Customer Service is the assistance a company delivers to its customers, one-on-one interaction between a consumer and a company representative. It is a straightforward transaction that plays a crucial role in ensuring buyer satisfaction and fostering repeat sales.
According to Oxford, Lexico, Customer Service is defined as the company’s assistance and advice given to its consumers–people who buy or use its products or services. Companies that offer good customer service gain more loyal customers, as supported by the 77% result from Zendesks’ Customer Experience Trends.
Gaining customer experiences is equivalent to meeting customer expectations–such as interacting with them politely and in the most engaging manner. The solution to good customer service is delivering speed, convenience, and friendliness–emphasised by Courtney Gapa, Customer Service Enthusiast.
Thriving businesses acknowledge the value of rendering outstanding customer service. The human elements of customer service are what establishes it, highlighting the customer service representative’s courteousness and empathy in the process.
Overall, customer experience is key in the CS industry, as emphasised by Berry, L. in Managing the Total Customer Experience. CS Representatives recognises that the total experience is vital from the initial meeting to the transaction’s fulfilment. Being knowledgeable of the fact that the most valuable asset is the consumer.
Viewing every customer as a unique individual and treating them accordingly. Customer service is all about how you create the whole experience for the customer. Outstanding customer service intends to go beyond and above his or her expectations.
Top Customer Service Skills
Customer service skills exemplify the attributes of a customer service representative to perform good customer service. Here is a combination of technical skills and soft skills that are expected from a customer service representative:
Language and tone
Mirroring the language and tone helps connect with people. As the famous saying goes, “calm is contagious.”
Hare’s Good communication Skills Key to Success shows a huge rate of how tone and language affect other people’s interpretation of you, your range of influence and persuasion, and an individual’s ability to build trust in your words.
Emphasised by Conversation Space-Emily Cosgrove, the tone of voice we use is more significant than our words and second only to our body language. The tone of voice reflects a CS representative’s skill in articulating its company’s values.
How the tone of other people’s voice when communicating something can incite worried feelings or a dispute. The wrong tone of voice in content might lead to putting off inherent customers.
The company’s values must be clear to each employee–in this case, a Customer Service Representative–to exhibit that same values in the tone of voice communication.
Active listening
An individual’s ability to display empathy is the key to good listening. Internalising everything your customer wants and says is a skill. Attentiveness and alertness are extra points, although rendering solutions during a conversation makes it more dynamic–such as asking for follow-up questions and engaging in interesting dialogues to make the customer feel more connected.
Improving an individual’s active listening skills can be done through training, podcasts, and online courses.
Clear communication
As most of the speakers you’ll hear from podcasts on communication, they emphasise how effective communicating can be done by keeping it simple and clear. And this is best done when an individual learns to use their own words to communicate value. Giving it a personal touch rather than answering like a bot.
Simple, Concise, and Complete; ensure a clear call-to-action that will push the customers toward their desired goal.
Interpersonal skills
Simultaneously, this skill comprises an individual’s ability to interact with other people effectively from communicating and listening to one’s attitude and task execution. Answering a query also includes working with other teams or departments.
Thus, a customer service representative deals with communicating with a customer and building a good rapport within and among their co-workers in the company.
Comfort multitasking
Expected to handle more than one chat at a time. Being calm under pressure is an admirable skill of a Customer Service Representative. And this comes together with time management and a spoonful of a positive attitude at work.
Product Knowledge
Customer service professionals are expected to know what their company has to offer. Knowing the product from front to back to help their customers run through it in the process. With a solid product foundation, a customer service representative will handle even the most complex situations.
Attentiveness
Always respond to a customer’s social post when they need help. Staying completely present throughout a dialogue with a customer is vital; This can be done effectively by repeating their questions as a form of verification.
You may respond in your own kind words; this shows them that you heard them throughout the conversation.
Closing ability
Ending a conversation with confirmed customer satisfaction is the best way to define excellent customer service. A CS Representative only ends the conversation once a solution has been given to the customer. The assurance an individual gives to a customer, making them feel that everything is under control, is a great skill that each CS Representative should possess.
Improve customer service experience
Seeking customer feedback is one of the ideal ways to evaluate the representative’s performance. And to provide excellent customer service, it is important to recognise their insufficiencies, needs, and experiences.
Above all, the company should strengthen its CS team by hiring and training professionals with the right skills and building good rapport among and within team members.
“There is always scope for improvement.” It would be best if a company continuously focuses on developing its customer service standards, building trust, improving brand awareness, gaining customer loyalty, driving sales, and drawing new customers through worthwhile recommendations.
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