5 Key Customer Service Skills and 

How to Develop Them

Above and beyond customer service leaves customers satisfied and impressed. 

Customer service is essential for many clients in determining their overall satisfaction with your company. Most customers have little patience for poor customer service.

Customers with a bad customer service experience are more likely to leave than those unhappy with prices. That’s a primary reason why 89% of consumers switched to a competitor after a poor customer experience. 

Customer retention saves your company money. Repeat customers spend more and in larger amounts while also bringing in more customers. Customer service is at the forefront of keeping customers happy and coming back for more. Providing top-notch customer service is imperative for the success of your business. 

Check out the qualities that make for great customer service. 

1. Customer service skill: positivity

Often, customer service representatives are dealing with angry customers.

It’s important for them to keep a positive spin on the situation while not being insensitive to the customer’s emotional state. 

Being aware of the customer’s emotions is a key part of empathy. 

2. Customer service skill: empathy

Consumers use emotions over information when evaluating companies. 

Therefore, customer service should focus on the emotions of the customer. This begins by being able to perceive these emotions and then meeting the customer’s emotional needs. Ultimately, the customer is going to take away how they felt during the encounter. Make sure it’s a positive experience! 

This task of guiding the customer’s emotions is greatly aided by clear communication. 

3. Customer service skill: effective communication

33% of clients say the most important skill a customer service representative can have is efficiently answering questions.

Unclear communication and an inability to clearly answer customer questions escalate the situation, turning dissatisfied customers into angry ones. 

Speaking isn’t the only form of communication. Written skills are important as well. Although often underlooked, writing within customer service can be more challenging because it’s harder to convey a tone. An email taken the wrong way will further aggravate the customer. 

One effective way to avoid aggravating customers is by responding in a timely manner. 

4. Customer service skill: timeliness 

The quicker you respond, the better. 

Of online consumers, 71% expect to be helped within five minutes, and 31% will go elsewhere if help isn’t immediately provided. Being available to quickly help customers is an important aspect of great customer service. 

It’s also important to streamline your methods because the more time you spend on one customer, the later you’ll be able to address another’s needs. Therefore, find the balance between being attentive and listening to the customer’s needs while moving things along in a timely fashion. Being tech-savvy and able to use the programs within your company can go a long way in speeding up the process. 

Having a genuine work ethic will speed up the process as well. 

5. Customer service skill: work ethic

A strong work ethic is important in any role, especially in customer service. 

Going above and beyond to meet customers’ needs will help your business stand out positively, building loyalty and trust. 

How to Develop Quality Customer Service Representatives

Quality customer service primarily comes down to hiring the right people who naturally possess the above qualities. However, there are specific actions your business can take to develop quality customer service representatives. 

1. Provide customer service training 

Customer service training can take many forms, such as a formal course, online resources, or a mentor/coach. 

Whatever form the training occurs, it should be effective. Your customer service representatives should feel confident in addressing various customer needs. Your employee should feel comfortable with company knowledge, knowing the buying process and your product/service. Learning all the ins and outs can take time, depending on the company. This is why employee retention is important. 

If your employee doesn’t know the answer to the customer’s inquiry, they should be able to get the customer to someone who can. 

2. Have a clear customer service pathway

If the customer service representative can’t answer the question, it’s imperative the next person in the chain can. 

Customers hate having to repeat themselves over and over to multiple people within the same company. The fewer people they need to talk to and the faster the problem can be resolved, the happier the customer is. 

It’s okay if the employee doesn’t know the answer to a question. Learning how to say, “I don’t know, but I know someone who does,” will help keep customers satisfied. 

3. Thank the customer 

Every customer complaint indicates about 26 other unhappy customers who remained silent.

Many unhappy silent customers leave. 91% of the 96% of unhappy customers who don’t complain will leave and never come 

Therefore, although it may be unpleasant to be on the receiving end of an unsatisfied customer, ultimately, the customer is doing you a service. They are pointing out a problem that has affected many others. Now, you can fix the problem and retain customers. 

After the altercation, consider sending the customer a thank you card for their feedback. This will further help your company get back on good terms with the customer while also elevating your business in the customer’s eyes. Perhaps provide a personal discount for the customer to further share your appreciation for their input. 

