibilities: Be upfront about the customer service roles for your future employee. Will they primarily be answering phones and emails? Or perhaps handling in-person customer inquiries as well? Do you expect them to troubleshoot technical issues, or focus primarily on building client relationships? The more specific you are now, the fewer surprises there will be for new hires.

• Detailed qualifications, soft and hard skills necessary for the role: Define what customer service representative skills you’re looking for and mention them in job description. Don’t just list requirements, emphasize the kind of person you’re seeking.  Someone with excellent communication skills is a given, but consider what other characteristics a person needs to thrive in your unique work environment. Whether it’s the ability to prioritize competing demands or independent problem-solving skills, be clear about your ideal candidate’s key traits – it’ll help them decide if the role is a good fit, too. 

• Expected work schedule, shifts, and holidays: Nobody likes surprises when it comes to their work schedule, so it’s best to be transparent. Are you looking for standard 9-5 coverage, or are there rotating shifts? If working holidays are a requirement, be upfront about that as well. This kind of honesty ensures you’re finding someone who’ll be a good long-term fit for the team.

• Any incentives, benefits, and growth opportunities: Highlight everything that’s included in your benefits package, but don’t forget to include other attractive aspects like flexible working or remote work options. Also, remember that they may be considering their long-term career growth, so include any opportunities for employees to take on new challenges and learn additional skills. Sing the praises of those things that make your company a genuinely great place to be. Finally, bullet points are a great way of listing these benefits. And don’t be afraid to inject personality to make your brand stand out, like Agorapulse does with its job postings:

• Clear application instructions and required documents: Overly complicated application procedures can potentially deter good candidates. Do your best to keep things simple. Make it clear how and where they should submit their application and provide a concise list of exactly what documents they’ll need, e.g., resume and cover letter. The easier you make it to apply, the wider your pool of potential candidates will be.

Once you’ve finished creating the job description, you’re ready to post it on the hiring channels.

Use right hiring channels

To find the right candidate, it’s important to use multiple hiring channels.

• Jor Boards: Instead of posting a generic job ad and hoping for the best, be proactive and use industry-specific job boards like Support Driven, Employment Crossing, or Hubstaff Talent. 

• Social Media Recruitment: Social media is a great resource for finding potential candidates. Recruiters share vacancies on LinkedIn, use Facebook groups, and leverage other social media channels to discover talent.
• Employee Referral Program: Some companies offer rewards for referring candidates. Their hiring teams promote the program on social media platforms to encourage employee participation.
• HR Brand/Employer Brand Development: Continuous HR brand development activities help you attract and onboard top talent more quickly. Well-planned and organized initiatives inside and outside an enterprise will contribute to building a strong HR brand.

Make the most of technology, too, as this can really help to streamline your hiring process. For instance, an online booking system will make the interview process more efficient and make life easier for both potential employees and hiring managers. Being able to set up interviews at their convenience reduces scheduling conflicts and speeds up the hiring timeline.

Select best fit candidates by reviewing applications and evaluating skills

Once you have a large candidate pool, it’s time to choose the right ones to interview by:

• Reviewing applications for relevant experience and skills: Experience in a similar industry to yours is ideal, but don’t limit yourself. Stay open-minded to applicants from other sectors who may well have transferable skills, such as time management; soft skills, such as patience; and the personable demeanor you’re looking for. 

Someone who has successfully navigated customer interactions before, even in a different environment, can quickly learn the ropes. However, customer service experience in similar environments and familiarity with the platforms you use, like HelpCrunch customer service software, is definitely a bonus.

• Checking employment references and verifying skills:  Don’t skip the reference check. Hearing from a candidate’s past employers can confirm their work ethic, their ability to handle pressure, and most importantly, their customer service skills. It’s often the best way to get a clear picture of how someone actually operates in a work environment, particularly when it comes to validating their soft skills.

• Utilizing skills assessments or simulation exercises: Chances are there are specific technical skills that you need applicants to have. With those in mind, consider asking recruits to complete relevant tests.

An online assessment will help you assess a candidate’s skills and check that they match up with what’s listed on their resume and align with the role requirements. Include things like typing speed, test their ability to multitask, and gauge their ability to handle awkward customers. For extra insight into skills like communication and problem-solving, don’t be afraid of using AI platforms or ChatGPT prompts for social media alongside more traditional assessment methods. 

Ask right questions during interviews 

Time to discover if your qualified candidates possess the right ingredients to succeed on your team. Prepare by researching questions for customer service interviews and focus on the main areas below.  

