7 Customer Service Skills Every Employee Should Have
Employees who work with customers every day need a special set of skills that allow them to deliver exceptional customer service. When it comes to hiring employees to fill customer service roles, not everybody has what it takes and hiring the wrong individuals can hurt your reputation more than you think. Poor customer service or experiences cause customers to move their business elsewhere.
If you want your company to be known for a positive experience, look for people with these 10 customer service skills.
1. Willingness
Customer service employees need be willing to learn, listen, research and solve problems. If an employee is not willing, he or she will never be able to make customers happy or advance with a company.
2. Patience
Not every customer conversation will be smooth sailing, making patience necessary for employees. Customers are looking for somebody to take the time to guide them, understand their struggle and help them find a solution.
3. Product Knowledge
Customers expect representatives to be knowledgeable of the product, brand and company procedures. Being connected with a customer service representative who has to look up the answer to every question or places the customer on hold to ask for help cause further aggravation.
4. Attentiveness
Being able to actively listen to customers and co-workers is essential in being a successful employee. Hiring attentive employees will also build a better team culture improving employee retention over time.
5. Intuition
The ability to read others can help employees know what to say and when to say it. It also helps them understand whether the customer is satisfied with the outcome of the call or conversation.
6. Flexible
Some days will go as planned at work, and some days don’t. Every employee needs to be able to go with the flow when things change or take a turn for the worse. Being flexible results in a more positive attitude and happier employees.
7. Responsive
One of the best qualities employees can have is responsiveness or the ability to deliver what they say they will, when they say they will. Employees that promise one thing and do another or simply never respond to messages are difficult to trust. If you don’t trust them, your customers won’t, either.
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