One of the most frequent complaints that tech companies receive is that customer service really sucks. No matter how well managers lay out processes or how wonderful the products are, companies will never realize their potential if their customer service skills are lacking. What is interesting about the problem of customer service is that most issues don’t change. Customer service challenges have persisted over the years in new ways, prompting more innovative answers to age old issues. Here are five of the most critical customer service skills that your team needs to be successful.
- Clear Communication: Communication is key, especially since most customer interactions take place over the phone or online. Make sure to address whatever customer problems quickly. Be very cautious and deliberate when relaying important points to customers so as to avoid any costly miscommunications.
- Product Knowledge: Ensure that your employees have adequate knowledge of your products and services. This goes a long way in establishing credibility and trust with customers. The more employees know about company offerings, the better they’ll be able to help customers with problems without getting supervisors involved.
- Time Management Skill: No customer wants to be on the phone forever. Employees must recognize when an issue will take a long time and how to manage difficult situations in a timely fashion.
- People Reading: This is a soft skill that is either natural or learned. Those who can’t naturally read customers, must learn the basic principles of behavioral psychology to accurately recognize a customer’s mood over the phone. Employees must watch and listen for the customer’s patience level, personality, etc. to keep interactions positive and productive.
- Closing Ability: The best employees know how to positively and productively end a customer interaction. The goal of the call or communication should be to solve the customer’s problem or to make them feel like everything will be fine.
Your tech support business will never reach its potential without great customer service. Ask yourself why companies like Amazon or Microsoft acquire and retain so many customers. It’s because their customer service skills are some of the best in the world. One way to improve your customer service is to provide your customers with alternative payment options. eMerchantBroker.com can create and maintain a tech support merchant account that will grow your business and provide your customers with convenient payment options.