“The customer is king” – unknown.
You might have come across this phrase in all kinds of small and big shops and retail stores. Customer is king and the customer is always right are generally two of the main guiding principles over which the entire customer service industry depends. To attain customer satisfaction is the only motive of any service industry. The customer service sector tries to achieve high levels of customer gratification through their set of strict rules and regulations. With a greater stability and available liquidity in world economy, the service and related industries have grown by leaps and bounds. The continuous growth of the service industry has also given rise to abundant opportunities for young service-oriented aspirants. But, the irony is that not everyone can excel in these promising careers provided by the service sector. There are a set of skills which a person should master in order to thrive in this particular economic sector. Here is the answer to the question, what are customer service skills? Go through the craft properly with tips from this article and give yourself a superb entry into the sector.
What Are Customer Service Skills
Language Skills
An employee of a service sector should have good communicative skills and their language should be free of grammatical errors. It is the basics of English grammar that one in the service industry needs to know and utilize while dealing with his/her clients. The most important aspect about spoken language that should be kept in mind is the ability to frame correct sentences and use of correct word order. In order to improve your skills at spoken English, try and get involved in more and more conversations, try and catch up with English bulletins and talk-shows. These steps taken by you will surely improve your communication skills.
Vocabulary
Another basic skill that an employee from the service sector should have is a decent enough vocabulary. Customer service executives need to interact with customers; they will have to come up with impressive and convincing, clear product descriptions, etc. on the job. In order to perform all these duties effectively, the employee needs to be aware of product related jargon and terminology.
Pronunciation
An employee in the customer service industry should also be good in pronunciation and diction, to keep the conversation with the customer smooth and clear. As a part of the service industry, s/he should be able to articulate well while speaking. That includes rhythm and modulations, stress on the right word while speaking, etc. There are many institutes that can help you with spoken English, voice modulation and your accent.
Tone
In a cheerful and positive tone is what an employee in the customer service industry is expected to speak. A positive and welcoming tone is important to make customers and relate to them in a way that they would like to involve themselves in a long lasting relationship with you. Your tone can also convey a lot of negative emotions if not monitored and trained in a positive way. Your tone should be full of empathy and concern for your customer and never one of anger or irritation.
Listening Skills
Good listening skills are something without which you cannot survive in the customer service industry. You should be a good listener in order to understand the ideas of the customer you converse with. A good listener will be able to grasp the right issue and provide solutions for the correct problem. There will be no miscommunications or misunderstandings between the customer and the employee if the latter is a good listener.
Problem-Solving Skills
You need to be honest, committed and positive towards your job. You should have the capability and the intention to solve any problem that your customer faces with regard to the product or the service provided. You need to be able enough to give out the right solution for your customer.
Flexibility
You can’t afford to be rigid being in a service industry. Change and adaptability is the key to success for any service industry, which no employee can afford to avoid. You need to adapt and accept the new need of your customer and try and include them all in the service which you provide. Remember it is the feedback and suggestions from your customer that will help you become more effective and accurate. Therefore, it is important for you to welcome changes.
Initiative And Pro-Activeness
Learn taking up an initiative and become pro-active if you wish to grow in the service industry. Develop your skills in such a way that you are able to grasp in advance the pros and cons of a particular action of yours, so that you are prepared with answers. You should be brave enough to accept and apologize for your mistakes rather than try and hide behind the policies of your company.
Professionalism
Being an employee from the service industry, professionalism should reflect from all aspects of your personality. Respect your co-workers, subordinates, superiors and more importantly your customers. Demonstrate confidence and certainty in your gestures and conversation. Being direct and expressive will also help you in developing a long term relationship with your customers.
