‘If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.’ – Jan Carlzon, Ex-CEO SAS.
You need to constantly please your customer if you want your business to grow. But, Customer service is never easy and to be the boss of that world, you need to master certain simple skills. We at HappyFox handled that little burden for you by summing up the 20 kinds of people who can do the best customer service
1. The Listener
Issues you never understood fully are already issues you will never fix. Customer service takes a lot of listening. Clarify when absolutely necessary, but have a keen ear for their problems. Remember that an early ‘Can I have some more information,?’ is much better than a late ‘I’m sorry but we need you to explain the issue again.’
2. The Speaker
Develop good communication skills. Speak crisp and also speak to the point. Being polite and being a good speaker is half the customer service battle won. The rest is all about satisfying the customer’s needs.
3. The Saint
Never let any customer get to you. No matter how irate or frustrated a customer is, remember that at the end of the day, he is your customer. Learn the art of patience, hear your customer out before proceeding to help him out with the issue. A little bit of frustration from your end could seriously damage good customer relationships.
4. The Geek
As a customer service representative, be completely informed about the product. It is never good behavior making your customer wait while you refer to a manual. Swift responses, yet efficient ones are the need of the hour and gathering complete product knowledge is the way to go about it.
5. The Optimist
It is extremely primary that you have a positive attitude while going about doing customer service. If you think it cannot be done, the customer is automatically going to give up on you and move to your competitor. Try saying ‘We shall definitely consider adding this feature’ rather than ‘We cannot get that feature added for you.’
6. The Businessman
It is never enough to just make statements. Be honest and be a man of your word. Never lie about doing something you can’t. And if you have promised to deliver something to a customer, go out and deliver it. If it is getting delayed, communicate the same to your customer and inform him of the delay and give a timeline. Keeping customers in the dark is a terrible practice that ruins customer loyalty.
7. The Thinker
It does not look good blanking out when a customer surprises you. Quick yet correct responses make for perfect responses. Understand the customers’ problem and think of creative and genuine ways to offer immediate help. If you cannot think of one right away, request for some time and make sure you get back to your customer in that time.
8. The Champion
You need to build some sense of responsibility unto yourself when in situations where you know the mistake is on your side. These are two words that heal any wound – ‘I’m sorry.’. Take ownership of the fault, apologize and most importantly do the needful to rectify the fault so that such mistakes never happen again.
9. The Manager
It is imperative that you understand your company’s capabilities and be a good time manager. If you give timelines that are too small, you are going to fall short on your promises. Conversely, giving really long deadlines will make your customer get frustrated. Understand time management, give appropriate deadlines and make sure your team sticks to them.
10. The Planner
Planners never succumb under pressure. Have a strategic plan to answer any kind of queries. Sometimes, customers can impose themselves on you or be intimidating. If you are weak, it shows poor customer service skills. Let the customer finish talking and then clearly state that you will get back to him on it. “I don’t know how to help you there.” is an invitation for your customer to get frustrated.
11. The Realist
The easiest way to understand your customer’s problem is to really put yourself in the shoes of the customer. Think of a real life situation where you would have had a similar problem and ask yourself what would be the best response you would like. Take it a notch higher when you do it for your customer and we have a winner.
12. The Pro-active Climber
If you know your customers have asked you for something specific, be proactive enough to do what he asked and also go that extra mile to do something to please him. A little extra effort goes a long way in pleasing customers. If you are delivering a product, add a personal touch to it. The impact is priceless.
13. The Empathizer
Would you speak to a support agent who laughs at your plight? It is important for you to empathize with your customer, understand how he feels and respond accordingly. Remember that there is a sea of difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathize with your customer and immediately take all available efforts to help him out.
14. The Learner
A good learner makes only one mistake. When there are mistakes, one has to learn from them. Analyze the reasons why it happened and leave no stone unturned to ensure such mistakes never happen again. If mistakes repeat, customers don’t.
15. The Persuader
Not all the time can you give everything a customer asks. It is a highly important skill-set to be able to persuade your customer into getting the time needed to give something. In fact, it is even more important to convince the customer that you have done your best and that this will definitely help him out.
16. The Method Actor
It is indeed necessary to be genuine. But it is not wrong to occasionally adapt to how the customer feels and act in a way that he appreciates. If he sounds like an emotional wreck and you continue to stay cheerful, it is only going to worsen things. Assess the situation carefully and act accordingly.
17. The Techie
Nothing can be done without the basic computer skills. You need to be quick to respond and for that you need to know where to find the answers. Without the basic technical skill set on your computer, you can never do good customer service.
18. The Diplomat
Never get too personal with the customer. Even if he talks about his personal issues, never go about giving personal instances from your life. Stay focused on the crux of the problem and make sure that you are generating the suitable efforts for its resolution.
19. The Funny guy
Customer service is not about being serious all the time. Engage the customer in good conversations, crack a few jokes and keep the interaction light and jovial. That way, even if you have bad news like a delayed delivery, he will take it in his stride and not fret about it.
20. The Doer
The final and most vital goal of any customer service interaction is to close the deal. Never stretch it out for weeks on end and irritate the customer. Close the issue or make sure you assign the right person to do it.
There. We have summed up all 20 kinds of people who do the best customer service. Now the true customer service agent is an amalgamation of all 20. Go ahead and imbibe all these skills unto yourself and build an amazing customer service experience.
If you think we have left any skill out, please let us know in the comments and we would be happy to add it.
