How do you hire a customer support specialist?

I look at past experience, if any. It's not a high-school job; many teens have the opportunity for service-related jobs, and performance and attitude are important in seeking a support specialist. How do they feel about the customer? How inclined are they to help? Can they give me an example or two of their best service? Service professionals are not only a face of the company, but the face the customer sees when they are upset. Add to this the desire and ability to learn. Chances are they don't know our technology. How well can they pick it up? Is their educational history diverse? Forget graduation; what did they study? What afterward, if anything? Have they showed any inclination toward creative problem solving?

Vague expectations = vague / incorrect hiring. Important to know beforehand the elementary aspects of the JD + the nuanced characteristics, attitudes and what specific behaviors display a positive / required attitude for the job. Inherent requirements for becoming a success at the role. Most imp: ask a few very specific questions which help understand the mindset of the candidate and what premium they place on the opportunity with your organization and the motive behind it. E.g: *How did you prepare for this meeting / interview? *Assuming you have an opportunity to work with any of the top names in (the domain to which your organization belongs, and of course including your own company)...which one would you pick and why?

In my experience, some of the main tasks for Client Support Specialist Associate including acting as the first point of contact between clients with the organisation. Associate will also be expected to work closely with multiple departments regarding onboarding, transaction, in-apps troubleshooting, and any complaint related to our product/service.

When it comes to technical skills, from my experience the best is to give a candidate some technical hands-on task during the interview that would be new to them, allow them to use any sources of information and carefully watch how they are thinking/acting, what questions they are asking etc - this roughly simulates stressful situation that they will be facing regularly as a support so you would be able to understand if that's "your" person or not.and by the way it's not necessary that solving the task is mandatory to pass the interview :)

Testing should be completed and assessed prior to interview stage. If this is not done it can impact the next phase of recruitment, therefore wasting the candidates and interviews time.

Additionally, consider the candidate's cultural fit with the company, their ability to adapt to new technologies, and their potential for growth within the organization.

It is key to set expectations from the start. Be this hours of work, shift flexibility or general information to ensure the candidate is fully aware of expectations, but also how these will be managed.

The most important thing that I look for in a potential hire is empathy and soft skills. Is candidate humble enough to accept mistakes and learn to grow? Does he/she empathize with the customer? Through out my career, I have always asked my team members to have a feeling of giving SERVICE to the customers instead of thinking of it as a Job, it helps to set the culture of the team. A winning culture!

While qualifications and experience are crucial, the heart of customer support lies in empathy, effective communication, and maintaining a positive attitude even under pressure. It's essential for hiring managers to recognize these soft skills, which are often found in individuals, such as college students, who may not have extensive experience but are eager to learn and grow. Considering these individuals for internships not only provides them with a valuable learning experience but also allows companies to identify and nurture potential long-term assets in customer support. It's an investment in building a team that not only resolves issues effectively but also contributes to a positive customer experience.

A quality customer support specialist should be able to make every customer feel special i.e the customer should feel valued,understood and their problem solved beyond expectation