Customer Services Skills and Tips

Effective customer service leads to higher sales and a positive reputation in the industry. This benefits the employee from the standpoint of the company doing well. When the company does well, the employee's job security is greater. Higher sales can also lead to increases in salaries, benefits, compensation packages, rewards, more money available for training and development of the employee, etc. It also benefits the employee who is providing efficient customer service in that they feel good about what they do and improves morale.

Whether you are an entry-level professional or a senior manager, strong customer service skills are required when you deal with customers. There are customer service skills that, when effectively implemented, can streamline your tasks and satisfy every customer.

Benefits

What are the Benefits - Any shipping business will tell you that without customers, there isn't a business. Customers are the backbone of the business as well as the means by which the employees get paychecks, so it is important to have an effective customer service program. Well-trained and effective customer service representatives are worth their weight in gold for providing customer retention, new sales and good will. Money spent training employees customer service skills is money well spent and invested, and everyone in your company will benefit from learning customer service skills.

Happy Employees - Key to having happy employees is creating a team-like work force, built on relationships, both personal and business. Each employee should feel a kinship with the others; it all comes down to everyone realising they need each other to be a success. When success happens, everyone cheers. When failures happen, everyone works together to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Once this team develops, customer service begins to happen in a big way. Customer service staff (the people who spend most of their time face to face with a customer) are happy in their jobs and that comes across to the customer. Have you ever walked into a business and felt tension in the air? It doesn't give you a very warm and fuzzy feeling that makes you want to ask about the products or linger to look. Happy employees create a welcoming atmosphere without even knowing they are doing it.

Retention - If your organisation has employees with world-class customer service skills, they help the company retain a large percentage of customers. A customer will go where they are treated with courtesy and respect.

Increased Profit - When the entire customer service department has excellent customer service skills, the word will spread. You can acquire new customers based on word of mouth. New customers mean an increase in market share which ultimately translates into an increase in profit.

Continued Operations - Many companies have gone out of business because they did not provide excellent customer service to their customers and clients.

Advertising Expenditures - When you must continuously find new customers because your current customers are leaving, it can cost your organisation money in the form of advertising and marketing. It is quite expensive to advertise in an effort to acquire new customers.

Rapport/Trust - Employees with excellent customer service skills have the ability to relate to customers better, which allows them to uncover customer needs, and in the process they can cross-sell other products and services. Good customer service skills help you to establish rapport with a customer and gain their trust and respect.

Tips

Ownership - Customers often get frustrated when no one they speak with takes ownership of the problem. Taking responsibility allows you to set yourself apart from the competition. Taking ownership of the customer contact means to communicate that the customer has come to the right place to solve his/her problem. You must communicate that you will do everything in your power to bring the issue to a satisfactory conclusion.

Product Knowledge - A combination of listening and product knowledge will help you to determine your customer's needs. You should have a firm understanding of your company's products and services as well as the shipping industry’s procedures and practices. Online training courses are available to keep up to date with industry trends. This knowledge will allow you to service your customers more efficiently.

Customer service training

Customer service training should include every single person in the company. Including the janitor may seem silly, but you just never know when a customer knocks on the door after closing time to ask a question. Making even the janitor as part of the team tells everyone that everyone is an important part of the team. Online customer service training is a cost effective way to prepare your company with the skills to grow your customer base in the current difficult market conditions. This is, after all, an important investment in your company's future.