You need to be able to communicate effectively with the customer. While written communication is another of the customer service skills you’ll want to master, it is verbal communication that is most often used in today’s call centers. The purpose of this kind of communication is to not just repeat a spiel or information to the customer, but to make sure that they understood what you said. You will need proper speaking skills, good grammar and the ability to choose the right mode of speaking for the person on the other end of the line or across the counter from you.
Ability to Empathize
This is an ability that will most likely be honed over time and it is one of the customer service skills that can actually erode for some who have been in this industry for a while. You need to be able to listen and actually involve yourself in what the customer is telling you about their situation. Empathy is sensing and understanding the emotions of others and of all the customer service skills, some will argue that this is most important. Those who are good at empathy can often win the trust of even the most dissatisfied customers because those customers will feel they have someone on their side at last.
Understanding of Human Psychology
While everyone is certainly different, there are commonalities among us as human beings. For those who take the time to study at least some basic psychology, the job of helping people over the phone is much easier to do. This can often help you defuse tense situations and anticipate what a customer wants before he or she verbalizes it. This is one skill that can impress customers and your superiors alike.
Situational Evaluation and Analysis
Many times, in customer service work, you will encounter a problem that is not covered in the company’s guidelines. When this happens, you are going to need to evaluate the situation and decide whether or not you need a supervisor present. One of the most important customer service skills to have is being able to decide whether or not a person is being honest or trying to deceive you. To do this, you have to be able to analyze data and, preferably, do this quickly.
Practice Respect
Being respectful to customers is another key skill. It should go without saying that simple manners should be used at all times but other factors that can make the customer feel respected include addressing them by their title and only using their first name if they have indicated that this is what they prefer. Customers should not be interrupted when they are speaking and the employee should wait until they have finished before responding.
Problem Solving
If a customer has a problem then this should be resolved as soon as possible. The customer should be made to feel that any concerns that they have are valid and that everything is being done by the employee in order to solve the problem quickly.
Thinking Outside the Box
Sometimes, a creative solution to a customer’s problem is needed. A degree of creativity (within company guidelines, of course!) can be of benefit in these circumstances.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is your answer. 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.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
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