Are you in charge of a customer service team? As the manager, it’s your job to keep your customers happy at all times. It’s also your job to increase productivity from your customer service staff. Sometimes these objectives seem diametrically opposed, but once you learn these productivity inhibitors, you’ll be able to boost customer service team effectiveness and create a happier workplace all at the same time.

Believe it or not, avoiding productivity inhibitors will make your staff more effective, and ultimately this will create happier customers. And happy customers like to tell the world about their joyous experiences, because it rarely happens when dealing with a customer service team.

To improve efficiency as a customer service team, please avoid the following five productivity inhibitors like the plague. If you can manage to avoid these potential pitfalls, you’ll be well ahead of the game and your team will be on its way to creating a happy, productive environment for everyone.

Top 5 Productivity Inhibitors to Avoid like the Plague

Does multitasking really equal greater productivity?

The business world is completely enamored with multitasking. Everybody thinks that they can do it, and they think that they can do it better than their coworkers. The truth is that multitasking is actually impossible in most situations. Our brains aren’t wired for it. And when you do jump from task to task quickly, you aren’t really focused on anything, and you’ll end up spending a great deal of time getting nothing done.

Avoid multitasking at all costs.

Does your customer service environment lack accountability?

The best way to increase productivity is to hold everyone accountable for their own actions. Our brains are actually wired to take the path of least resistance. So, if one of your customer service staff members has the option to do a task that is easy versus a test that is hard, they will automatically attempt to complete the easier task.

With a system of accountability in place, your team members will no longer procrastinate and avoid the difficult tasks. Whenever someone on your team accepts an assignment, make sure they let everyone know so that they can hold them accountable. This is an easy way to beat the procrastination bug.

Is your customer service staff perpetually distracted?

We live in an insane world of constant distractions. Our phones are constantly ringing, beeping, flashing, and more to let us know that we have dozens of messages coming from our social media accounts, email accounts, text messages, voicemail’s, and so much more.

Taking mobile devices away from your customer service staff is one way to immediately help improve productivity. Other ways to cut down on constant distractions is to block Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites.

Is your customer service staff working too hard without taking enough breaks?

This may seem counterproductive on the surface, but taking breaks will actually fuel productivity. If your staff is working hard and working too many hours in a row, they will begin to get tired, stressed, and ultimately become very unproductive. Make sure your staff has ample opportunity to take the breaks that they need to recharge their batteries. Otherwise they will waste their time and yours and unfortunately be a lot less productive than they should be.

Are you using efficiency boosting tools?

The right software will instantly help boost productivity. In a customer service setting, efficiency boosting tools are a must. Consider using timekeeping software, collaboration tools, rules and automation, and more.

Conclusion

When all’s said and done, avoiding these productivity inhibitors and implementing the strategies that we’ve suggested will help increase your team’s overall efficiency. Try it for a time and watch your customer service team transform into a well-oiled machine.