8 Skills Every Customer Support Rockstar Must Have
Customer service or customer support is a key aspect of both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) businesses or enterprises. The end goal of these kinds of ventures is always consumer satisfaction; most businesses actually depend on this to be successful. Customer service is the support you provide during your customers’ journeys—both before and after they purchase and use your products or service. This practice helps to ensure the highest customer satisfaction score (CSAT).
As a customer support manager or representative in today’s business economy, your responsibilities extend far beyond answering customer phone calls. Customer support has expanded into the realms of email, web chats, text messages, social media messaging, site-hosted support channels, self-service support for customers, and all interactive media through which the questions, concerns, and complaints of your customers can be addressed expeditiously.
Besides ensuring consumer satisfaction, customer support also steadily facilitates customer retention and business growth. Having a secure and efficient customer support helpdesk is also an element that helps to keep you ahead of the competition in your stated industry.
So how do you know that you are cut out for the job of a customer support rep? Or if you are a business owner or manager, how can you recognize candidates that will make the best fit into your customer support team? Well first, you must understand what the abilities of an excellent customer support rep are before you can be one or spot one.
Here are 8 skills every customer support rockstar must have. Scroll down!
1. Listening Skills
The ability to pay attention to what your customer is saying and understand their requirements is a crucial skill in customer support. There is a popular saying that goes, “nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.” Thus, having great listening skills is the first step towards satisfactory communication with your clients.
Avoid interrupting customers when they speak except to confirm that you are following their statements. Avoid distractions as well; if a client senses that your full attention is not on their situation, they will be less likely to trust your competence.
2. Communication Skills
This applies to both written and verbal communication. It also pertains to communication with customers and liaising with other departments in your organization to meet consumer demands. Effective communication skills allow you to inform, help, and advise customers clearly and efficiently when they require customer support. To be able to achieve this kind of communication, you need to come across as confident, be patient with clients that reach out, be polite at all times, and exercise a good amount of tact and diplomacy, especially when dealing with difficult situations.
A few key tips to communicate effectively:
· Listen attentively
· Always be respectful
· Always be compassionate towards your client’s dilemma
· Ask questions where necessary
· Avoid getting argumentative or defensive
· Always maintain strict confidence in your correspondences
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3. Problem-solving Skills
This goes hand in hand with an ability to work well under pressure. When difficult situations arise, you must be able to respond appropriately and gracefully. Once you have offered a customer a solution to a problem, you must always follow through to ensure that the problem has been resolved. Never give a client a solution without following up.
Also, if the mistake happens to be on the part of the company or the client has to wait some time before the problem is resolved, a good technique to avoid losing the customer is to offer them an attractive incentive to keep them loyal to the brand. For example, free shipping on their next order or a coupon code for a discount on their next purchase.
4. Motivational Skills
This set of skills is especially important if you are a customer support manager or leader. You must have the ability to supervise and lead a team of customer service representatives towards achieving all the organization’s customer satisfaction goals.
5. Organizational and Planning Skills
These are needed to be able to develop successful customer support policies for your customer support team. You also need creative skills to brainstorm new ideas that will increase customer service standards. Communication skills also apply heavily in this aspect, as you must be able to effectually communicate these policies with your customer support reps, other departments, and the management of the organization so that everyone is on board with your objectives.
6. Good Personal Presentation
If you ever meet face-to-face with clients while working as a customer support rep, you have to look professional and proficient. The way you dress is the way you are addressed, therefore, your personal appearance must be impeccable in order for your first impression to be too. And remember, the best outfit you will ever wear is your confidence!
7. Commitment to Improve
If you want to be a customer support rockstar, you must have a passion for consumer satisfaction. This passion is exhibited through continuously enhancing your customer support skills and company policies. Take courses, practice good support methods, keep abreast of trends, stay up-to-date on your company’s products and/or services, and always be solutions-focused.
8. Work Experience
Looking for a job in customer service? Or looking to climb up your career ladder in the customer support industry? Well, the competition in this industry lies in who has the most experience working with customers.
Thus, any time a useful opportunity to add to your work experience springs up, grab it with both hands. You can also understudy with customer support managers in different settings to build on your work experience and discover which type of organization you will thrive in best as a customer support rep.