Great customer service is a cornerstone of a successful business. Your customers have all the power when it comes to how well you do, and keeping them happy and providing them with a great experience is part of ensuring that success.

The first step in providing excellent customer service is ensuring that you have all the right tools in place: great customer management systems, a user-friendly and informative website, and efficient processes and systems in your workflow.

However, there are some crucial social skills that need to be in place too.

Listen Well

Listening is a vital skill when working with people. Customers with complaints or questions are real people who want real answers provided by someone who truly understands what they need.

Being able to listen to their problems, acknowledge them, and help set them on the right track is crucial.

When a customer feels heard and understood, they’re far more likely to be satisfied with their customer service experience.

Be sure to ask questions, clarify what you’re not certain of, and let them know how you’re going to deal with their issue.

Use Positive Language

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but more how you say it. Using positive language can help avoid miscommunications and conflicts between yourself and your customers.

To use positive language, refrain from focusing on what you can’t do and instead emphasize what can be done.

Rather than telling your customer that you can’t provide them with the product they’re looking for, provide them with information on what alternatives you have – you’ll be solving the problem before it becomes one.

Remain Friendly and Professional

It can be tough to keep a smile on your face when you’re being yelled at for something you literally have no control over – this is often the position of a customer service professional. However, maintaining a friendly, professional, and apologetic demeanor is crucial even in these hard situations.

Ensure that your customer feels heard and let them know that you’re doing everything in your capacity to improve the situation for them – no sighing, muttering, or cursing.

Acknowledge Customer Frustrations

Taking responsibility for mistakes and issues is important when it comes to customer service. Sometimes, nothing can truly be done to change a situation – if a product is delayed, then it’s delayed. There’s often no way around the issue.

However, if your customer is truly upset about the inconvenience, they’ll likely want to be heard out and vent about how the setback has influenced them. Acknowledge their frustrations, apologize for the problem, use positive language to offer solutions and any compensation you can.

Manage Customer Expectations

Manage your customers’ expectations ahead of time to avoid the potential of letting them down and receiving complaints. Make sure you’re up to speed on how long things take and what you’re capable of as a business and manage your customers’ expectations in this way.

In fact, you can use this tactic to blow them away by doing more than they anticipated, simply because you know it’s within your capacity.

___________________________________________________

Some other articles you might find of interest:

Make your business rock with these business plan writing skills:

Startup’s Guide to Write a Business Plan

Would you like to know how investors value a startup?

How Do Investors Value a Startup?