The Customer Service Profession

Customer service can be described as the care that a customer receives before, during and after a purchase

In the field of customer service, you are looked upon as a representative for your company, and as such, first impressions are very important. Understand that in face-to-face customer service roles many times this is conveyed through appearance more than anything else. In such roles, clothing and personal grooming are one of the very first impressions that people will have of you. That’s why it’s so important you have a high standard of appearance and personal grooming (hair, nails, attire, etc – when interviewing for any customer service role)

Interview Professional’s top tips for customer service roles

• Ask your customers questions to help put them at ease and learn more about what you are dealing with. This will not only help you resolve your customers problems faster, but it’s also a great way to build rapport and get the customer onside

• Empathising with a customer when they get angry or upset can be a good idea too. Try things like, ‘I’m sorry that’s happened, I understand why your angry’, or, ‘I know that’s really upsetting, I’m going to do everything I can to get this situation resolved for you right now’.

• If a customer’s credit or debit card is declined, be both discrete and polite about it. Ask if there is any other payment method they would like to use

• Never judge the people you are serving. It’s very important you don’t jump to conclusions or make assumptions about the people you are there to assist. All customers have need of you, no matter their age or appearance

• Find ways to agree with your customers where you can (without necessary agreeing with every single thing they say)

• Be mindful of what customers can hear of your conversation with other customers, especially if discussing sensitive or important information

• Good handwriting is a very beneficial trait. Try and utilise this as much as possible where performing a customer service role as it’s a great way to come across as well-groomed and professional

• An actual customer standing in front of you should normally take precedence over a customer who is on the phone

• Remember that when a customer gets angry, it’s nothing personal. They’re not really angry at you. The likelihood is that it was not something you yourself did. But as a representative for your company, you need to take responsibility for that customer’s dissatisfaction and do your best to resolve the situation

• Know how to apologise.
  It’s important you can give a sincere and effective apology to a customer when necessary. Even though the likelihood is it’s not personally your fault, in a customer service role you are a representative for your company, and as such it’s your job to take ownership of any service failings on behalf of your company.
  (If delivered sincerely you will find this can be an effective way to calm a customer down and get them into a more amenable mood. Whether it shows or not, an apology is something most customers will always appreciate)

• Know how to take Ownership.
  Being able to take ownership of a problem is a highly coveted quality among employers. In any customer service role, this is something you will need to do on a regular basis, and although the issue may have occurred due to service failings elsewhere, as a dutiful customer service representative you are the one who will be tasked to find a resolution to it

• Learn how to have effective endings to your conversations.
  Not only does this help build a better rapport with your customers, but it also helps both you and the customer feel like you’ve had a more fulfilling overall conversation throughout.
  Its also why when concluding your dialogue with a customer, it’s very important that you don’t leave unresolved issues that the customer will have to come back to and continue on with later. So, before they leave, recap what you have discussed during the conversation, and ask if there is anything else you can help them with before they go
  
• If you encounter an angry customer, the ASAP technique is recommended as a great way of dealing with them:
  Apologise – Acknowledging of your customers feelings is always the first step towards resolving a situation
  Sympathize – If your customer sees your empathetic to how they feel it will go a long way to calming them down and getting them onside so you can better assist them
  Accept – Take ownership of the situation on behalf of your organisation
  Problem-Solve – Look for effective ways to resolve the problem for your customer

• If you’re unsure about something, give the customer the benefit of the doubt. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but rather a general approach you should try and adopt. Remember that you’re not there to prove to the customer why you’re right and their wrong

• The next piece of advice is a simple one. Smile!
  Smiles are an excellent way to put your customers at ease. Normally when you smile at somebody, they’ll smile back at you, and you’ll come across as welcoming and friendly, making it easier for customers to approach you which will set the tone for the conversation that follows.
  (When talking to somebody on the telephone, you can also utilise this same practice. Smile. This actually carries over through your voice and will sound much more friendly and cheerful to the person on the other end of the phone. Remember that your voice sounds different and more friendly when your smiling!)
  
  
• Lastly, smile when you say goodbye to a customer. Thank them for coming to see you and ask them to return again
  
  
  

A History of Customer Service
The importance and emphasis placed on customer service has changed greatly over the years. There have been some important service milestones over history that have led to the inception of modern customer service, some of the most notable of which are mentioned here

• 900 B.C Neo Babylonia
  The first ever business is introduced where customers could put meals and services on a ’credit line’

• 105 A.D
  The first ever shopping mall is built by emperor Trajan

• 1475 A.D
  Incan businesses began to complete with each other by offering free extra’s with every purchase their customers made

• 1868
  The first unconditional guarantee on a product is made by J.R Watkins, selling Watkins Liniment

• 1887
  Cola-Cola issues the world’s first ever coupons, in an ingenious marketing campaign to promote its product by giving away free drinks

• 1937
  The first shopping cart is made available to customers in a Piggly Wiggly store in Oklahoma City

• 1996
  The Institute of Customer Service is founded with the goal of improving overall customer service throughout all sectors of the economy. It presently has a membership of over 5000 people

• 1996
  E-mail and live chat support become available online

• 2000’s
  Service and product support over social media sites starts to become commonplace

• Late 2000’s
  On top of telephony, email and live chat options, remote helpdesk support starts to become widely available