Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Customer Service Skills You Can Improve

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 5 Customer Service Skills You Can Improve In a world thats increasing its degree of automation every day, the value of human interaction is greater than ever. Thats why having strong customer service skills is importantâ€"and why improving those skills can be a valuable goal for the new year. Those who excel at customer service may differ in their level, role and industry, but they typically have these competencies in common. 1. Business Knowledge If you arent well-informed about your customers business issues, consider making that a priority for 2018. You can read industry-related publications and relevant social media accounts and/or company materials. You could also interview colleagues about what theyve learned. If youre in doubt about challenges a customer is facing, ask. Showing extra interest and investment in their business can enhance your customer service skills, as can taking the additional step of questioning an existing process or situation in favor of continuous improvement. 2. Empathy There is no substitute for being able toeffectively communicatethat you understand where your customer is coming from and that you will do everything in your power to help. Your level of sincerity can make or break your efforts. Listening carefully to the customers scenario and imagining how youd feel in her shoes can help you boost your empathy. It also helps to pay attention to tone and to read between the lines. Considergently askingquestions and paraphrasingback what you hear. And if the customer just needs to get something off her chest, tryletting her. 3. Self-Control Customers can be infuriating sometimes, but those withstellar customer service skills rarely,if ever, lose their cool. Its important for service representatives to practice emotional control because they are essentially representing the entire organization, says Emily Bennington, author ofMiracles at Work: Turning Inner Guidance into Outer Influence.It helps to recognize that what we tend to view as a personal attack from a customer isnt really personal at allâ€"theyre frustrated with the business. Maintaining that perspective can help you hold your composure no matter what. For more where this came from, visit the American Express OPENForum.