Common Customer Service Myths

Customer service agents are usually the first point of contact most people have with a brand. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, to point out that your customers’ engagement and overall satisfaction with your brand is directly linked to your agent experience. When your agents feel undervalued and unmotivated, it can threaten the way your brand is perceived and valued.

But with so much information available on what will and won’t improve your customer service agent experience, how can you know what to believe? In a recent Gladly Connect Live session, Meredith Klee, Director of Communications and Content at Gladly, and Chris Van Wagoner, Director of Lifecycle and Community at Gladly, addressed a handful of common customer service myths and provided insight into the truth about what customer service agents really want and need, according to our 2023 Hero Experience Report.

Customer Service Myth: Agents Don’t Want to Directly Deal With Customers

While customer complaints and issues are perceived to be the bane of an agent’s experience, the truth is that helping customers is actually a perk of the job. In fact, 45% of agents list engaging with customers as their number-one motivator at work.

Truth: Agents Want to Help Customers

Agents are more motivated to help customers than sort case tickets. By automating simple tasks through tools like AI, IVR, and chat, you can eliminate parts of the job that your agents dislike. This leaves your team with more time to perform the tasks they find fulfilling — like assisting your customers — or that grow their customer service career.

Wondering how Gladly stacks up against ticket-based CX platforms? Start here.

• Zendesk and Gladly Comparison
• Gorgias and Gladly Comparison
• Genesys and Gladly Comparison

Did you know? Assisting customers in resolving service issues and job security are two of the most important factors in the customer service agent experience, with 37% and 34% of agents respectively listing these as top factors.

Customer Service Myth: Agents are Short-Term and Inexperienced

Customer service is oftentimes considered a temporary, in-between job due to common misconceptions from those outside the industry. However, for most customer service agents, this isn’t a part-time gig — it’s their full-time career.

Truth: Agents Have Higher Education Backgrounds

Another misconception is that customer service agents didn’t pursue higher education. But the truth is 50% of customer service agents have a four-year degree or higher, making their experience all the more valuable.

Did you know? 89% of customer service agents plan to stay in the customer service field. This makes retaining your agents extremely valuable for your team. Learn more about the costs of agent churn and how investing in agent well-being can benefit you in the long term.

Customer Service Myth: Agents Aren’t Interested in Career Development

Many agents begin a journey in customer service because they want a future in the industry. In order to carve their career path, 62% of agents show an interest in developing customer service skills. Most agents also understand the value of comprehensive onboarding, with 57% saying that training is crucial.

Truth: Agents Want a Career Growth Path

Did you know? Agents want to grow in their careers. Provide the learning opportunities they seek by signing up for Gladly Connect, a zero-cost CX community that offers mentorship, learning opportunities, and educational resources that can empower your team.

Customer Service Myth: Agents Aren’t Interested in Leadership Opportunities

If your agents aren’t furthering their careers, it’s not due to a lack of interest. For many agents, they don’t know how to move up the leadership ladder. In fact, 67% of agents want leadership roles, but only half know how to achieve these goals. That means that almost 20% of agents seeking out leadership roles don’t have the tools or resources to get there.

Truth: Agents Want to Lead

Providing clear expectations and mentorship will foster your agents into the next generation of CX leadership.

Did you know? 34% of agents want more clarity on how to grow into a management role. Set clear expectations with your team to help build a path forward and prevent quiet quitting.

Customer Service Myth: Agent Needs are Difficult to Understand

Your agents are individuals with their own unique needs and aspirations. This makes it difficult to find the right ways to inspire every member of your team equally. By using resources like our 2023 Hero Experience Report, CX leaders have the opportunity to understand their agents’ motivations and challenges to create a more positive overall work environment.

Truth: Understanding Agent Needs Is Easy With the Right Resources

Did you know? We have a full host of resources to help you better understand your agents. Check out our Making Customer Service Your Business guide to discover key insights that will empower your team.

Learn How to Enhance Your Customer Service Agent Experience

Understanding and improving your customer service agent experience is not as difficult as these myths make it seem. The reality is that, with the right tools and resources, you can boost morale, improve productivity, and enhance your agents’ daily lives through small steps that prioritize your support team’s wellbeing.

Get more from your team while improving your customer experience by browsing more of our on-demand sessions and webinars. Each session is full of useful tips, action items, and professional insights that will help your team perform at their best.

Get CX insights, trends and performance strategies from experts.

SEE WEBINARS