10 Tips to Building Good Customer Service Skills

Like any skill worth having, good customer service skills are not easy to come by. With the fierce competition for customer attraction and retention, employers value employees who know how to communicate respectfully and positively with customers. While customer service jobs don't have any educational or professional requirements, don't be fooled into thinking that these skills are unimportant. Customer service is at the heart of every business trying to sell goods and services because customer service workers directly impact the consumer experience.

Before we get into how to improve and perfect your customer service skills, let's break down what they are and why they're necessary in the first place.

What is customer service?

Customer experience can make or break a brand. As we mentioned, it deals with directly creating an optimum consumer experience when the consumer is at their most agitated—when they have complaints or concerns. Customer service personnel are in almost every industry as every company nowadays has a customer service hotline.

These industries include but are not limited to: telecommunications, banking, electricity, water distributors, retail, restaurants, technology companies, and more. If you're due for a credit card limit increase, it will likely be customer service personnel who will contact you regarding the possible upgrade. If you're frustrated about your phone bill or electricity bill, it will be the customer service hotline you ring up to address your concerns.

Customer service may improve sales as well as customer retention and customer satisfaction.

Why is customer service so important?

To help you realise the value of customer service in Singapore, know that we have a nationwide organisation focusing entirely on consumer satisfaction. It's called the Consumers Association of Singapore, and it's where consumers can go to file official complaints about their experiences with brands and their less-than-stellar customer service.

Unsurprisingly, Singaporeans have high standards for customer service. And, based on a survey by American Express, they have one of the highest in the world. We hold customer service experiences in such high regard that bad experiences can lose companies billions. In 2016 alone, Singapore companies lost $26 billion simply because of poor customer service that encouraged consumers to seek out other brands.

The good news is, consumers are just as willing to spend more money on companies that promise excellent consumer experience. According to KPMG Singapore, Singaporean consumers value customer service that offers personalised experiences, integrity, and expectations management. American Express, Singapore Airlines, Apple Store, Changi Airport, and Uniqlo are some brands that Singaporeans deem best in customer service.

Now that we've tackled the definition of customer service and its role in the economy, it's time to discuss the 10 tips that will help you enhance your customer service skills.

10 Tips to Build Good Customer Service Skills

1. Always use positive language.

Think of the consumer journey. When customers contact customer service personnel, they're already feeling high emotions of frustration or confusion.

Balance the mood with optimistic language and tone. Even if you're not having the best day, you must separate your personal feelings from your work responsibility and make a conscious choice to be positive. That includes actively avoiding negative words and replacing them with encouraging words.

What you shouldn't do: Quite literally, you should never say "never," "no," "can't," "won't," "against," and other phrases that will only frustrate your customer.

What you should do: Instead, phrase your words with "I understand," "I will find out," "I'm sorry," and "I will do all I can to help." You can even create a table of negative and positive phrases so it'll be easier for you to opt for positive language.

2. Make your customers feel comfortable.

If your task is to provide support, then you must be empathic and understanding. Your job as a customer service personnel is to solve your customer's problems or address their needs. Communicate clearly and effectively. It assures the customer their problem is being dealt with by someone capable.

What you shouldn't do: Sound unsure or uncertain. The customer came to you for answers, so avoid phrases like "I don't know."

What you should do: You need to provide stability and be a figure of authority for your brief phone call or interaction. Do this by using phrases like, "I will find out for you," or showing your understanding and expertise on the manner at hand.

3. Anticipate their needs.

Most complaints and concerns will typically fall into the same categories, whether they're regarding a particular technical glitch, a payment method for a store, or questions about bills. That said, customer service personnel should be able to anticipate the needs of their customers. By doing this, you're also checking off #2 on this list. Show the customer that you are being proactive instead of reactive and are thus capable of solving their problems.

What you shouldn't do: Be flustered by problems you didn't expect and don't be annoyed or frustrated by repetitive concerns and complaints.

What you should do: Keep a script or chart nearby so you can anticipate their needs and have a game plan in place. Most companies already have scripts available, but good customer service personnel must know how to handle things on their own.

