Today’s customer service dimensions have evolved from face-to-face and telephonic deals to email, live video chat, Skype and social media platforms. Although these channels of communication are integral for branding and promoting your business offerings to wide spectrum of people, it has cropped into multiple challenges that people face. They have multiplied the status and expectations of communication and building relationships.
No matter how technically you are proficient and how fancy your gadgets and tools are, if your customer service agents will need the appropriate soft skills to delight the customer and bring goodwill to the brand. It is also important for your customer service agent interacts with someone and understands and cater to the deeper needs.
Let us take Real Estate Customer Service representative, Ms. Diya Sharma, a Customer Service Executive in an Engineering sector, who may be knowing the niceties of the business-like project management, budgeting, project financing and so on. But knowing these aspects of the business and not being able to translate the same to the client in the form of effective communication (it could be any – email, telephone, meetings & discussions) holds little value for the business. The knowledge is certainly required, but stands worthless if the same cannot be used for conversions or closing deals with the clients.
For instance, one of our recent associations with an Animation & VFX institute focused on the importance of soft skills in effective client interaction. The front desk executives are the first point of contact and face of the organization. They represent the organizational values and culture. Front desk staff with poor client interaction skills can act as a bottleneck in achieving this business goal.
So, let us now understand a bit more what is customer service industry into?
The customer service sector produces intangible goods, rather ‘services’ that are intangible and non-perishable. According to the U.S. Census Bureau it comprises of industries such as hospitality, education, banking, information technology, consulting, etc
And, now what are Soft Skills?
Soft skills are such personality traits, which are inherent and intrinsic cues. They determine how a person behaves in a certain situation, interacts in his or her social relationships and communicates his abilities that are needed for success in his job.
Unlike hard skills or Knowledge areas that are taught in the educational curriculum, soft skills are not really learnt in traditional schooling pattern. They are much harder to evaluate and measure. The KSA Model of Iceberg Theory encapsulate all Soft skills such as, communication, teamwork, decision making, motivation, flexibility, positivity, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, networking, and conflict resolution in Skills and Attitude.
Unfortunately, Soft skills are highly underrated in most of the industries even today. They are mostly assumed, as ‘feel-good’ training programs whereas, if given the right level of importance, it will augment an employee’s engagement with self, role and team. For those service industries that would like to strengthen their customer service quotient, they need to invest dearly in these five Soft Skills essentially required (such as below ones) by this industry.
1. Listening Skills:
2.Some like sympathy, some empathy. Sympathy is all about being apologetic and assuring. If your customer sees you going out of the way to understand their issue and find the root cause of frustration to troubleshoot and find a solution for them, you are practicing empathy. This way your customers will feel more understood, comfortable and valued in the entire resolution process. Think about being in customer’s position and feel how you will be treated. How would you feel about the service, brand and the overall experience? This skill needs open mindedness and high emotional intelligence to appreciate this quality.
2. Empathy:
When I started my driving lessons, I would perpetually stress out in traffic bottleneck areas. To an extent, I let that fear cripple my motivation to pursue driving. I had blocked myself from every instance of driving my vehicle and accept my fears. To my dismay, I can narrate multiple such examples who create a protective shell and abstain themselves from exploring newer, exciting and challenging opportunities to develop their skills. Because, I focused more on negative outcomes, I skipped the plethora of opportunities that open up once one learns to drive and be self-reliant.
There are many who face similar fears with speaking in public, in social gatherings, in professional presentations and they stay away from participating in such forums or ideas. In recent years, I have not only learnt to drive, park my vehicle and be mobile in daily commute. So write down the golden rule in your blueprint – Whenever there is a public appearance, I will put my best foot and self forward and say ‘yes’ to fears! Take every chance to beat out your fears as it is extremely rewarding. Your problem is a hidden opportunity – a Jackpot of life that you are going to revere forever!
3. Accountability and Ownership:
This is the big part in customer service industry. One should be able to sincerely apologize even though the problem was not yours (and was of the client). Responsibility will only let you evaluate the matter whereas Accountability will make you stand for it. High integrity, humility, assertiveness and empathy towards others will ease you into the required role.
4. Positive attitude:
Customer service can become thankless, as you are continually handling customer grievances, problems, or expectations of the customers that you cannot meet. Positive attitude go a long way in coping up with these varied situations. Powerplay of proactive approach and alternative thinking will prove beneficial to keep the situation balanced. Positive attitude also helps you to stay calm, tone down your voice and control your emotions.
5. Depersonalization::
5.While you should be courteous and friendly with your customers, you are not there to make friends! Helping a customer should not be equated to crossing the privacy lines; a simple ‘I understand’ approach will still do the needful.
Apart from the aforementioned skills, the following soft skills are also important:
- Persuasive
- People-oriented
- Collaboration
- Flexible
- Self initiative taker
The customer service industry may have evolved and adopted new technologies to improve and fast-track their work. But it’s still the human interaction, connection and personal touch that entice the customers and keep them loyal to brands. For instance, one of our recent associations with an Animation & VFX studio chain focused on the importance of soft skills in effective client interaction. The front desk executives are the first point of contact and face of the organization.
They represent the organizational values ad culture. Front desk staff with poor client interaction skills can act as a bottleneck in achieving the business goal. Emphasizing the importance of soft skills from Top to Bottom in a service-oriented organization is what can take you a step closer to success.
As rightly stated by Peter Drucker that how we need to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself, instills more importance on cultivating such soft skills that connects us well with the customer. Developing soft skills is a holistic and survival approach that needs to be inculcated in employees, especially of the service industry today. Because soft skills can be more difficult to quantify, they can get neglected in professional and personal development goals. That’s why it’s important that everyone in customer interaction understand the value of activating their soft skills in their life and work.
They can’t be easily attained and not everyone is born with them. But by growing with them simply makes you a better version of yourself, be well-rounded professional and carve a better career in the future.
Also read: Shed Your Leaves; Shed Your Inhibitions
Join us at Nirmiti Academy, Thane For Soft Skills Training institute Thane Call us on 9820964553 / 7506375082 or email us at myneed@nirmitiacademy.com
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