Customer service professionals are responsible for working directly with customers and client. They represent their employer and work to make a positive impression with customers to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Common duties of a customer service employee include:
· Advising clients on the best products or services to suit their specific needs
· Answering customer and client questions
· Processing orders for customers
· Handling customer concerns and complaints
· Resolving customer issues
· Answering customer calls and directing them to the appropriate recipient
· Communicating with customers via mail, email or social media
· Schedule, change or cancel appointments on behalf of customers and clients
· Establishing positive rapport with all clients and customers via phone or in-pers
Important Skill Sets:
Problem-solving skills
Customer service representatives are responsible for handling customer complaints and concerns and must effectively solve problems responsibly and efficiently. Problem-solving skills enable customer service employees to solve issues quickly and successfully by analyzing the cause of the problem, generating possible solutions and implementing a plan to resolve the problem. Some examples of the problem-solving skills needed by customer service employees include:
· Data analysis
· Corroboration
· Forecasting
· Creative thinking
· Brainstorming
· Prioritizing
· Teamwork
Conflict resolution
Like problem-solving, customer service representatives must have strong conflict resolution skills to ensure customer issues are resolved promptly. Conflict resolution involves making the relationship with the customer a priority and working to solve any conflict that is affecting their satisfaction with the company. Good conflict resolution skills needed by customer service employees include:
· Active listening
· Emotional intelligence
· Patience
· Mediation
· Facilitation
· Responsibility
Communication skills
· Customer services jobs require employees to communicate with customers regularly. Strong communication skills ensure these interactions are professional and effective and leave a good impression on the customer. Common ways that customer service employees interact with customers include via phone, email, social media and in person. No matter which method of communication is being used, professional communication practices should be implemented.
Product knowledge
· Customer service representatives and other customer service employees must be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the products and services their company offers. Good product knowledge enables these employees to better answer customer questions, address customer concerns and help customers choose the right product or service to meet their specific needs.
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are those that support positive communication between individuals. Interpersonal skills include both nonverbal and verbal elements and allow customer service representatives to interact more efficiently with customers and clients in a productive way. Examples of interpersonal skills needed by customer service employees include:
· Patience
· Empathy
· Responsibility
· Dependability
· Active listening
· Leadership
Relationship building
Customer service employees are responsible for helping companies build and maintain relationships with their clients and customers. Relationship-building skills allow employees to better connect with others, communicate effectively and ensure customers' needs are met. Examples of relationship-building skills that customer service representatives should possess include:
· Emotional intelligence
· Listening skills
· Interpersonal skills
· Networking skills
· Empathy
Multitasking skills
Nearly every customer service position requires some level of multi-tasking, and most customer service jobs require daily multi-tasking. These professionals often must talk to customers on the phone, process orders, answer questions and ensure customers are happy, sometimes all at the same time. Effective multi-tasking abilities ensure customer service representatives can successfully handle all of their duties and quickly shift their attention from one task to another.
Common customer service experience to consider including in a job description for a customer service role includes:
· Proficiency in administrative tasks
· Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
· Experience with customer service technology
· Experience answering and placing phone calls
· Ability to send and respond to emails
· Documentation skills
· Professionalism in all situations in the workplace and when working with customers
· Strong verbal skills
· A high school diploma or equivalent
· Ability to multi-task
· Market and product knowledge
Additional skills and knowledge for customer service employees
In addition to essential skills, there are other requirements and skills that some employers look for in candidates. These include:
· Phone skills
· Documentation skills
· Information analysis
· Computer skills
· Customer orientation
· Quality focus
· Adaptability
· Responsibility
· Patience
· Speaking skills
· Positive attitude
· Authenticity
· Time management skills
· Attentiveness
· Confidence
· Accountability
· Patience
· Technical knowledge
· Friendliness
· Decision-making skills
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $15.00 - $16.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- What does being dependable at work mean to you, and can you give me an example of how you've demonstrated that?
- Tell me about a mistake you made at work. What did you do after you realized it?
Work Location: In person
