Learning The 3 Keys To Spectacular Customer Service!
Here in the United States, nearly every industry that promotes a product or service will be called upon to provide some form of customer service
. As many people are aware from experience though, not everyone involved in performing customer service duties, has been trained to do it well. I have spent 18 years as a professional customer service representative, and I have trained others how to improve their skills by using these 3 keys to spectacular customer service. Good customer service keeps customers coming back.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (A division of the US Department of Labor), "Customer service representatives held about 2.3 million jobs in 2008, ranking among the largest occupations." There are many different kinds of industries who utilize customer service agents, though most have a similar basic function- to act as a gateway between the customer and the company. Duties can range from simple product/service information requests, to problems and complaints. Some customer service reps also function as part of a company's sales force, as shown when a representative tries to up sell a customer ordering a product or service. Regardless of the specifics, here are 3 keys to remember:
1.) Never take it personally! It has been said (probably even by me) that it takes a certain type of personality to make a good customer service representative. To some extent, I still feel this is true, but you can fake it pretty well if you have good control over your emotional responses and can remain calm in the most trying circumstances. Sometimes you will have angry customers. Sometimes, it will seem like they are launching a personal attack on YOU. Unless they actually know you and dislike you outside of your role as a customer service rep, this is highly unlikely. Chances are you are just a convenient, albeit unfortunate outlet for their frustration over a situation that happened BEFORE they called you, or showed up at your counter, or wrote you that email. Remain calm. States of mind can be infectious. Don't catch and reflect their anger. Deflect it away with your calm. Then you can move on to diffusing the situation and changing the energy. One of the best ways to do that is through a technique I'll share with you next....
2.) Practice Active listening! "What's that?" you might ask. Active listening is a way to show a customer you are paying attention to them; it shows them you feel their problem or issue is important and that you care. For example, Mrs Smith stayed home from work in the morning to have her cable installed and the tech showed up 3 hours late. Now maybe the tech had a problem at the last installation, then got caught in traffic, then realized it was so far past his lunch his stomach was growling and he just couldn't do another 3 hour install before grabbing a bite. Stuff happens. All Mrs Smith knows, is now she has wasted her whole morning and will probably miss a whole day of work instead of the half day she planned. She's really upset! Your response could be "Mrs Smith I am so sorry this happened, I know your time is very valuable and while we do try to keep our installation appointments occasionally there are unforeseen difficulties. I know how frustrating this must have been; I would feel the same way. Let me find out why the happened and what I can do to make it up to you." There you go. In that one response, you have shown Mrs Smith you care that she had a problem, you listened to what it was, validated her feelings, and promised to find a way to fix it. Mrs Smith will most likely feel calmer and probably grateful she reached someone who actually cares! Which brings us to the 3rd key...
3) Own the problem! When you tell a customer you will fix their problem- it is yours, and you had better find a way to fix it. Even if it is just escalating it to a supervisor, or someone in another department, make it a point to know the correct protocol for a variety of situations. Always follow up as well, and make sure the problem ultimately was solved. It may save you a second, angrier call! That way you can resolve issues faster and come across as a competent, sympathetic, and capable customer service representative. If customers can have faith in a company's customer service, they have faith in the company. Why? Because they know if they ever have another problem or issue, that it will be dealt with quickly and without drama. Customer confidence and satisfaction is priceless, particularly in today's economy where there is so much competition to keep customers and the income a happy customer generates.
In reality, your success or failure in the field of customer service depends on your pride in your job and in yourself. If you care about people overall, it will show when dealing with your customers. If you are willing to take those few extra steps to inspire customer confidence, you will be surprised at how easy it becomes to turn a bad situation into a good one, just by showing customers you care.
by: Diane Augustine
The Ultimate Best Web Hosting Service Provider Pounds till Payday Loans - An Efficient Monetary Service Why You Must Make Use Of A Content Creation Service Sim only deals Experience the incredible freedom and services Web Outsourcing - Best way of getting Quality Web Services at Lower Cost Quibids Overview - Customer Testimonials Where To Go The Best Personal Banking Services Shared Web Hosting Service - Right For You? Truline Goes Beyond Just Post Driver Services Data Backup Services Enhance Your Optimization Process with SEO Services India Debt Negotiation Services - Advantages of Hiring Debt Negotiators An Insight into the Fulfilment Services