What Are The Top Customer Service Representative Skills?

Are you looking for a customer service job? Are you an employer looking to hire a superstar customer service representative?

Either way, you need to know the skills that can take any customer service employee to the top. Plenty of people work in customer service, but not all representatives are good representatives.

We’re here with a list of some of the most important customer service representative skills and qualities that all great customer service representatives have in common. Keep reading to learn more.

Adaptability

Each customer service situation is different. Sometimes, unexpected things come up and your customer service representative will have to think on the fly.

This is where good adaptability and flexibility come in.

A customer service representative that’s adaptable will be able to work well under many different conditions. They’ll be able to think on their feet and not get dragged down by things that go awry.

An adaptable customer service representative will also be able to learn new skills. This allows them to fill several different roles, making them more valuable in the workplace.

Persuasive Speaking Skills

Persuasion is crucial when it comes to working in any type of customer service role.

When you’re looking to hire a customer service representative, pay attention to them during their interview. Are they able to sway you in their favor with their personality and persuasive words?

When someone works in customer service, they often sell things. They may be offering store credit cards, working in direct sales, or even upsell customers who have already made a purchase.

If they have persuasive speaking skills, they’re more likely to succeed.

These speaking skills are also helpful when it comes to making customers happy. An unhappy customer can turn into a happy one if your customer service representative can persuade them.

Mediating Skills

Speaking of keeping customers happy, a good customer service representative should also be a good mediator.

It’s not uncommon for customers to get irate, either with customer service staff or other customers. While there’s a popular saying that “the customer is always right,” anyone who’s ever worked with customers knows that this isn’t true.

Instead of getting upset, a good customer service representative will turn on their superb mediation skills. This helps them to de-escalate the situation.

Sometimes mediation includes offering something to the customer. A good mediator can calm down the situation without resorting to that. Pay attention to employees who can keep themselves (and others) calm.

Organizational Skills

Staying organized isn’t always easy when you’re working in customer service. It’s often a fast-paced job that doesn’t leave much room for organization.

A customer service representative that pays attention to the organization will be valuable to you. They’re able to keep any files, data, money, and information organized so you don’t lose track of anything.

These employees are also great at organizing their time. Time management is a key part of staying organized.

Employees who organize their time well can get more work done on any given day. They’re less likely to be late, they’re able to plan, and they can take care of all of their tasks without overworking themselves.

Listening Skills

Being a good listener is everything if you’re working a customer service representative job. After all, part of providing good customer service is knowing what the customer wants. How can you do that if you don’t listen?

If you’ve worked in the customer service industry for a long time, you know that sometimes customers don’t actually know what they want. They think they know, but that communication error between them and the employees can make a situation more stressful than it has to be.

When your customer service representative has great listening skills, they’ll be able to understand what the customer wants.

Even customers who are good at conveying their needs will feel more comfortable if they know that someone is listening to them. It’s one thing to hear your customers and another thing to actually listen to them.

Great customer service representatives display active listening techniques. They make eye contact, pay attention to gestures, and let the customer know that they’re listening.

Self-Control

Being a good customer service representative requires self-control. As we mentioned before, there will be times where customers aren’t being their best selves. Your customer service representative won’t be able to fly off the handle (even if it feels like an appropriate response) while they’re on the job.

Employees with great self-control can handle situations with ease and grace. They keep their emotions in check and come up with logical solutions to the problems that they face.

Patience 

Similar to self-control, a good customer service representative has patience.

There will be times in which customers have a difficult time making decisions. They may have a lot of questions, change their minds, or walk away completely.

A good customer service representative can stay attentive until their job is done instead of getting distracted or upset.

These Are Essential Customer Service Representative Skills 

Whether you’re looking to get into the customer service industry or an employer looking to hire a new representative for your team, these are the customer service representative skills you should focus on.

A good customer service representative is patient, persuasive, and organized. They’re a good listener, a great mediator, and a person with great self-control (even in bad situations).

The best customer service employees display most (or all) of these qualities!

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