CustomerServicelesson.docx

The Importance of Customer Service Skills

In modern times, the customer service team’s role has grown in significance and can be an integral team as members of the greater sales organization. Let’s look at a few customer service skills and expertise that can lead to improved sales results.

Communication Expertise

· Communication skills are imperative for any role in sales, but for customer service, it is an even greater asset. A customer service professional spends a great deal of their workday communicating. They typically communicate with sales and the customer, but they may also need to speak with operations, logistics, accounting or finance as well. Being well versed in various communications will make the job easier and more effective. Personal communication, as well as written communication, is important. Ideally, the communication needs to be honest and persuasive at the same time.
· Communication is a two-way dynamic; therefore, it is also important for customer service professionals to be active and strong listeners with the ability to understand another person’s perspective quickly. This skill also includes patience, attentiveness and self-control.

Psychological Expertise

· Part of the customer service role is dealing with unhappy, dissatisfied or angry customers. The customer service expert needs to be able to assess the situation and be empathetic while also being able to communicate effectively to help diffuse a situation to work toward an effective solution to a problem.
· As part of the psychological aspect, it is important for a customer service professional to be able to assess the customer’s dissatisfaction and take ownership of the issue without feeling personally attacked or that it is “their fault.” The balance between feeling responsible but not feeling like it’s your own personal failure is a never-ending dance.

Problem Solving Skills

· At the end of the day, the communication and the psychological aspects both come into use as a customer service professional works toward solving a problem. Maybe a deadline has not been met, or an application update has a bug in it or the truckload of product for an in-store promotion was in an accident. These occurrences happen every day, so having the ability to create a solution that works for the customer and the sales group is an art form that is honed with practice and professionalism.

Sales Management Support

These three skills are just part of what can increase the effectiveness of the sales team. It is also important to look at the leadership from sales to understand how they can support the customer service team in reaching goals and maximizing the skills they have.
Sales management can offer support in many ways:
· Provide consistent and frequent training on the product or service to the customer service team.
· Promote the idea that customer service is an extension of the sales group to internal stakeholders as well as the customer.
· Involve customer service leaders and management early in the sales process so that they can take ownership and responsibility and so they can also offer their insights and expertise.
· Encourage the customer service team to be knowledgeable and feel empowered so that they may add to the consultative approach of sales.

Summary

While customer service roles are plentiful, not everyone is good at it or enjoys the role. Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos and a leadership example of the importance of customer service, has been interviewed countless times on the topic. He often highlights that Zappos, after training in a new customer service representative, offers the new hire the chance to “opt out” of the job and is even offered compensation for making that choice. Zappos, and therefore Hsieh, have learned that the cost of having an unhappy and ineffective customer service person is much higher than paying someone to elect to not take a customer service job. Having the right skills and the desire to do well is the winning combination.