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Customer service skills : the key to a better brand image

Market research 04 12
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LEGER
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Pressganey 1
Consumer Opinion Services
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Table of Contents

Customers rarely get involved with the company personally or understand how it works . Their perception of what the company is , what it stands for , what it seeks to achieve and what practices they follow are all created through interactive touch points . These points are areas where the customer comes in contact with the company, and it is the aspect that shapes the customer perception . Since , for any company, the customer is the ‘god’, it becomes the company’s responsibility to enhance the kind of experience that customers have at these points . This , the company can do , by focusing and improving upon internal and external characteristics. 

Out of all the multiple touch points , the most personalized interaction takes place through customer service . This is where the customer gets to interact with the company through an interpersonal conversation , which is far superior than any automated interaction , that runs the risk of leaving the customer dissatisfied . 

In short , the company can ensure good customer experiences , better conversion rates and increased revenue through focusing on their customer service skills .

01

What are customer service skills ?

Customer service skills , are simply , skills that a good customer service representative has , which if applied properly can generate positive customer experiences and can improve company image .

  1. Being Respectful : Being respectful an empathetic while addressing the customer is a must. Try to understand what the customer wants to convey and respond to it in the most empathetic manner possible . Talking in a loud or erratic manner can rattle the customer, who then may not feel comfortable in proceeding ahead with the conversation . the customer service representative needs to keep in mind that every customer counts , and a polite treatment is preferred , to generate a positive response .
  2. Being a good listener : This is a difficult skill , which takes time to perfect . Making sure that you’re patient and focusing on what the customer is trying to convey, is key . Taking notes and emphasizing them later on in the conversation , makes the customer feel valued . Customer service representatives should avoid interrupting the customers while they are speaking . This gives an impression of being uninterested in what the customer has to say , and can damage rapport .
  3. Being well prepared : In order that you speak to the customer  with complete confidence , you have to be ready with solutions to any problem that they might have . For this , customer service representatives have to understand the company and its products thoroughly . It’s even better to look at previous customer problems and how they were resolved to generate active responses .
  4. Establishing rapport : Talking about the concerned issue , straight after picking or making calls , can seem as a rude way to approach to a customer . It’s better to establish a rapport first , by talking or asking questions that allow you to learn more about the customer . It becomes easier to talk when both the parties engaged in the conversation are familiar with each other . 
  5. Being unafraid to admit mistakes : This is a quality which most companies fail to acquire . Admitting mistakes is a sign of transparency and openness. Customers feel better when they know that the company they’re involved with ,will not keep them in the dark if they commit a mistake on their own end . Moreover , it is seen as a sign of willingness to improve and builds trust .
  6. Being creative : Putting the customer’s needs above all ,means coming up with better solutions and ways to make their lives easier . A standard solution cannot help all the customers effectively . Try to come up with improved ways to deal with customer issues and customize them to suit the necessities of the customer .
  7. Utilizing time effectively : Everyone values their time highly . No one likes to be on hold or drawn out conversations . As much it is important to generate good conversation , one needs to know when to move forward to more pressing issues . Lack of patience or preoccupation with other things , can make customers angry or frustrated . It’s better to plan out things in terms of average time per call, jotting down key points to discuss , updating customer information etc . 
  8. Being self-controlled : Customer service representatives need to know that customers may lash out , point mistakes and may not even have the patience to listen , but they have to maintain their cool at all times . Reacting in an impatient manner , can make situations worse and can damage company reputation . Customer service personnel need to remember that they embody the company’s image for the customer , and any rash action might reflect badly on the company .
  9. Being persistent and persuasive : Every customer needs to be convinced about :the need to adopt and use a particular brand’s products and services over others , the solution being an effective one in solving the customer issues and that the  company values customer needs and benefits over anything else . It is not a piece of cake to simply speak by following a script and hope the customer to feel satisfied . Customer service representatives need to be persistent in their approach and make the customer feel that there is a need , that only the company can fulfill for them . Being convincing and having perseverance are the strong suits of a customer service representative .
CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS1

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02

Organizational point of view for developing customer service skills

It is the organization’s responsibility to ensure that each and every customer goes away from an interaction having experienced the best customer service . Helping a customer , solving customer issues , developing long term relationships with the customer , making customers feel valued and respected : all these aspects come together to form an ideal customer experience . The organization can take steps towards building this ideal customer experience by fine tuning what they offer to the customer .

CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS2

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03

Tapping every touchpoint

It’s not through calls alone, that customers interact with the company. Emails, website, SMS, Social Media and the company app are some of the ways in which customers get in touch with the organization. Organizations need to make sure they generate quick and effective responses at each of these areas. Being accessible is a company characteristic, that every customer appreciates. Irrespective of the amount of customer response that each of these points generate, they have to be treated with equal consideration and developed accordingly. The company needs to focus on how these interactions can be improved on each of the platforms through quick response, multiple solutions, additional assistance and follow up action .

CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS3
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04

Focus on employee happiness

Customer service representatives can make the customer happy and satisfied , when they themselves enjoy the same state , working with the company . Companies need to make sure employees are comfortable working within their respective environments . They need to find solutions to any inconvenience that the customer service representatives might be having . If the employees aren’t confident in the place where they are working , they won’t be able to project it to the customers . Training and consultations , timely employee feedbacks , ensuring smooth functioning , recognizing effort, providing assistance and appraising performances are some of the ways in which companies can forge a better work culture. 

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05

Develop customer service strategy

Try and bring up new and innovative ways to better the customer experience . Establish a certain protocol to be followed by all customer service representatives and upgrade it to serve the customer needs in a better fashion . Using strategies such as the L.A.S.T method can be very impactful in understanding how to deal with customer problems . It is based on the simple , yet important values that every customer service must have :

Listen : Be attentive while the customer talks . Reiterate their said points , ask questions , take notes and nod to affirm them that you are listening and that their speaking isn’t in vain . Customers should not feel like they are interrupting your day by expressing themselves .

Apologize : Take responsibility for mistakes , even though they might not your fault entirely . Be humble and show the customer that even though a mistake was committed , you are here to fix it for them .

Solve : Try to come up with quick and effective solutions to client problems . Even if you’re not ready with the solution , ask for some time politely . For example : A client service representative can say : I am not sure the solutions I have will solve your problem to the best of our abilities . Allow me to come up with the most effective solution and get back to you as soon as possible .

Thank : It is very important to express your gratitude towards the customer . Let them know that you appreciate their effort to report an issue and you hope that they may not face such an inconvenience again. A simple line such as : Thank you for your time and attention or We appreciate your patient listening , is enough to guarantee a pleasant customer experience .

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06

Why Choose Voxco for a Thurstone Scale Survey?

These are a few benefits you can enjoy by choosing Voxco to create your Thurstone Scale Survey:

  • Perfect for Thurstone Scale Surveys

Voxco’s survey software facilitates the use of a range of scales, including the Thurstone scale. With Voxco, you not only are able to seamlessly integrate Thurstone scales within your survey, but you can also calculate the median of your scores with just a click.  

  • Omnichannel Survey Solution

Voxco’s omni channel platform allows for centralised survey authoring. This saves time re-programming surveys as you just need to script your survey once and then deploy it across all your channels. Additionally, all survey results are stored and displayed on a single integrated platform.

  • Powerful Dashboards

Voxco’s powerful dashboards create compelling real-time visual data stories as soon as survey responses come in.

Switch to Voxco Telephony System to improve your Call Center Productivity by 400% or more 

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07

Conduct follow-ups

Conducting follow-up actions like gaining feedbacks on how a customer’s purchased products is performing and whether or not are they facing issues helps in establishing good long term relationships . This makes the customer feel valued which in turn generates brand loyalty. It also gives a hint towards the customer centric approach that the brand has . In addition to this , brands can also gather important information about product quality, customer satisfaction , packaging , pricing , offers and other benefits and use this as input data for future decision making .

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08

Why Voxco?

Our focus lies on skilled agents , easy usability , real-time feedback ,extensive research and required automation and supervision. The answer lies in the variety of features that Voxco offers its clients  :

Improving calling productivity : Voxco Dialer works dynamically with the rhythm of your call center to improve productivity by as much as 50%. Predictive dialing continually adjusts the pacing of calls to automatically match forecasted interviewer availability.

Premium support : Our esteemed team of experienced professionals are accessible anytime to help you choose the configuration that suits you best .

Flexible dialing modes and automated call detection: Voxco Dialer includes a versatile 4-in-1 dialing solution that improves the quality and speed of your call connections. These modes enable you to tailor the dial pattern per project. The smart call detection filters out bad connections, so only successful connections are dispatched. Inbound calls get redirected to highest rated professionals to ensure maximum conversions .

For US clients, we offer Voxco TCPA Connect, with 4 distinct deployment scenarios that each offer advantages over detached-phone manual dialing or autodialing-only environments.

Quality control and process management : Monitor and record live calls to use them for future referrals and reviewal . Dialer quality assurance feature allows you to improve the performance of your call center Use dialer dashboards to keep a check on interviewer productivity.

Advanced telephonic features : Boost your call center performance by blending incoming calls into outbound operations, with intelligent call routing and seamless transfer and return features. Enjoy increased flexibility through our call conferencing , call transfer and audio playback features.

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