Customer Service Jobs: Improve Your Skills
We’ve talked about whether customer service is a thing of the past – now let’s talk about ways we can improve our own customer service job skills.
Statistics say that 68% of customers stop patronizing a company because of perceived poor service. That number is incredibly high, especially considering consumers are being far more selective with their spending habits these days.
Each of us reading this post can relate; we’ve all had an interaction where we felt we were not given excellent service. We all know what bad service is – but will we know when we receive outstanding service?
It takes a certain set of traits to be successful in a customer service job. People who have customer service
jobs are more successful if they are:
} Friendly
} Attentive
} Eager to please
} Knowledgeable
} Optimistic
} Diligent
} Able to understand
} Creatively helpful
} Upbeat
} Solution oriented
} Honest & fair
} Empathetic
} Quick
} Efficient
} Professional
Do you have a customer service job? How many of these traits do you possess?
There are 3 basic elements of success at customer service jobs. They are:
1. Expanding our definition of service by learning what a customer service job truly entails.
2. Reconsidering who our customers are and keeping our co-workers, supervisors and other staff in mind. If we stop at the people who buy our products and services, we’re only seeing part of the picture in a customer service job.
3. Developing a customer-friendly attitude by integrating the right characteristics in our own customer service jobs.
Let’s talk about ways to expand our definition of service in customer service jobs. Remember that narrow definition can only lead to limited service. Customer service jobs require you to:
} Think “out of the box”
} Anticipate the unexpected
} Develop the ability to think on your feet and offer options and alternatives
} Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!!!
Understand that customers should never be thought of as interruptions. They are part of your day. If you anticipate having to deal with problems, it becomes a normal focus of your job. However, if you limit your definition of service you will feel put out whenever an unusual request comes in.
If you are in a customer service job, put yourself in the right frame of mind. Leave all your personal baggage at the door and remember how you feel when you are not given good service.
When you are up to your eyeballs in paperwork, have messages up the wazzoo and have several overdue reports, keep reminding yourself that service is the key word in your customer service job.
Until next time, think of one way you can expand your definition of ‘customer service job’ and leave a comment below.
Blog by Catherine Palmiere, President
Adam Personnel, Inc.
CPalmiere@AdamPersonnel.com
(212)557-9150 ext. 208