• Inquire about familiarity with customer service technology: Does your team rely on specific help desk software? Or a CRM system? If you’re running a small business, your team probably uses specific customer service tools for small business. A good customer service representative should be familiar with the basic customer service tech stack. It means less training time and a smoother onboarding process. Dig into their experience with any relevant tools or similar alternatives. Keep in mind that even if they’re not familiar with the exact software you use, tech-savvy candidates who learn quickly are an asset in any office environment.

• Assess customer service aptitude through behavioral interviews: Go deeper than the generic customer service interview question. Ask them to describe specific situations they’ve handled in the past, such as when they’ve been above and beyond to answer customer inquiries or an example of how they managed a particularly busy period at work. You can also include classics like, “What does good customer service mean to you?” Finally, you should consider asking them to describe a bad customer service experience they’ve had and detail what could have been better. Their answers will reveal how they’d handle real-life scenarios and can be a great way for candidates to show off soft skills such as empathy and adaptability. 

• Inquire about de-escalation tactics for tense customer interactions: Difficult clients are part and parcel of life in customer service. The question is, how will candidates react when things heat up. Ask:
  • Do they have particular techniques for handling upset or frustrated customers?
  • Do they have specific examples of how they’ve handled angry customers and sticky situations previously?
  • Did they stay calm and focus on finding a solution? 
  • Did they handle things themselves or seek support?
  • What did they learn from these interactions?

• Set up phone interviews to evaluate communication proficiency: A phone interview is a quick and efficient way to evaluate a candidate’s communication and active listening  skills, particularly when hiring for customer service. In particular, focus on whether they’re able to clearly express themselves and their ability to empathize. They’ll need a friendly but professional tone if they’re going to build a rapport with clients.

Offer comprehensive onboarding and training

Onboarding can be time-consuming, with plenty of paperwork involved. Guide them through the onboarding process and even set reminders to complete onboarding tasks to help them get up to speed.

Make sure you provide full training—not just on technology and internal procedures, but also on your company values and the importance of great customer service.

Why onboarding is important

It’s important to mention a few things about onboarding. Great onboarding will have a significant effect on customer service recruitment. It helps to start seeing results of the new employees’ work faster. Here are the main benefits of having an organized onboarding process within your organization:

It ensures smooth transition for new employees into roles

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re thrown into the deep end with barely any preparation. But proper onboarding gives new team members confidence in their ability to do their jobs (and do them well) and to fit into the team from day one. 

It cultivates alignment with company values and cultural norms

What does it mean to be part of your organization? Onboarding answers this question, nurturing the sense of being part of something bigger than just a job. It instills a feeling of belonging that inspires employees to give a bit more, as they’ll know their individual work is contributing to the wider success of the company. 

After the candidate is hired

Once you’ve hired an employee, it’s crucial to ensure that your company provides the necessary support, monitors their performance, and keeps them motivated to advance in their career and contribute to the success of your business. Here are three effective techniques to achieve this:

Provide ongoing employee support and feedback

Remember, recruitment doesn’t end once a successful hire has signed their contract. After onboarding, it’s good practice to check in with new hires regularly to see how they’re settling in. 

You could set up a mentoring program to offer extra support and guidance, particularly if you hired a promising candidate who lacks experience with specific technology or in your specific industry. 

Most importantly, encourage open communication throughout the organization. Everyone should feel comfortable raising concerns or sharing ideas, as this creates a positive work culture of mutual respect.

Monitor performance, review skills in action, and adjust training as needed

Even after new customer service reps have completed the onboarding process, you still need to keep a close eye on their progress and look out for any performance issues. For example, they might be great at talking to customers but regularly forget to log calls in your CRM. Or perhaps they’re not following the company playbook. Or maybe they’re not getting along with the team. Look out for ways to tailor their training where needed.

Encourage continuous learning and development within your team

Encouraging ongoing learning and development shows your customer service team that you’re serious about supporting their growth both within their role and the company. Offer every opportunity for extra training and upskilling, both internally and externally.

This might include themed workshops, role-playing difficult customer inquiries, seminars, one-on-one mentorship sessions, and more in-depth online courses covering topics such as conflict resolution, effective communication, and handling business proposals.

Not only is this rewarding for employees as they continue to develop professionally, but it also helps them deliver better service.

Key takeaways

The quality of customer service directly impacts business’s revenue numbers. To hire customer service agents, it pays to find those people who genuinely love working with clients. After all, they’re the face of your company, so you’re looking for the kind of friendly enthusiasm that will really make a customer’s day. 

Remember, hiring and onboarding are cyclical. A positive experience for new hires helps attract more exceptional talent. When your team feels truly supported, word gets around, giving you a reputation as an employer who puts their people first.