Top 8 Characteristics of Excellent Customer Service and How to Develop them

Customer service is the act of providing support to both prospective and existing customers. Customer service professionals commonly answer customer questions through in-person, phone, email, chat, and social media interactions and may also be responsible for creating documentation for self-service support.

It does not matter how great your product is; if your customer service is poor, people will complain about it, hence, you will lose customers. Customer service employees need to have some specific characteristics, both personality traits, and skills.

Here are the top 8 characteristics of excellent customer service and how to develop it.

Patience 

Patience is crucial for customer service professionals. Therefore, it is a vital trait for every customer representative. Customers who reach out to support are often confused and frustrated. Being listened to and handled with patience goes a long way in helping customers feel like you are going to alleviate their current frustrations.

Closing out interactions with customers as quickly as possible is not enough. Your team has to be willing to take the time to listen to and fully understand each customer’s problems and needs.

Humility 

There are times during offering customer service that a company or the service provider is at fault. There are also times when customer service executives have to say “NO” to a client. Sometimes, customers get angry without any fault on the company’s end.

For all these times and more, the first thing a customer executive need to be in their responses is ‘humble.’ It takes humility to write a clear response; whether it’s admitting a mistake or simply saying that the client’s request can’t be worked out that empathizes with the customers and doesn’t offend them.

Emotional intelligence

A customer service professional interacts with tens if not hundreds of users each day. Each support interaction happens at a different emotional wavelength and frequency. An excellent customer service representative knows how to relate to anybody, but they are especially good with frustrated people. Rather than taking things personally, they intuitively understand where the other person is coming from; and they know how to prioritize and swiftly communicate with empathy.

Representatives who have sound emotional intelligence can easily adjust to all the different emotional states of the customers; and fine-tune their responses accordingly. Emotionally intelligent employees are also more empathetic, thoughtful, thorough, and tactful among other things. They are great at active listening too which is another very desirable customer service skill.

Attentiveness 

It doesn’t matter whether you are interviewing candidates for a chat, email, or phone support role, good listening is an indispensable skill. The ability to truly listen to customers is crucial to providing great service for several reasons. Not only is it important to pay attention to individual customers’ experiences; but it’s also important to be mindful and attentive to the feedback that you receive at large. 

Active listening means trying to do more than just hearing (or reading) to understand what someone is trying to put across. Representatives who are good listeners get things done naturally. And because they understand the problem well, they generally offer better and faster resolutions. 

Professionalism 

An employee with great customer skills remains professional at all times to avoid damaging the company image or corporate reputation. It can be difficult to avoid taking negative comments personally, but maintaining calm and professional behaviour can defuse tense customers and potentially preserve the relationship.

Communication 

Above everything, great customer service is all about great communication. Therefore, employees who have good communication skills can always respond in an effective and personal manner, no matter what a customer contacts them about.

Communication skills include four different areas: thinking, listening, speaking, and nonverbal communication. Whether writing, speaking, or using computers, communication skills are essential in virtually any job; improving these skills is vital to becoming a successful employee.

It’s especially important when trying to communicate ideas to improve your company’s performance. Your good ideas won’t help anyone, or your career, if you can’t deliver them effectively.

Time management

Time management is another of the key characteristics of customer service employees who are excellent at their jobs. A good customer service professional is good at time management planning; hence, uses their time more responsibly. A good representative who manages time well will not just respond to tasks on the list, but also allocate time to their other job duties.

Appreciation 

A simple “thank you” can go a long way when providing customer service. Customers often remember sincere gratitude, and it reminds them why they hired your company or stopped at your store. Therefore, saying thank you after every transaction is an easy way to provide excellent customer service. 

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