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Celebrate People Skills for National Customer Service Week

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Kate Nasser
Kate Nasser
09/09/2010

National Customer Service Week brings well deserved attention to dedicated customer service and technical support reps and all that they do. To that end, I pledged a few weeks ago to write at least one customer service post each week to honor the people and the field of customer service. This post is the 2nd in the series in preparation for National Customer Service Week.

Celebrate People-Skills: As your customer service teams celebrate with contests, parties, and picture taking, celebrate people skills (aka soft skills) with a thought for each day! Here are five of mine and one from Tristan Bishop.

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An authentic smile changes everything. On the phone, in person, and even the words you use in text,

  • Treat people the way they want to be treated -- not thchat, emails, and your website design should smile at the customer. It helps ensure that the customer interaction goes well.e way you want to be treated. I call this the diamond bond of customer service!
  • Be the sun, not a thorn.Even with thorny difficult customers, be the sun. Shine light on the problem to be solved and fix it. More ideas on this topic: 5 Things to Remember w/Tough Customers
  • A plane flies well on auto-pilot mode. Customer service doesn't! Adapt to each customer -- personalize and localize including personality type, culture, geographic differences, and generational differences.
  • Empathize before you analyze. Show customers you care and they will care enough to help you help them.
  • Kindness transcends constraints. ~Tristan Bishop. There are obstacles and challenges in customer service and technical support. Kindness to the customer ensures a continued bond while you work to overcome the challenges. To read more: Kindness Transcends Constraints by The Knowledge Bishop.
  • Continuously improving your people skills prepares you to effectively handle any customer service interaction with dignity and success.

    Reposted on Call Center IQ site with permission from Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach.


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