6 Habits of Highly Successful Customer Service Representatives
At the heart of every business is a great customer service team, always striving to deliver an exceptional service to their clients with the goal of turning a first-time customer experience into repeat business.
If your team is happy and feel appreciated they will, of course, perform at their very best. But what separates a good customer service representative from a highly successful one? We have found that there are 6 very identifiable traits that set them apart from the rest.
Practice Patience: You’re either a naturally patient person or you’re not. However, most habits can be learned and you will find that the best CSR’s practice the art of patience whether their personality reflects that or not. Take the time to understand your customer’s frustrations from their point of view and never skip on the details. Nothing could be more frustrating than having to repeat yourself to a representative because they were not completely attentive the first-time around.
Listen Twice as Much as You Speak: As much as you may want to stop a blabbering customer in their tracks, don’t butt in. Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them in order to make it all ok. Our world is so digitalized these days that customers just want to know they are talking to a real person and are really being listened to.
Think Outside the Box: There is always a solution to the problem at hand and the phrase “I’m sorry but I cannot help you with that” just doesn’t quite cut it. You can always do something to help, even if that something is just passing customers over to a more suitable team member to help them with their problems. Customer Service representatives who think outside the box are very much invested in their careers. They take pride in their work, they aim to please and always find a way of doing things differently.
Be Relatable: Customers want to talk to a real person so refrain from sounding too rehearsed. The best CSR’s will call you by your name, ask you how your day and generally just make you feel comfortable. From a client’s point of view, nothing feels better than having great interaction with a real person. If you can manage to finish the call leaving them feeling happy and satisfied – they will remember you and the business that you represent.
Know Your Stuff: Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to customer service. Not only does it help you in conflict resolution but sound knowledge of your product or service can increase upselling and cross selling rates. Your customer will pick up on whether you know your stuff or not right away. Don’t lose your confidence due to lack of knowledge. We can’t know everything all the time and sometimes procedures change or products get an upgrade. If you simply haven’t been supplied with correct information just yet, be honest and offer to find them the correct answer right away.
Always Be Prepared for Roadblocks: Whether it’s a glitch in the system, a lack of information or miscommunication, roadblocks are inevitable. It’s how you handle the situation that really counts
Adopting the above 6 habits will put you on the right path to becoming the most successful customer service representative possible. A little help goes a long way in this line of work and what may seem like the simplest of solutions usually works the best. Take the time to understand your clients, be tolerant and helpful.
