No business can survive without customers, that's why companies spend millions annually on advertising their products and services. While considering the fact that you need to publicise your business in order to gain new customers, having a good customer retention skill is also necessary for the growth of every business venture.
What are customer service skills?
Maintaining your old customers is as important as gaining new ones, that't why you need to understand the basic customer service skills as a business owner.The way your staff treats your customers will determine whether they return to your company or move over to your competitors.
Customer service skills can be defined as the way customer representatives relate with the customers. Business ventures use customer representatives to answer customers' questions, handle technical problems, collect payments or carry out other related services.
The representatives usually take questions or discuss issues by phone, email or even in person, depending on the type of business environment in which they work.
Essential Customer Service Skills
There are certain essential customer service skills that help in the growth of every business venture. Displaying these characters will make your customers know that you really care for them and would do anything to guarantee their satisfaction.Some essential customer service skills include:
• Professionalism
Your ability to make a good impression with customers is one of the essential skills you need to possess as a customer representative. You should be able to project a professional image, both in the way you dress and act.In addition, you should be courteous to customers, handling their questions and issues in an easy-going manner while demonstrating a keen knowledge of the company's products/services.
• Problem solving
As a customer representative, you should understand your company's products/services and be able to guide customers through some things.Take for example, when you contact the Airtel customer care for an issue, they politely tell you to exercise some patience while finding the best solutions to your problems.
A good customer care should not always refer customers' questions to other people, they should acquire basic knowledge about the company's products and services
• Empathy
Empathy is the ability to feel or understand what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. In other words, it is means one placing himself/herself in another person's position.It is another important skill every customer care must possess. When a customer comes complaining that she didn't receive the product, don't start shouting that you have already sent it, instead, calm down to sort out the reasons behind the product not arriving on the specified date.
• Patience
This is also another basic skill you should possess. You'll regularly meet frustrated customers in the course of working as a customer service personal.Avoid nagging at the customers, rather calm down to understand the reasons behind their ordeal and work towards providing a solution.
• Communication skills
Customer service skills also include the ability to communicate well with customers. Many foreign companies prefer employing bilingual customer service personals.In a country like Nigeria, knowing how to speak the 3 native languages can be an added advantage. You can also communicate with customers with Pidgin if that's what they speak better.
• Listening skills
This goes in line with the communication skill. One of the characteristics of a good customer service personal is being a good listener.Your ability to hear and understand a customer's complaint will determine how far you go in your job. It is always best to listen to a speaker without interrupting.
• Confidence
Speaking and acting confidently while interacting with your customer is a must as a customer service personal. Do you know that your customers can easily spot a lack of confidence from a mile away?Try as much as possible to avoid jumbling your words or fidgeting when speaking with your customers.
Thanks for reading along, what did we miss? Don't hesitate in dropping as comment below.
Also check out these 7 powerful and superb marketing ideas to attract new customers.
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