If you’re part of a customer service team, you know that your job is crucial to the success of your organization. According to a PwC study, “customers across a wide variety of industries said they were willing to pay as much as a 16% premium for better service.” Many other studies have shown that customers come back to companies where they experienced great customer service and often become loyal customers along the way. With your role being an important one in the company, it’s time to brush up your skills and improve your customer service game.
Good customer service leads to increased client retention and good word of mouth, but it also benefits you. The better you are in your role, the higher the chance of advancing in your career.
Helpful Tips to Enhance Your Customer Service Skills
Below are some tips to help you improve your customer service skills.
Tip #1: Focus on solutions
Your customer is probably frustrated or angry with something. It’s important to stay strong and focus on finding a solution to help them. Instead of worrying about the problem at hand, think about the result and guide them through fixing the problem. Be patient and understanding and continue to be positive to not cause any further frustration.
Tip #2: Don’t fret about mistakes
You’ve probably heard this a million times – everybody makes mistakes. Own it. It’s better if you admit that you misunderstood or made a mistake than trying to beat around the bush and be defensive about your actions. Use this as a learning opportunity and continue to help your customer find a solution to lead them to a positive outcome. Additionally, it’s okay if you don’t know all the answers and to let the customer know if you need help or someone else to manage the situation for you.
Tip #3: Work on your technical skills
With the world becoming more digitized, you’re probably helping your customers out through live chats or through online portals. It’s important to brush up on all your technical skills so you can become faster at responding and know where to guide your customer when you need to show them what to do. Whether it’s issuing them a service ticket, rectifying an order, or anything related to technology, make sure you consistently practice your skills and refresh yourself on any updates and upgrades as necessary. Speak up and let your manager know if you need further training so you can provide great service.
Tip #4: Empathize with your customers
It’s not only important to listen but also to understand where your customer is coming from. If you can make your customer feel like you understand them, they will become less frustrated and you will be able to better assist them. If you can make your customer feel like you are there for them, they will be more receptive to you which could make the conversation more engaging as you help them resolve the issue at hand.
Tip #5: Show customers how to do it
t’s easy to just tell someone what to do. However, this is your chance to truly satisfy your customer and go above and beyond by showing them what to do. Guiding your customer to help them fix an issue and showing them how to fix the problem will be extremely helpful in giving your customer a positive experience and help them figure out what to do a little faster and easier in the process.
Tip #6: Communicate clearly and well
Communication is key. If you are communicating over the phone, make sure you are being clear and using an understanding tone of voice. If you are chatting with your customer online, you need to be clear with your communication. Be to the point and avoid wasting time with idle chit-chat. Once you have reached the end of the conversation, make sure to follow up to ensure that you have answered all their questions.
Tip #7: Learn from feedback
t’s important to collect feedback after your customer service chats to see what you are doing right and where you can improve. Always be open to doing better and learning from every experience. Stay resilient and know not to take constructive criticism personally. Your customer might be having a bad day and it’s important to help them fix whatever is going wrong to the best of your ability and be open to learning along the way.
Customer Service is Imperative to Business Success
As a customer service personnel, this role might not be the easiest or smoothest no matter which industry you are in. Dealing with unhappy or angry customers is always going to be a challenge. However, when you come from an empathetic and helpful place and some positivity, you will not only make your customer’s day but also continue to thrive in your role.
Roth Staffing Companies has specialized business lines to help find you the right role in the industry you want to be in. Discover how our recruiters can help you take that next step in your career. Contact us today!