4. Exceed their expectations.

Time is money, so you should never waste your customer's time if you can't solve their problem. While social media now exists to spread the word about brands, word of mouth is still an effective way to boost your company's reputation. That said, as someone in customer service, help your business by showing your customers that you go beyond what was required.

What you shouldn't do: Do the bare minimum. Singapore customers have high expectations, so you should always try to reach them. Bad word of mouth can be damaging to your reputation.

What you should do: Provide the best service possible. Give customers something to be impressed about so they can share their positive experiences with friends and family.

5. Focus on empathy

During the pandemic, empathy is something brands have taken seriously as we're all in need of more understanding and compassion. It is perhaps one of the easiest tips to follow because it's a reminder that we're all humans going through individual struggles.

What you shouldn't do: Be dispassionate or respond like a robot. Chatbots and robots can't emulate the one thing we have: the ability to empathise with our customers.

What you should do: Always make sure your customer feels heard and understood. Show that your interaction is a safe space to voice any concerns.

6. Prepare speech and solution roadmaps.

A new day will always call for a new, unique problem. To ensure you stay on top of your customers, prepare a roadmap toward solutions that may save everyone time. A frequent complaint among customers is being told, "Please hold." Then, they redirected three different times. A roadmap can solve this particular problem.

What you shouldn't do: Tell them to wait. Again, it's one of the biggest pet peeves of customers on customer service hotlines.

What you should do: Problem-solving can be a complicated thing so keep your interactions productive and concise. Prepare problem and solution roadmaps accompanied by scripts if need be. Companies usually have some of these in place, but you may be surprised by the new problems you come across. This way, you can practice your skills at not just being a cog in the machine, but an active problem-solver for your company.

7. Prioritise their needs.

In the same vein as preparing roadmaps and anticipating customer needs, prioritising their needs pertains to compartmentalising and organising big problems when they're in front of you. Sometimes, some problems are more urgent than others, so you must know which one to address first.

What you shouldn't do: Address the less-urgent ones first. If it's an emergency, the last thing someone wants to be told is to wait in line. This tells them that they are not being prioritised by your company.

What you should do: Have a triage system in place. Memorise which issues to tackle first so your customers never feel like they've been left to their own devices.

8. Use common language.

One of the biggest faux pas of customer service personnel, particularly those in industries like banking and finance, is using jargon or complicated language that the regular consumer does not understand. Communication is all about speaking the same language—and at the same language level.

What you shouldn't do: Use complicated language that will get lost in translation, costing both of you valuable time trying to understand each other.

What you should do: Simplify your language so that all communication is clear. Clarity is crucial for solving problems, so don't cause another problem by using complicated language.

9. Keep your cool.

Customer service is not an easy job because there will be times a customer might use you like a proverbial emotional punching bag. Don't let it affect you or your ability to do your job. For that to happen, you will need to be as cool as a cucumber.

What you shouldn't do: Speak from a place of anger, hunger, loneliness, or tiredness. Don't let negative emotions leak into your work.

What you should do: Know your triggers and prepare for them in advance. Breathe in and out. If you're frustrated, take a breath so you can think before you speak.

10. Stay professional.

Harsh words and criticism are inevitable in this industry, but you should never let it creep under your skin. You may encounter tense situations with a customer, so you must prepare to deal with them for the sake of your mental health.

What you shouldn't do: Let it get under your skin. Don't take things personally. Regardless of the words an angry customer might hurl at you, know that it's not your fault and you're not accountable for his actions.

What you should do: Understand that work is not life. An insult upon you during a tense encounter is not an insult upon your person. Try to understand where the angry customer is coming from, once again using empathy as the foundation for customer service.

If you love interacting with people and helping them solve problems, then customer service can be a challenging and satisfying industry for you. Now that you're equipped with tips to develop good customer service skills, start practising them so you can update your JobStreet resume with your newfound skills and talents and be prepared for your customer service job search on JobStreet.