According to a recent Bloomberg report, wait times at call centers have tripled since the start of the Great Resignation. This is a big concern because studies show 61% of consumers would change brands after a single negative customer service experience.
Other customer-facing businesses are also experiencing large-scale resignations, staffing shortages, and similar talent-related issues. These issues are due to many factors, including inefficient hiring practices and an excessive number of bad hires.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution. Your organization can use customer service skills tests to improve hiring efficiency by identifying which candidates possess the required skills. This is a summary of how to test customer service skills, whether your company is in the manufacturing, call center, or retail sector, so you can continue to deliver the quality of service your customers deserve.
How to Test Customer Service Skills
Traditional employee screening practices such as interviews and resume reviews are ineffective at helping you evaluate candidates’ skills. Candidates can certainly list their skills on a resume and explain them in greater detail during interviews. However, many intentionally or inadvertently over-inflate their skill sets.
A customer service skills test is a proven screening tool that provides factual information about applicants’ skills, abilities, and talents. When you include customer service skills tests in your hiring process, you can make decisions based on real-world data, not perceptions about an individual’s abilities.
This process is critical for two reasons. First, it provides HR teams and hiring managers with relevant and accurate information about candidates’ abilities. Second, it minimizes subjective bias and helps organizations ensure they are complying with fair hiring practices and standards.
How Do Customer Service Skills Tests Work?
A customer service skills test can contain different types of questions such as multiple-choice, simple select, select all that apply, and true/false. The number of topics covered can vary as well, depending on your needs and the job requirements. However, most customer service skills tests address between two and five topics.
Once candidates complete the customer service skills test, the hiring team can immediately review their results. The breakdown contains a cumulative score and section-specific performance data.
Organizations designate “passing scores” based on “minimum acceptable proficiency.” Your hiring team can also prioritize performance in specific subject areas over others.
Which Customer Service Skills Tests Should I Be Using?
The specific customer service skills test that you use will depend on the job role you need to fill. General skills tests such as Chat Simulation and Attention to Detail provide insights into an applicant’s ability to serve clients effectively and perform the job well, regardless of industry.
One of the most popular skills tests is Customer Service. It consists of 40 questions that cover topics such as adaptability, teamwork and collaboration, communication skills, and problem-solving. It is considered to be one of the most effective tools for screening for customer service aptitudes.
If none of the skills tests in the eSkill Assessment Library meets your needs, you can create your own by choosing questions from multiple tests that focus on topics relevant to your organization and the position you need to fill. You can even add your own questions if desired.
It is best to administer customer service skills tests early in your candidate screening process to maximize the effectiveness of your assessment process. This will allow you to eliminate unsuitable candidates before you waste time and resources interviewing them. It will also reduce the workload on your hiring team and make it possible to quickly identify top applicants so you can move them to the next stage of your hiring process.
Getting Started
Implementing a skills testing program will help you improve the quality of service you provide to clients, increase customer retention, and decrease employee turnover. Cumulatively, these benefits will positively impact your company’s bottom line and help you contend with the ongoing worldwide talent shortage.
eSkill provides all the skills assessments you need to ensure the best hiring outcomes. Would you like to learn how customer service skills tests can help improve productivity? Contact us to request a demo.