Great Customer Service Starts with Great CSRs

To facilitate this, training includes 70 to 80 hours of product and systems instruction. An additional continuing education program, of two to four hours a month, provides Lands’ End’s teleservice reps with the information they need to communicate effectively with customers.

The company also has what it calls Specialty Shoppers—in essence, second-tier product experts in the call center. “They are available to answer detailed product questions, such as ‘will this sweater match those pants,’” Ballweg says. These reps have all the products available to them in the room where they sit, and regular reps can ask for their advice or transfer a call over, she explains.