You're drowning in high-volume customer inquiries. How do you determine which ones need immediate attention?

On many instances we tend to give wrong priorities to clients as customer service professionals. Why is that? Because we will naturally tend to take factors that should not be taken into account such as how difficult or demanding a client is. When a client is difficult or demanding, the focus should be on effectively managing the customer while setting boundaries in a proactive way. The second reason why we make this mistake is because we fail to understand our customers' perspective effectively (and will therefore fail to notice the urgency accordingly). Hence focusing on the above factors rather than what really matters: which enquiry is a priority in terms of the level of urgency there is from their end?

Overwhelmed by a flood of customer inquiries? Use urgency criteria to cut through the chaos. Just like in emergency services, apply a triage system to prioritize effectively. Assess each situation using the Eisenhower matrix—distinguishing between what’s important and what’s urgent. From my experience in roadside assistance, a flat battery at home is less critical than a family stranded on a motorway. Base your criteria on common sense and time management to address the most pressing issues first. Prioritization is key to maintaining control and delivering timely support.

Look over your accounts in your accounts, prep each account in question, research it, start with the most critical on first. Be prepared to help above and beyond to solve any issues at hand

Drowning in high-volume inquiries? Turn to automation tools to rescue your team. Automating common, routine tasks frees up your staff to tackle more complex issues, enhancing both efficiency and quality. By handling routine queries automatically, you can meet customer expectations for quick and accurate responses while ensuring your team focuses on delivering high-value support. Embrace automation to streamline your operations and elevate your service quality.

Having internal data on your consumers' history, preferences and journey is key if you or your people want to be on top of your game when it comes to delivering the best experience. However small the interaction is, repeat customers will expect to be acknowledged, remembered and cared for accordingly anytime they are in touch with you. But it is also about the initiatives you take: for instance, acknowledging your customers' loyalty by giving personalised presents is a great way to do so.

Training your team on a regular basis on how to effectively understand your customers' perspective is key to give priority accordingly when managing a high-volume of enquiries. Here are the 4 key focuses I share when training front line employees on this topic: ✅ Understand their journey (information you need to have) ✅ Understand the impact of a situation on the customer and their stress level (understand the urgency and give priority accordingly) ✅ Understand their knowledge (information you need to give) ✅ Understand their personality and preferences (to handle the customer effectively)