As consumers, it is a well-known fact that no matter how fantastic a product is, the interaction and overall experience with the business will affect how we see your company. Whether it’s b2b or customer facing, your team and how to deliver your services is of the prime importance to your success. If you are looking to improve your team’s service quality, then read on through this customer service guide.
Key Qualities to Assure Quality Connections
Every person is different and can achieve their work targets through different methods while also getting along with people having different personalities. Yet, there are several key qualities that consumers want and need from service industry staff:
Communication Skills
Whether it is written or verbal, it is of the utmost importance that your customers understand you. Be clear and concise with everything you communicate. Also, don’t leave things out. Too many employees miss out key pieces of information during a sale or service and the customer ends up unhappy as they feel they have been misled or neglected. Speak to your customers with confidence.
Knowledge in the Product
There is nothing worse than a staff member who doesn’t know what they are talking about. Except for new starts in training, there is no excuse to not knowing everything about your products. If there is a hierarchy of authority that determines who can deal with what, you should be familiar with the chain of command. This means that when a customer requires something you are unable to help them with you can give them the name and contact immediately.
Flexibility
Just like employees, every customer is different. Working within the service industry requires you to be able to deal with people’s moods and adapt accordingly. Dealing well with surprises is a key quality in any job as it means you can think quickly and find solutions as well.
Handle Your Emotions
You will know the old saying “the customer is always right” if you work in the service industry. You will also know this is what we tell the customer but really it isn’t true at all. If you have great staff then they will know your products and processes way better than your customers. However, there is always going to be challengers who want to tell you how to do your job or complain, or simply be rude and expect to suffer no consequences. Accepting blame or negative feedback is crucial when working in the service industry. Although, there are limits to what treatment you should take from a customer. If you ever feel threatened or harassed it is best to speak with your manager immediately instead of trying to handle it yourself.
