Does Your Staff Know Interpersonal Customer Service Skills?

The customer service industry requires employees with a number of interpersonal, skills. Developing these skills and emphasizing them in a job application and interview will help you rise above the job market competition. 

Clear communication is essential in customer service – you need to know what the customer wants, and be able to articulate what you can do for the customer. Enunciating, speaking loudly enough, and employing an upbeat tone, will help you communicate clearly and positively with your customers. These skills are essential in phone communication as well. If you write or email with customers, be sure to use proper grammar and spelling, and choose words and phrases that convey a similarly upbeat attitude.

Listening skills are just as important as communication skills. Listen carefully to the customer to know exactly what she needs and how you can help her. Demonstrate that you are actively listening through body language and responses (nod when you understand something, make eye contact, etc.). Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions to make sure you understand the other person. An important aspect of customer service is simply making the customer feel heard.

A positive attitude goes a long way in customer service. Make sure you know all of the benefits of the products or services your company provides, and convey them to your customers. If a customer has a problem with a product or service, focus on what you can do to help him or her. While you don’t want to seem overly happy when a customer is upset, being proactive and optimistic can help a customer stay positive, too.

It is important not only to understand what a customer says, but how a customer feels. An important soft skill is being able to recognize and understand a person’s emotional state. If you struggle to convey empathy, think about being in the customer’s position. How would you feel if you were in her position? How would you like to be treated by an employee? These questions will help you to identify with and better assist your customers.

A sense of humor can make a potentially stressful customer-service interaction more enjoyable. If a customer cracks a silly joke, they will appreciate if you chuckle along with them. However, make sure you are never laughing at a customer (such as when they make a mistake or have trouble with something), but instead laughing with a customer.

A big part of working in customer service is being able to say, “I’m sorry,” whether it’s for a late shipment or the poor quality of a product. You have to be able to sincerely apologize to a customer on behalf of your company, even when the problem was not your fault.

SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.

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