Customer service (Part 2)

Filed by Hannah Green

© Picstudio/Dreamstime.com

Good, thorough training in customer service skills is absolutely essential. If you work for a company that has given you good training, then the following recommendations will probably reinforce what you already know.

After a couple of really difficult encounters, it’s important to let go of some of your own emotionsImpact Factory

If you haven’t had top-notch training, then you need to put some pressure on the powers that be to support the customer service area by ensuring it has the right skills and tools so that you can all do your jobs better.

Be well-versed in customer care

Here’s a list of what we consider essential tools for your customer care kit:

• Introduce yourself, whether you’re face to face or on the phone. Say your name really clearly and ask for their name, too.
• Remember, whatever the problem, customer relations means just that. It’s a two-way relationship no matter how lopsided it feels.
• Listen carefully and make notes about the problem. Reflect what you’ve heard so that the other person knows that you understood what they were saying.
• Acknowledge how they feel (‘I can hear/see you’re really angry/upset etc’).
• Although difficult, avoid becoming defensive. If you find yourself becoming defensive, apologise.
• Use their name when appropriate, not in parrot fashion.
• Have a real conversation rather than just running through a script. Scripts sound false and don’t communicate any of your human side.
• Make offers by coming up with a few solutions for them to choose from, instead of boxing them in with a ‘take it or leave it’ situation.
• ‘Own’ the customer. A lot of companies use this phrase and if they mean it, it’s a good one. It means you’re taking responsibility for the person in front of you or on the other end of the phone, letter or email, rather than trying to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Keeping your cool

You must also remember to take care of yourself. After a couple of really difficult encounters, it’s important to let go of some of your own emotions. We suggest simple things such as offloading to a colleague or your supervisor, going for a short walk, drinking some water, jumping up and down or doing some stretching exercises.

This isn’t just for your sake, but also so that you will avoid taking out your own frustrations on the next person you have to deal with, whether they turn out to be tricky or not.

Outstanding customer service really is about exceeding the customer’s expectations and keeping your own dignity at the same time. We once worked with a client who said that they wanted to ‘delight their customers’ and we thought that was a wonderful phrase to describe the ideal customer relationship.

After all, generally speaking, if a customer has a problem, and you deal with it with real care and grace, you’ll have a customer for life.

For more information about Impact Factory’s customer service work you can visit their website or contact them by email.