We’re here to help you satisfy your customers by printing marketing materials your customers enjoy. For all your printing needs, including thank you cards, we’ve got you and your customers covered! Call 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO:www.printcafeli.com

 

 Be the Best at Customer Service

We all work in customer service to some extent…it just depends on who the customer is.

If you’re in an office, it’s your boss who is the customer. If you’re in retail, it’s the shopper who is the customer. And the list continues. So, it bears repeating that customer service is important.

Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that our customer service skills could be honed a little bit. Or, maybe you have a new employee who doesn’t see how valuable good customer service is. Well, either way, here are a few ways to brush up on your customer service.

The Importance of Caring for Your Customers

Customer service, or customer care, is vital to us all.

It’s the difference between keeping and losing customers to the competition. One wrong move, and we might lose a valuable customer.

Customer service is how we respond to customers, and it entails a lot of duties. It’s not just how we answer the phone. It’s how we help them when they return items or when we explain policies to them. It’s also when we give deadlines or wait times.

Did you know that acquiring new customers is more expensive than keeping the ones you have?

That’s why customer service needs to be top-notch. It can’t be emphasized enough.

Customers want personalized service, and they will typically pay more for it. If your product is more expensive than the competition, but you have an outstanding customer care program, with engaging employees, you will be more likely to charge more for the same product or service. That’s how important good customer service is.

7 Customer Service Tips from the Pros

1. Greet customers by name.

Learn their names and impress them when they walk into your place of business.

2. Keep notes.

Keep a book with notes on your customers, so you remember things they told you, such as a significant event or date. Then be sure to ask about it the next time they come in.

3. Support each other.

Allow employees to share their frustrations. This will help prevent burnout and ensure they are ready to be pleasant with the next customer.

4. Respond quickly.

Be quick to respond when customers have a question, complaint, or want an estimate.

5. Customize the service, so it’s tailored to each customer.

Some people want to get in and out quickly. Other customers want to chat and take their time, so accommodate them.

6. Offer to help a customer before they even ask.

This shows initiative and evokes positive images of your company.

7. Treat customers like real people, not like a number.

Be sure to talk with them in a conversational tone, rather than like they are just another customer waiting in line.

Dealing with customers can be challenging. But when you keep your focus on staying positive and constantly improving customer service, you are sure to win over even your toughest critic.

We appreciate your business and want the chance to serve you in the near future. Check out our website today and see what we offer. Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO: www.printcafeli.com

Print Marketing Is About Selling Value, Not Services

Print Marketing Is About Selling Value, Not Services

There's a common misconception that far too many marketers have that needs to be put to rest once and for all.

A lot of people still seem to think that if you're really going to carve out a stronger competitive advantage for yourself in an increasingly crowded marketplace, you need to make your services appear objectively better than everyone else's. You need to talk about how your products are better, stronger, faster, longer-lasting, more cost-efficient, etc. All this to steal as much attention away from your competition as you can.

In truth, that is a myth. You shouldn't be selling services at all. You should be selling the value that those services provide. In other words, the thesis at the heart of your print marketing campaign shouldn't be "here's what I can do that nobody else can," but rather "here's what I can do for you." Mastering this approach requires you to keep a few key things in mind.

Everything Begins and Ends With Your Customer


The art of selling value instead of services is one of those situations where buyer personas come in handy.

When you begin to come up with a buyer persona for your ideal customer, you try to add as much information about that person as possible. But once your persona has been completed, you shouldn't be asking yourself, "Okay, what do I need to tell this person in order to convince them to give me money?" Instead, you need to get answers to questions like:

What problem does this customer have and how do my services solve it for them?

In what ways will that person's life be easier after their purchase than it was before?

What does that person want to accomplish, and how can I help make that happen?

Then, you work your way back to the products and services that you're trying to sell, thinking about the problem and positioning yourself as the solution.

A Whole New Approach


This is one of those areas where specificity will carry you far. Think about the individual portions of your sales funnel and what someone needs to hear at each one to move from one end to the other. Use this "value-centric" approach not to convince someone that the time is right to make a purchase, but to give them the actionable information they need to arrive at that conclusion on their own.

In the end, there are probably a lot of other companies in your industry who do what you do - but nobody does it in quite the same way. That key thing that differentiates you from so many others is the value that only you can offer and what should be at the heart of all of your marketing messages.
For more of our informative blogs go to: https://store.printcafeli.com/blog/Print_Cafe_Blog.html