101 Ways to Improve Customer Service: Training, Tools, Tips, and Techniques

Chapter 43. Pass It On: Delegation

Good customer service sometimes means we need to rely on the expertise of others or to get help with the workload. Some examples of when to delegate include when a client is transitioned into a customer service support role or when someone else needs to follow up on a customer complaint. No matter why we have to do it, delegating requires us to use a flexible yet structured approach.

Directions: Take the following survey to find out how good of a delegator you are currently, while taking note of the ways in which you can improve for the future.

	YES	NO
Do you believe that others can do a job as well as you can? Know that different doesn’t necessarily mean better or worse.	______	______
Do you trust your coworkers to handle job assignments? Trust the ability of others to do the work.	______	______
Do you avoid being a perfectionist? Establish a standard and a time frame for reaching it.	______	______
Do you give job instructions effectively? Give enough information to complete the job successfully.	______	______
Do you enjoy managing work rather than just doing it? Know your true interests in doing versus managing.	______	______
Do you believe that making mistakes is part of learning? Encourage staff to accept assignments by viewing their mistakes as learning experiences.	______	______
Do you follow up with people after delegating? Build in checkpoints to identify potential problems.	______	______
Do you avoid crisis management? Allow time for planning or prioritizing.	______	______ ...