The success of your business is highly dependent on repeat business and customer loyalty. Almost 65% of a company’s business typically comes from repeat customers, and even a 5% customer retention increase potentially boosts profits by 25% to 95%.
When you provide exceptional service, clients are more likely to become loyal to your brand. According to a Zendesk report, customers are 81% more likely to make subsequent purchases if they had a good experience during their first interaction with your company.
The Current State of Customer Service
Organizations have increased their investment in service, but service levels still do not meet customers’ expectations. Over 50% of consumers have not noticed any improvement in customer service, and 23% have said it has gotten worse.
The main problem is that customer service representatives wear many hats, making it difficult to find qualified applicants for customer service jobs. Candidates must have good time management skills and verbal and written communication skills, be friendly and understanding, and be able to manage angry or rude customers without getting upset. They must be able to understand the company’s products and services well enough to answer customer inquiries and help them make purchasing decisions.
As organizations know, improving customer retention rates starts with building a top-notch customer service team, so many of them implement a testing solution like the industry-leading eSkill Talent Assessment PlatformTM and use customer service assessments to recruit top talent.
What Are Customer Service Assessments?
A customer service assessment measures job applicants’ and employees’ abilities and aptitude for jobs in the customer service field. They measure the hard skills that are required to do the job, such as email and telephone etiquette and computer proficiency. They also help hiring teams assess soft skills, which are behavioral traits and tendencies that enable the employee to perform the job successfully, such as empathy, problem-solving, and time management.
When to Use Customer Service Assessments
It is best to use customer service assessment tools during initial candidate screening to maximize the efficiency of your hiring process. If your company is like most, you receive hundreds or even thousands of applicants in response to a single job posting, and many are not qualified. Reviewing customer service assessment results shows which candidates have the required skills and experience.
This enables you to avoid wasting hours of valuable time reviewing resumes, concentrate your efforts on top candidates, and eliminate unqualified applicants. You and your team will be able to fill critical job roles faster and address staffing shortfalls more effectively. You will also be able to extend offers to top candidates with in-demand skills before your competitors snap them up.
Which Customer Service Assessment Tools Maximize Client Retention?
Many skills tests in the eSkill Assessment Library provide excellent insight into an applicant’s ability to provide superior customer service. The Customer Service Skills Test is one of the most popular because hiring teams can use it to screen applicants for all types of customer-facing roles as well as assess customer service capabilities for candidates applying for other jobs.
The Customer Service Skills Test consists of 40 questions in multiple-choice, select all that apply, true/false, and simple select formats that cover essential topics such as interpersonal communication skills, problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration.
The Emotional Intelligence Skills Test is another customer service assessment many companies choose. It contains 40 questions of various types and covers topics like social intelligence, empathy, and managing emotions productively. Applicants with high emotional intelligence can empathize with customers and understand their points of view. They also collaborate well with co-workers and are good team players.
Many customer service jobs require employees to enter and process orders accurately and manage several customer inquiries simultaneously. So, Data Entry Operator, Form-Fill Data Entry Typing, and Attention to Detail skills tests are also popular with HR teams.
When applicants submit completed customer service assessments, your hiring team can review and rank the results and instantly determine which candidates are top contenders. This expedites the screening process, helps you make faster and better hiring decisions, and reduces the risk of hiring errors.
Why You Need Customer Service Assessment Tools
Building a robust customer service team is the first step to improving customer retention and increasing revenue. Clients who receive exceptional service will likely become repeat customers and evangelists for your brand. This is important because the cost of new customer acquisition can be six to seven times more than retaining the ones you already have.
Customer service assessment tools provide hiring teams with measurable data about candidates’ skills, abilities, and aptitudes. This enables them to recruit candidates who can help them improve the quality of service customers receive, which ultimately leads to better retention and less churn.
Get Started with Customer Service Assessment Tests
When you have the right people on your customer service team, your customers will be happier because they receive the best possible service. This will make it easier for you to meet your business objectives and reach growth goals.
Are you ready to learn how customer service assessment tools can help you increase customer retention and build loyalty? Contact us to request a demo.