Customer service is a crucial job for any company that wants to ensure customer satisfaction. However, it is not the easiest job and the customer service representative can be under a lot of pressure. To ensure its success, the representatives need to possess a set of skills that will help them address customer needs and give them a positive experience.
When hiring a customer service representative or team, you must know what skills to look out for to boost your company’s performance. While your reasons and requirements for hiring a customer service are subjective, these skills are valued in general and are often a requisite in this kind of field.
Here are essential skills to look out for when hiring a customer service representative.
1. Optimism
Hiring someone who is naturally enthusiastic is a big advantage to the team. Customer service can be a stressful field, so having someone optimistic can ensure success in customer service, management, and sales.
This is because they are in a jolly disposition, so they’re inclined to lean on a positive outlook, thus resulting in more success. They’re also a great influence, affecting other members’ moods and uplifting the vibe in a room towards a happier environment.
2. Good Communication Skills
Being a good communicator is one of the most important skills a customer representative should have. While this may seem obvious, it is surprising how many customer service representatives have poor communication skills. Your customer service team may have other skills, but they need clear communication skills to become successful in this field.
Great communication can be tested in verbal and written form, so scoring high on both is valuable. Although verbal skills are often sought after more, writing skills are equally important and are even correlated to verbal skills.
You will need representatives that can communicate in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. They should know how to answer questions and respond promptly to ensure 100% customer satisfaction.
3. Compassion/Empathy
Compassion is needed in this field as customer representatives should be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes. Being compassionate can go a long way not only when dealing with customers but even with team members too.
This is the ability to wish the best for everyone without getting too affected by their misery – a skill that can be developed over time. If one is naturally compassionate already, he or she can immediately empathize with customer pleas despite their irate nature.
4. Patience
Being able to withstand unpleasant situations and retain a calm demeanor is a vital skill for any customer representative. Patience is a skill that can be practiced. It’s the ability to tolerate problems or delays without being anxious and annoyed.
Look out for someone who can work under pressure and can maintain a calm voice even when the customer is difficult to deal with. To make things go smoothly, the customer representative should combine patience with a friendly and productive attitude.
5. Great Stress Management
Customer service can at times be a stressful field and draining and requires one who knows how to maintain a positive attitude. As part of their job, customer representatives may deal with difficult questions and can experience unhappy clients that may need them to repeat instructions severally.
So, aside from providing stress-relieving activities, make sure you’re also hiring someone who understands how important mental health is. Ask what they do to relieve and manage pressure and know what their level of understanding is when it comes to workplace burnout and stress.
6. Flexibility
Hiring someone who can adapt easily is appreciated in a fast-paced environment. It can get really busy where multitasking and this is where flexibility comes in handy.
Flexibility makes it possible to handle multiple clients or juggle several calls at the same time requires. This also calls for focus and organization skills. Find someone who can handle a lot of tasks while still accurately completing each with laser-like focus and flexibility.
7. Charismatic
Charisma is another skill that you can look for when hiring a customer service agent. While some are already naturally charismatic, it is a skill that can be enhanced over time.
You’ll know if a person is charismatic when they express presence, power, and warmth when handling situations. Look for someone with a strong presence and will make your customers feel like they are being listened to.
A powerful customer service representative will assure the customers that they can confidently take care of their issues. Lastly, they need warmth that conveys compassion and lets the customers feel that they’re being emphasized.
8. Knowledgeable
A good customer service representative must be knowledgeable of the brand and its products. The agent should have at least a background of what your company is about so they can answer any questions that customers may have.
Nevertheless, deep knowledge can be acquired through experience. Hence, you must seek someone willing to understand the services and products of your company. Similarly, technical knowledge is important to help them solve the issues at hand. This involves knowing how the product works, common customer issues, and shortcomings.
Conclusion
These are just some of the most sought-after skills in the customer service field. If you’re looking to hire customer representatives, see if these skills are mostly present in your potential agents, and you’ll be assured that your business will be in a brighter future. While these skills are truly valuable, you must invest in their training as well.