Providing great customer service isn’t just a matter of showing up and answering questions. Customer service means putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, and anticipating and exceeding their expectations.
Here are three easy ways to up your customer service game.
Know the Product
Whether you’re responsible for selling or solving tech problems, one of the best ways to improve your customer service is to learn the product inside and out. The more you know, the better you will able to help your customers, from suggesting useful upgrades to teaching them to use features to troubleshooting anything that goes wrong.
It’s also important to find a way to be excited about the product, even if it’s something you don’t personally use. Talk to coworkers who love the item, or that guy who’s always first in line to buy the latest iteration. Read reviews to learn which features people use most. The product may not be right for you, but it’s clearly right for someone. Your job is to find out why.
Don’t Take Things Personally
Customer service reps act as the face of the company. That means that when things aren’t working right, you’re the one who hears about it. When dealing with an angry or upset customer, remember that they’re not mad at you. They paid money for something that didn’t work out as expected, and that’s why they’re upset. When you don’t take their complaints personally, it becomes easier to empathize with their feelings and come up with solutions to fix their problem.
Use Creative Problem-Solving Skills
The best customer service reps are good at thinking outside the box to help a customer. Put yourself in their position to figure out what they need and what you can do to help. Can you expedite a replacement for that misdelivered game system? Can you retrieve those vacation photos from the customer’s broken phone? Listen carefully to the customer to find out what the most important issue is, and then try to find a way to resolve it.
Customer service is a tough job. But if you know your product, refrain from taking complaints personally, and think outside the box, you will be well on your way to boosting your customer service skills.
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