What a Customer Wants: Essential Skills for Contact Centre Agents

How to encourage contact centre agents to develop outstanding customer service skills.

It’s no industry secret that customer service can consist of dreaded, anguished interactions that inspire violent urges, for both the employee and the customer. According to a Customer Experience Impact Report by RightNow Technologies, 89 percent of consumers have stopped doing business with a company due to poor customer service. If contact centres can make outstanding customer service one of their company’s primary assets, everyone benefits.

Because great customer service is such a nuanced skill, contact centre agents can often use some direct guidance as to what defines customer service and how to develop the right qualities. Take a few pointers from these essential skills for contact centre agents.

Develop Soft Skills

Soft skills is a term associated with a person’s feelings, ability to relate to others, social graces and communicative habits. Soft skills are essentially an expression of one’s emotional intelligence and comprise a major portion of what puts the irreplaceable human touch in customer service.

While some people seem to naturally possess excellent soft skills, those who don’t can develop soft skills with guidance. Here are a few examples of skills that can help ensure a positive customer service experience:

• Practice excellent communication. The very foundation of customer service lies in communication. When a client is made to feel as though an agent is intently listening to them and earnestly addressing the issue at hand, they tend to feel respected and valued as customers. Agents should patiently listen to customer complaints, questions and concerns. Asking questions and summarizing the customers’ answers before continuing indicates that the agent cares about the problem.
• Remain calm and confident. Agents should never indicate to a customer that they are frazzled, confused or caught off guard by their inquiry. Responding confidently can help the customer feel more confident as well. If tensions reach a boiling point, never respond aggressively or defensively. Remain calm even if the customer isn’t. This will help them feel as if you understand their frustration and respect the time they have taken to address the problem.
• Be honest. While the goal of customer service is to make the customer happy, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes, agents have to be the bearer of bad news. Rather than beating around the bush, be upfront with clients about what you can and can’t offer them. Agents should also be sure to keep their promises. If you’ve made a special deal or exception for a customer, personally follow through. Stay updated on company policies to ensure that you’re always aware of any changes in policy, limited discounts or exclusive sales.

Maintain Consistent Quality through All Channels

Customer service in the contact centre was once primarily about phone interaction.

Today, the name of the game is versatility. Contact centres have largely adapted to a range of communication channels, including live chat, e-mail, SMS and social media. According to a 2013 report by LivePerson, 83 percent of online shoppers need support before completing a purchase.

This makes customer service essential on channels far beyond traditional voice. Agents should understand how to demonstrate soft skills training through all forms of communication. Soft skills can translate surprisingly well to text on a Web or mobile phone interface.

Contact centre managers and agents alike can seek out ways of improving online interactions to ensure that the customer experience is consistent on all channels.

Seek Regular Feedback

Keep in mind that customer service training is an ongoing process.

Staying engaged with clients means regularly prompting them for feedback on your service. This can be in the form of a quick online survey or a single question at the end of a phone call.

Making sure that your customers are happy not only provides you with the reassurance that your service skills are working, but also enhances your reputation as a company that truly cares about providing an outstanding experience. If a customer gives critical feedback, listen carefully to what they are saying and consider adjusting your approach to service accordingly.

Never underestimate the value of excellent customer service. While other aspects of your product or brand may be comparable to others, service is the one inimitable aspect of companies that speaks to the heart of who they are.

Practice soft skills, be versatile when using different technology to communicate and inquire regularly about the quality your customers’ experience. These pointers can help your contact centre agents develop core skills and valuable habits when it comes to delivering optimal customer service.