The Top 3 Customer Service Tips We Can Learn from Santa’s Elves

The North Pole Elves, aka Santa’s Helpers, are an industrious and creative bunch of customer service representatives, without whom the world would be devoid of magical toys and fudge stripe cookies. (Nevermind about the cookies – wrong elves.) These pointy-eared beings may be hidden from view nearly the entire year, but much like SAS’ call center agents, they never stop filling orders. Not only are they experts at maintaining a mass production environment, but they are also great teachers. In fact, they have a few lessons to impart, if you are so inclined to learn them. Let’s get started!

Tip 1: Elves have serious attention to detail.

You’ve gotta hand it to those Elves. They painstakingly craft millions of toys every year, and each one is more perfect than the last. Of course, Elves understand the importance of the big picture – having enough toys to go around. But they also know that it’s the little things (no pun intended) that make all the difference in any old toy that you could purchase at the mall vs. a carefully-honed item that was built with its recipient in mind.

Takeaway

Both big and small businesses alike need to have enough quantity to satisfy demand. But quality is what will ultimately sell your product and keep customers coming back year after year. The same goes for the answering service industry. Sure, you can answer calls faster than Elves can make a rocking horse; but it’s how you answer them that counts.

Tip 2: Elves take pride in their work.

Elves are happy people. They get to live with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the Elfin Eatery is fully stocked with buttery cookies and hot cocoa. Who wouldn’t be happy? While that sounds magical, their sprightly outlook isn’t just about the company they keep or the awesome snack bar. Elves love what they do, and they take pride in it! Are there days when the mere sight of another tinker toy is enough to send them packing for Fiji? Probably. But all in all, they excel at toy manufacturing because they believe in the good they are doing.

Takeaway

No job is perfect, and customer service can be especially challenging during the holidays; however, every employee offers a valuable contribution to the people you serve. When the going gets tough, think about the positive impact you have on your customers.

Tip 3: Elves thrive on teamwork.

Any great business starts with exceptional leadership, and it doesn’t get much better than Santa. The jolly old elf himself has been running North Pole operations without a hitch for eons. So, he must know a thing or two about getting the job done. He relies on the Elves to work on their projects as a team, ensuring that each toy truck has wheels, sirens and a nice paint job, and each dolly has curlicue hair and that sweet, baby powder scent. When the day is done and everyone has whittled their last spinning top, they head to the Candy Cane Corral for free eggnog and some good old fashioned camaraderie.

Takeaway

To put it plainly, Santa is about as good without his Elves as a call center is without its agents! No man is an island. There is no I in TEAM. And here’s one more cliché for good measure: teamwork makes the dream work.

Well, what have you learned? We hope that this has been a quick refresher course in how to be the best customer service representative you can be. No matter what your industry, it never hurts to take a step back and reevaluate how you approach your job. Humans spend an average of 2,080 hours a year at work, so you may as well make the most of it!