Set These 6 Expectations for Your Remote Service Team
Customer service and remote work often play nicely together. Unlike other business departments, the majority of a service professional’s day is interacting with those outside the organization, making in-office requirements and face-to-face team interactions less critical. The nature of the work is also easily measured through productivity metrics, sentiment scores, transcripts and recordings, which make performance fairly black and white.
But that doesn't mean managing a remote team is easy. There are some new challenges that can arise. In many cases, these challenges come not from any ill-will of the team member, but from leadership having not defined expectations. Expectations are often not as obvious as we think.
Here are six areas you should touch upon with your new hires, and your remote team:
Working Hours. While some companies see work-from-home and flexible schedule as synonymous, others do not. Be clear on where you stand, and how that decision benefits the business.
Work Location. Because of tax implications, work-from-home does not necessarily mean work-from-anywhere. Define where employees can work, for how long they can work in any particular region, and how often they can work in a location outside their typical residence. If you expect employees to come to the office for quarterly team builds, end-of-year reviews, etc. make that known early.
Work Environment. Having team members on calls in pajamas with a barking dog could add a sense of authenticity to your brand. Or it could be seen as totally unprofessional. Organizations thrive on both ends of the spectrum, and while neither are right or wrong, one might be right or wrong for your business.
Slack Engagement. If your team engages too frequently, it hinders productivity. Too little and information gets missed, or worse, your mistrust starts creeping in. Open a conversation with your team about a realistic frequency for messages to be checked and replied to.
Camera On or Off. Camera on increases connection and communication. Camera on also increases fatigue and may open doors to a lifestyle or environment an employee isn’t comfortable sharing. Voice what you’re looking for and why before the issue even arises.
Performance Metrics. While service work is fairly transparent, team members can still miss their goals if they’re not effectively communicated. Ideally, leaders and agents have visibility into their goals and can track their performance from the same sources.
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