Providing outstanding customer service naturally starts from finding and hiring the right employees for your customer support team. While perfection can hardly ever be achieved – some people just happen to possess the qualities that make them more suited for the role of a customer service representative, while others simply don’t. Before we jump into exploring what makes a fantastic customer service employee, here are the key questions you should ask before hunting for a perfect support agent: What is the ideal support personality for YOUR company culture? What hard skills are absolutely necessary for the job? What soft skills are ‘must-have’ and desirable to have? What exactly will the agent be responsible for? Having those questions answered in detail will give you a better understanding of what you should be looking for in your ideal candidate. But beyond that, there are certain characteristics and qualities that set excellent customer service employees apart.
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10 ‘Must-have’ Skills for Being Awesome at Customer Service
When it comes to providing outstanding customer service, it’s the people who make all the difference. While it certainly takes time, training, practice and dedication to become a rockstar in customer service, it doesn’t have to be that hard when you know where exactly to focus your efforts on. Here’s the list of 10 must-have soft skills that matter most and that everyone involved in customer service should master and use in their daily interactions with customers. # 1 Effective Listening Listening is the key to effective communication. Without the ability to listen carefully to what a customer is saying, a message could be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. As a result, communication breaks down leaving a customer frustrated. Listening isn’t just about hearing. A good listener will not only listen to what is being said, but also what is left unsaid or partially said. Luckily, if your listening skills are weak, there are certain techniques for improving them.
Continue readingHow to Hire Live Chat Agents Who Delight Your Customers
In a fast-paced world where convenience is prized above all else, it’s not surprising customers appreciate communicating via live chat. In fact, according to the Zendesk Benchmark report, live chat has the highest satisfaction level for any customer service channel. A live chat channel provides clients access to warm, friendly customer support without having to pick up the telephone. As such, all replies must be as accurate, concise, and helpful as possible. So how can you increase your chances of hiring live chat agents who exemplify these qualities and delight your customers? It all starts with identifying the skills necessary to succeed in the role.
Continue readingAre You Fit for a Customer Service Job?
Many people consider customer service an easy job. However, a lot of young people who took on a customer service position as a start of their career surprisingly find out that it is actually a hard work. So many different skills and a good understanding of human psychology are needed to become successful in it. What does it mean to be successful in customer service? It means that you are able to make every customer happy and that you enjoy your work yourself. In the wide range of skills and qualities that a good customer service agent is expected to have, how to identify the most important ones? What makes up the core of a customer service professional? If you are questioning whether customer service is the right job for you, read on.
Continue readingTop 20 Customer Service Soft Skills to Master (Infographic)
Today’s customer service involves more than a conversation face-to-face or on the phone. Email, live chat and social media have become important channels for consumers to engage with brands and seek for customer support. No matter how customer service is given to consumers, soft skills are essential for a successful customer service interaction. In fact, soft skills are even more significant than technical skills as at the end of the day what your customers will remember is how they felt about your service. It’s the soft skills that make the difference between an average customer service professional and the one who can make customers feel fantastic about the help they got from your company.
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