Customers are the lifeblood of your business.
Accordingly, failure to attract and
retain them will be the death of it.
Indeed, companies in the US lose
approximately $1.6 trillion on customers who switch loyalties to alternative providers.
Can you afford to sacrifice your
business’ revenue through poor customer relations? We’re guessing the answer to
that question’s a resounding ‘no’!
In which case, you need to start prioritizing the customer experience.
Thankfully, a solid grasp of a few
key customer service skills can have a disproportionately positive effect. Are
you hoping to improve your relationship with customers, enhance retention
levels and ensure the success of your business?
Well, we want to help!
Keep reading to discover the
customer service skills that’ll make it happen.
1- Knowledge
First thing’s first:
Knowledge of the product/service.
Everyone who works for your customer
service department must know the business inside out. Don’t, and you risk
upsetting anybody who calls for assistance.
It makes sense. After all, customer
service is about problem-solving. A customer has an issue that they want to be
addressed. These problems come in all shapes and sizes, meaning insight into
the product/service is essential.
Imagine yourself as a customer in
need of help. There’s an assumption that calling that number or sending that
email will provide an answer! Failure in that regard sends all the wrong
messages of ineptness, which is a recipe for losing someone’s trust.
By contrast, a speedy and knowledge
solution creates an impression of expertise and professionalism.
2- Efficiency
Again, put yourself in your
customers’ shoes.
Any problem with your product or
service is a hindrance. The fact that there’s a problem will have already
raised doubts in the customer. Your customer service department must be able to
salvage the situation.
Solving the issue in a timely manner
is the best way to do it. People are busy! They don’t want to struggle to
resolve an issue they didn’t want in the first place.
See it as your duty to improve the
situation as quickly as humanly possible. Of course, high levels of insight
into the business will enable that to happen.
3- Calmness and Respect
Let’s face it, customer service
isn’t an easy job.
You’re in the front line, in the
firing line against the high emotions of upset customers. You need to be able
to stay calm under pressure.
Remember, they’re not angry at you
personally (even though it might seem that way!). They’re annoyed by the
situation; you just happen to be the lucky individual on the other end of the
phone.
Staying calm is essential to dealing
with matters effectively.
Hard is can be, make sure you’re
respectful too. Make it clear that you’re trying to help; it’s far harder to be
angry with someone who’s being calm and affable!
4- Listening
The ability to listen is a rare
skill to possess these days.
More often than not people are more
willing to talk about their own issues!
However, strong listening
capabilities are crucial for success in customer service. For one thing, it’s
the only way to understand and resolve a customer complaint/issue. You must be
able to tease out the cause of a problem in order to find the solution.
For that, listening to what someone
is saying is of vital importance.
More than that, though, the customer
will appreciate the simple phenomenon of being heard. It’s a sure-fire way of
getting someone on-side.
Be mindful that there’s a level of
entitlement that comes with being a customer. They’ve given you their money and
time, which makes it your responsibility to solve their issues!
5- Communication
Listening’s the first step to
becoming a strong communicator.
And communication is another vital
skill for your customer service team.
For one thing, it’s a component in
efficiently and effectively handling complains and concerns. A customer doesn’t
want to listen to you talk their ear off. They’ve got in touch so you can solve
their problem.
Nothing more.
Communicating that answer can be
easier said than done though, which is why you need this as a skill. Remember,
you’re an expert in your business, but they most definitely are not! Complex
matters must be summarized in simple lay terms and instructions.
Customer communications software
(aka CCM software)
can be helpful in this endeavor.
6- Empathy
As we’ve already noted, customers
can be a pain to work with.
They have an issue and expect you to
help. They’re often angry and frustrated and generally aggrieved with the
situation. Moreover, they can sometimes be more than willing to express that
frustration to a customer service rep!
Staying calm and treating them with
respect isn’t easy. However, the capacity to empathize will be a mighty help in
your efforts.
It’s about putting yourself in their
shoes and seeing where they’re coming from. Sometimes, just making the effort
can reduce the animosity you can feel in response to a difficult customer!
More importantly, it’ll give you’re
a better shot at understanding the cause of the problem itself. Knowing that,
you can more easily handle it.
7- Patience
Patience truly is a virtue as far as
customer service goes.
With everything we’ve just said
about difficult customers, you can understand why!
Patience is a great foundation for
your attempts to stay calm. It’ll help you weather the storm and remain
positive when working with a challenging individual.
It helps prolong levels of
unflappability! Those long calls and interactions are rendered far easier as a
direct result.
Time
to Master These Key Customer Service Skills
For your business to succeed it must
prioritize the customer experience.
Fail, and you’re on a one-way ticket
to a host of financial and reputational struggles!
Thankfully, some good old fashioned customer service skills can take you a long way. Hopefully, this post has highlighted 7 of the essential skills to master in your endeavors to improve customer satisfaction.
Would you like to read more articles
to facilitate the success of your business? Be sure to check out the marketing
section of the website.
