Working in customer service can be a trying experience. Many times when people seek your assistance, it’s because something has gone wrong. Understandably, your customers will be upset or frustrated. It’s your job not only to remedy the situation, but to reassure them. Here are a few tips to help you go above and beyond to help your customers:
1. Know Your Stuff
You’re the expert here. When a customer contacts your company, they expect to reach someone who knows procedure inside and out. If you’re first starting out, you might not be as knowledgeable as you like, and that’s to be expected. Make sure you know your resources, such as available job aids, procedural references, or even a more tenured employee to contact for help. Study procedures when you can and keep up to date on any changes so you can assist a customer well and quickly.
2. Empathize with the Customer
Most of the time, upset customers just want to know that their frustrations are heard. You can let them know their problems are important by empathizing. It’s really as simple as apologizing for the situation. Of course it might not be your fault personally—the cause might be a processing error, or a cut-off time, or a mistake made in another department. But to the customer, it’s all the same: they have an issue with your company, and your company needs to fix it. To let them know you understand how this problem has affected them, you can say something like, “I’m sorry to hear that,” or “I apologize for the situation.” This will make the customer feel you’re taking responsibility for the issue, and can go a long way to calming them down.
3. Listen to the Customer’s Needs
As a customer service representative, you’re an expert in your field. You know how to offer solutions and if you’ve been with the company a while, you’re probably familiar with recurring issues. But that doesn’t mean that you can assume you know what the customer needs. It’s important to listen to the customer to determine the root of the issue. You may have to ask probing questions to clarify, or the customer may just need to vent. Listening to a customer is also an important part of empathy, so you want to make sure you don’t talk over the customer. Just giving the customer space to talk can build a relationship with them, and calm them as you try to help.
Though working in customer service can be difficult, your efforts are integral to a company’s success. To customers, you’re the face of the company, and when you offer them excellent service, they’re likely to remember your company for future needs.