Being a Customer Service
Customer Service mostly refers to a job. It’s a job that requires a lot of patience and hard work, with, of course, training and perseverance. But not all are experts already. Some might research guides.
Because no one is perfect and almost no one is great the first time. In time, you will come to realize that there are certain work patterns and laws you usually follow.
It’s totally normal by the way. For this article, we will speak about unbreakable laws of quality customer service.
A customer service representative is usually the frontline or vanguard in any business. So, they speak to customers, listen to their statements, accept requests, sell products and sometimes, even troubleshoot problems.
They relay all the messages of the customers to the business as a whole. They are the main source of metrics and analysis for a big company.
Because without them, that company or business will lose insight about the opinion of the customers and a way to speak to the customers on a personal level.
Of course, there are customer service reps that need help. Most of the times, especially in the beginning they trust in others for knowledge regarding the job and answers to the questions of the customers.
Let’s not forget that customer service representatives are humans too. I have been one almost four years for a big telephone company. I won’t be able to provide you any knowledge or answers for your company but I can help you with your work ethics.
As well as for your mentality and approach to this kind of work. So, I will give you the unbreakable laws of quality customer service.
10 Unbreakable Laws of Quality Customer Service
1 – To be a professional no matter the situation.
One of the most unbreakable laws of quality customer service is to be a professional. This means that no matter what happens or what the customer asks. Never show a frowning face, a negative attitude, and of course, an unpleasant tone.
Because your customers will think that you don’t really care about them. For example, when a customer is angry, you must not be angry at him as well. Not only will this escalate the problem, but you will never get a solution like this.
So always remember, be a professional. Even act like one because, in due time, you will become a professional if you really work hard.
2 – The customer comes first.
You must absolutely put your customers first if you are in work mode. Yes, this means that you must think of them first before your personal things and thoughts. This is one of the most unbreakable laws of quality customer service.
But actually, this is only for customer service representative. As a business owner, you have to balance between taking care of your employees and your customers. So, as a customer service rep, you must put your customers first before your colleagues or your employment issues.
3 – Break the rules only for the customers.
When I wrote to break the rules, I don’t mean this list. I mean the rules of your company or business must be sometimes disregarded depending on the requests and concerns of your customers.
This is one of the most unbreakable laws of quality customer service. To break the rule is an unbreakable rule, yes, I know it’s a little ambiguous but it will totally make sense once you experience talking to a customer.
They might request something you cannot say no to. Just consult your superiors or leaders and get some wisdom. I’m sure that someone up top might have insight regarding problems or invalid requests that might arise.
But don’t worry, as long as you have your team, you have someone to go to and ask questions. Make them your strength and eventually, you will be the superior and you will help the new ones too.
4 – Remember that no customer is like the other.
If you are not to be treated like a robot, then you must also treat your customers as humans too. Some of them make mistakes too. Just be patient. With that said, your customer’s personalities and attitude will always be different.
So, some of your customers might be angry and irate, some of them might be friendly and easy to talk to. Either way, it is your job to listen to them and talk to the, whatever happens.
Remember, you are a professional and you are doing your job. So, act like you want it even if it’s stressful sometimes. You must always be consistent on how you approach and treat your customers, on the same level as the previous one.
Because this means that you know what you are doing and you are always calm.
5 – If you promise to do it, then you do it.
This is one of the most unbreakable laws of quality customer service. Delivery and execution of promises reflect how much you care about your job and your customers as well.
So it’s a win-win situation for you, two birds with one stone. you impress your employer and you impress your customers. So, whenever you make promises like appointments, scheduled calls and other stuff that require your commitment, make sure you deliver all the time.
Don’t let them down but don’t forget that you are still human. If you really are unavailable and you won’t be able to keep a promise, then tell them that personally and apologize sincerely.
Tell them the honest reason. Yes, being honest goes a long way even if you are not working, remember that.
6 – Speak like you represent the company proudly.
Being proud of your company will give your customers a positive mindset. It means that employees or the people working for your company are happy. This will give a lot of benefits.
The way you talk will become a positive tone and the way you give out information to the customers will always be good. So, this will increase conversions, nurturing your customers will be easier.
They might even tell their friends that your company has a good community and is very interactive with customers. So everything good will happen if you are proud of your company.
This is one of the most unbreakable laws of quality customer service. But don’t forget that bad days will come and you will have challenges. And that is one of the best guidelines for quality customer service.
7 – Always use positive reinforcement.
Customers are unpredictable, at some point, they might show signs that they want to cancel, go away or move on. Like I said, it won’t always be the good days. But as a professional, you must never become weak when it comes to your customers.
Never show them signs that you are giving up or you don’t care if they go away or move on. Even in problems or troubleshooting sessions, always keep your best foot forward.
Give them positive statements like “don’t worry, I will help you!” or “you should be proud!” or “we’re almost to the finish line!”. This will give them positive and good vibes all throughout your interactions with them.
Plus, you will prevent and avoid irate customers most of the time this way. And that is one of the best rules to follow as a customer service representative.
8 – Know every loophole and answers.
If you want to become a great customer service representative, you have to know all the answers the questions of your customers. This will give them a big boost in confidence and assurance that they got the right person to talk to.
If you don’t know the answer, depending on the situation, be honest and tell it to the customer and ask your superiors. Always ask your superiors for answers. Otherwise, learn the answers yourself by using all the resources you can get a hold of.
Usually, big companies will have knowledge base software, otherwise, they will have a training or a certain amount of time allotted for training while speaking to customers. This is one of the best guidelines for quality customer service.
9 – Never take bad comments personally.
Remember when I said that it’s not every day that you will have pleasant and wonderful customers? Well, it’s totally normal. You might even encounter a customer with the worst attitude.
These kinds of customers will try to verbally harass you and make you an outlet for their anger against the company. I have experienced this myself, actually, for quite a lot of times.
It depends on the nature of your business. But every business will have bad days, that’s what you must put in your head and never forget. So, with those hard and stressful comments, never, I mean never, take them personally.
They will try and harass you but don’t let them get to your head. Keep your calm and still use positive reinforcement.
Never escalate an angry customer by being angry yourself. This will only just make the situation worse. Just remember that every time you go out of the office, the day will end. And every day is a new day!
You might even lose motivation or reason to work but always keep a smile and be proud of what you do! Your customers don’t know you personally and that is what you should think of when speaking to them.
10 – Take your time to become a great customer service rep.
With all the steps I have provided for you on this list, none of them will take overnight to accomplish. So, take your time and let yourself adjust to your work. In time, you will understand all the rules, even while you sleep.
You will become so good that you will unconsciously follow everything I have written here. Of course, you still have to work hard to achieve this kind of status and mental state.
Don’t rush yourself, ask all the questions you need and love your work. By then, you will surely become a great customer service rep. And don’t quit! No matter the hardships! And that is one of the most unforgettable laws of being a customer service.