Delivering top-notch customer service is not always easy. In fact, it can be somewhat stressful at times. Here are some tips to help improve your customer service:
- Listen. The most important skill a customer service representative can develop listening. Most customers do not want to listen, they want to talk and get their point across. A good way to enforce your listening skills to your customer is to repeat back what they said. This shows you are really listening.
- Be Professional. Always remember that you are representing your entire company. If it isn’t something your company president would say, most likely it isn’t something you should say either.
- Apologize. It’s easy to get defensive when a customer is criticizing your product or company, but it is essential for you to remain calm. Whether the company was at fault or not, simply saying, “I’m sorry you’ve been having problems” can work wonders in calming a customer.
- Stand your ground with abusive customers. If a customer is being rude, abusive, and/or threatening you, you do not have to put up with it. First try telling the customer, “We will be unable to continue this conversation unless you can do so in a civil, reasonable manner.” If that doesn’t work, transfer the call to a supervisor or manager or, if the customer is simply out of control, tell them, “I am going to hang up. Please call back when you are ready to discuss this in a reasonable manner,” and discontinue the call.
Anyone can give good customer service, but companies that truly care and want to keep their customers, commit to giving GREAT customer service! What’s your trick of the trade for providing great customer service?
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